Hi, has anyone read any books about the Shinsengumi ? I only read Shinsengumi, the Shogun's Last Samurai Corps by Romulus hillsborough.. I still want to read Nagakura Shinpachi's memoires and any other published books.

Romulus Hillborough wrote his book from a "neutral" perspective. I think it was a pretty good book because he doesn't tend to praise them for what they've done, and you would certainly question praise whenever you read about some of their actions. But I wish he wrote more about the other shinsengumi members other than Kondo Isami and Toshizo Hijikata. If you read any other Shinsengumi books, I don't know which specific topics to mention about this book.

I believe mankind is neither good or bad, and this book makes the Shinsengumi look that way as well. But of course, they were remarkable. It was my first book, and it left me a nice impression of what the Shinsengumi was, what they did and who commanded them.


p.s

The thing I admire most is the fact that some were loyal too the Bakufu till the very end, whether they be Shinsengumi or not. But Matsudaira Katamori really was something, how could a man who resisted so fiercely not even commit seppuku ?