"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.