Houjou Tokiyuki was a Samurai of the Houjou clan. Son of Houjou Takatoki. His father was the ruler of the Kamakura Shogunate. The Elusive Samurai, the popular manga by Matsui Yusei, tells the story between Tokiyuki and Ashikaga Takauji. The late one founder of the Ashikaga Shogunate and the start of the Muromachi Era (the […]
The Boshin War was a civil war fought by the Tokugawa Shogunate against the Imperial forces. After more than two hundred and fifty years of Tokugawa dominion the dissatisfaction of nobles started to boil. But the increased influence of Western powers led to a decline in the economy. Even partisan violence in Edo by pro
Hijikata Toshizou was the youngest of ten kids. His father was a farmer. He died months before Toshizou’s birth. A tall and handsome man according to historians. But a spoiled man according to others. Hijikata started practicing swordsmanship in his youth as a self taught. His older sister Nobu married Satou Hikogorou, the manager of
Saitou Hajime was born on February 18, 1844 as Yamaguchi Hajime in Edo, Musashi Province. He is most famous for serving as captain of the third unit of the Shinsengumi. But Saitou was one of the few members to survive the Bakumatsu as a Tokugawa supporter. Later becoming a Police Officer working undercover during the
Sakamoto Ryoma (3 January 1836 – 10 December 1867) was a samurai of the Tosa domain (today’s Kouchi prefecture in Shikoku) under the Tokugawa Shogunate. In his core Sakamoto was a pro-democracy who believes that every man is created equal. Admirer of the United States Congress and British Parliament alike. This made him an anti