"Power to them meant everything. It was founded on courage, which begot honor. And by this courage and for this honor they fought to the death." The Shogun's Last Samurai Corps tells the thrilling story of the Shinsengumi--the legendary corps of Samurai warriors tasked with keeping order in Kyoto during the final chaotic years of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1600-1868). This book recounts the fascinating tales of political intrigue, murder and mayhem surrounding the fearsome Shinsengumi, including: The infamous slaughter at Ikidaya Inn where, after learning of a plan to torch the city, a group of Shinsengumi viciously attacked and killed a group of anti-Tokugawa plotters The bloody assassination of Serizawa Kamo, the Shinsengumi leader, under highly suspicious circumstances The final tumultuous battles of the civil war in which the Shinsengumi fought and died in a series of doomed last stands Author and Samurai history expert Romulus Hillsborough uses letters, memoirs, interviews and eyewitness accounts to paint a vivid picture of the Shinsengumi, their origins, violent methods and the colorful characters that led the group.
Romulus Hillsborough Books
This author delves into the tumultuous third quarter of the 19th century in Japan, an era known as the Bakumatsu, which transformed the nation from feudal domains under a shogun to a modern, industrialized world power under imperial rule. His works illuminate this period of revolution through the lives of the samurai who shaped its course. Immersing himself in the Japanese language, history, and culture, the author brings a unique, deeply researched perspective to his writing. His narrative approach, often grounded in primary sources, breathes life into the pivotal figures and dramatic events of Japan's transition to modernity.




Samurai Revolution
- 608 pages
- 22 hours of reading
See the dawn of modern Japan through the lens of the power players who helped shape it as well as those who fought against it in this exploration of Samurai history.
Šinsengumi : Šógunovy poslední samurajské jednotky
- 206 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Tato kniha pojednává o krveprolévání, smrti a ukrutnostech. Je však také o odvaze, cti a věrnosti. Zabývá se některými nejtemnějšími, současně však i nejvznešenějšími zákoutími lidské duše. Témata, jež jsou ukryta v tomto historickém vyprávění o šinsengumi, se týkají mimořádné vůle po moci a vědomí vlastní důležitosti u jejich vůdců a nepřekonatelného sklonu k zabíjení, jejž dokázaly vštípit svým řadovým bojovníkům, příslušníkům tohoto nejsmrtonosnějšího samurajského útvaru. Líčení těchto událostí se plně opírá o historické dokumenty a záznamy, historické práce a životopisy, o dopisy, paměti a vzpomínky.