Pointing Out Some Facts

I’m going back and forth with post topics, but I feel the need to point out something here.

I have read many things involving Japanese history, and spoken with many people about Japanese history as well. I made a post before, discussing the Wolves of Mibu. The Wolves of Mibu was a name for the Shinsengumi, during the Meiji Revolution (i.e. Meiji Reformation). I made reference to a single person, whom I called “The First Wolf of Mibu”.

I want to stress again that this person is fictional, and only exists in my writing. His name is Kyo Aramaki, and while his name is taken from two different anime, he is still completely fictionally based.

The Wolves of Mibu were based out of Mibu Village, and were comprised of many Ronin (Master-less Samurai) who were originally part of a group called the Roshigumi. The Rōshigumi (“Kyoto Defenders”) was originally founded to be defenders of the Shogunate in Kyoto. However, the leader of the group announced this as pretext, and worked truthfully to support the Imperial Patriots. These intentions were eventually found out, and two groups, that became truthfully loyal to the Shogunate, were formed. They were the Shinsengumi, and the Shinchōgumi (Shinsen working in Kyoto, Shinchō working in Edo). They did not exist in the Sengoku Era, the Sengoku Era ended in the year 1600, after the end of Ieyasu Tokugawa’s Sekigahara Campaign. From 1601 to 1868, Tokugawa and his descendants ruled the Shogunate. Though there was a war (The Boshin War) fought immediately following the “fall of Edo”, the Emperor was officially restored to power, and the end of the Edo Period, and the beginning of the Meiji Period, was proclaimed. Notice, the years of the Shogunate’s life. From many sources, I have seen the proclamation of the Tokugawa Shogunate bringing “300 years of peace” to Japan. The Shogunate did not last for 300 years, and it was far from peaceful.

From what I’ve read on Japanese history, since long before the Tokugawa Shogunate, the leaders, and most powerful military leaders, of the country, have always gone back and forth with their beliefs around Japanese Isolation and the use of European technologies, chiefest of which being trade and gunpowder weapons. Nobunaga Oda proposed the use, and even traded for it, of gunpowder weapons. This was disliked, and so his castle in Kyoto was attacked, and he was forced into seppuku. Hideyoshi returned to take over Kyoto, and take revenge for Nobunaga’s death. Tokugawa later did the same, and used gunpowder weapons in his Sekigahara Campaign. Later on in the years though, his descendants shied away from it, and back towards isolation. The Imperial Patriots wished to reinstate the emperor to power over the Shoguns, and at the same time, reopen world-wide trade to European countries, rather than live in isolation. The people of Japan could not make up their minds, but this is truely nothing more then an example of human nature, for all over the world people have had differing views on issues in their world, and fought over such beliefs. The Bloodshed throughout Japan has always been high, and to think that the Tokugawa Shogunate brought 300 years of peace is just ridiculous. Between 1868 and 1900, there was a lot of fighting, of course over the same issues. The Imperialists wanting to keep trade and communication to the rest of the world fought against the Isolationists who felt opening Japan up to the rest of the world would merely corrupt them. Perhaps this is true? Who knows.

So, to conclude my rambling… Kyo Aramaki is a fictional character, proposed to be from Mibu Village in Japan, and to be the basis behind why the Shinsengumi were called the Wolves of Mibu. They share a place of origin, and a ferocity in combat. Yami is fictional as well, and is a foe of Kyo even in the past. Neither are aligned with the ideas of the Imperialists, for they both pre-existed that time period, coming from the Sengoku, into Edo, time periods.

To close, a few translations.:

Roshi – Kyoto Defenders
Shinsen – newly-formed
Shinchō – not sure
gumi – group/squad
Sengoku – Warring-States
Kyoto – Capital of Japan during the Sengoku Era.
Osaka – Hideyoshi’s home and capital. Claimed as the “Throne of the King” during Tokugawa’s campaign to reunify Japan.
Edo – Capital of Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate (renamed Tokyo during Meiji)
Meiji – Enlightened Rule