Oh, how masculinities change through times and target audiences...
Historical Hijikata & Kondō VS Moeyo Ken (1966) VS Hakuōki (2008--)
Furthermore, there seems to be a general consensus that Hijikata had/must have a deep voice which can lead to Hijikata-actors adjusting their voices in ways that look and sound unnatural...
Example: Kurizuka Asahi in Moeyo Ken (1966) & Nakamura Yuichi in Hakuōki: Sweet School Life (2015)
Moeyo Ken (1966) is the adaptation of the book of the same name which was mentioned in an academic paper that compared the book to Gintama. I uploaded an extract of the paper here.
You can watch the movie for free (with English subtitles) on archive.org.
(This topic about masculinities and representation of historical figures through time and target audience might be something for you @scarletfantasia.)
“Romanticising Shinsengumi in Contemporary Japan“ by Rosa Lee
Published January 2011 in New Voices, Volume 4, The Japan Foundation, Sydney
Abstract:
Shinsengumi, a group of young men recruited by the Bakufu to protect Kyoto from radical Imperial House loyalists in the tumultuous Bakumatsu period, is romanticised and idolised in Japan despite its limited place in history. This article attempts to comprehend this phenomenon by locating the closest crystallisation of popularly imagined Shinsengumi in Moeyo ken, a popular historical fiction by Shiba Ryōtarō. Antonio Gramsci explains readers are attracted to popular literature because it reflects their ‘philosophies of the age’, which may be discovered by examining popular heroes with their subsequent replications.
This article will identify why Shinsengumi is appealing by comparing Shiba’s hero in Moeyo ken with its twenty-first century reincarnation in Gintama, a popular manga series, and by discerning reader response to Moeyo ken from customer reviews on Amazon.co.jp. It will be demonstrated from these studies that a likely reason for the Japanese public’s romanticisation of Shinsengumi in recent years could be their attraction to autonomous, self-determining heroes who also appreciate the value of community.
While the abstract talks about the appeal of the Shinsengumi, the bulk of the article is about the appeal of Hijikata, specifically his fictional portrayals in Moeyo ken and Gintama, and reasons that readers are drawn to his drive and self-determination.
Until the end, Hijikata Toshizō in Moeyo ken is driven by a personal determination to actualise his talent in fighting through Shinsengumi. Similarly, the life of Gintama’s Hijikata Tōshirō, the twenty-first century reincarnation of Shiba’s Toshizō, is driven by his determination to protect Shinsengumi. The reasons for their attachment to Shinsengumi differs slightly as Toshizō is concerned more with self-actualisation as Shinsengumi in contrast to Tōshirō, who identifies Shinsengumi as his sanctuary. However, both characters share a common attribute; their determinations are unswayed by any external influences such as changes in the political climate or in their personal circumstances.
An interesting read, and not just because it examines Gintama and the Shinsengumi Crisis Arc with all the academic seriousness it deserves.
I’ve shared this with @shinsengumi-archives for their reference and possible translation, but I also wanted to share this with the rest of this little community. I’ve got a fair amount of Shinsengumi manga that has been almost entirely untranslated (with a few exceptions of limited chapters). I also have all of PEACE MAKER鐵, but that’s being translated by the lovely @pmkscanlations, so I’ve not gathered that here.
By number, listed here with name, transliteration and/or accepted translation, and author, as well as any basic information I have on the book/series. I’ve also included Amazon links for more context.
“Shinsengumi who dressed in the color of Asagi, raised his righteousness on the blade, and ran through the Bakumatsu Ranse like a gale. Their way of life, which is in full bloom in "Makoto Bushido" and scattered in "Fresh Blood No Shurado", is now spun here as a new abstract.”
“The end of the Edo period, the Bakumatsu (between 1853 and 1867), was an era of uncertainty and chaos, a time when the line between right and wrong was indistinguishable. During this era, Hijikata Toushizou, determined to live by his own rules, led his reformed Shinsengumi--formerly a ragtag group of mercenaries that became the elite Samurai fighting force of the shogunate--to glory. This is the story of his life.”
“Hiroyuki Koda, a high school student who has one of the best karate skills in Japan, will travel back in time to the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. This swordless karate boy "reincarnates" to that Shinsengumi third captain, Saito Hajime ...!?”
Volume 1 only, 3 volumes total; shounen
4. 青のミブロ - Ao no mi buro - “Blue Miburo” by 安田 剛士 Tsuyoshi Yasuda
“The fate of the kind-hearted boy, Toshizo Hijikata, begins when he meets Souji Okita. What motivated the boy was the pure and sincere "wish" of "anger" and "want to change the world" for the absurdity that was hidden inside. In the worst swordsman group "Mibu Roushigumi", commonly known as "Miburo", the boy sometimes gets hurt by his powerlessness and sometimes trembles in the cruel truth while running through the turbulent blue spring!“
Volume 1 only; shounen
I’m super confused about the plot on this one????
5. この剣が月を斬る - Kono ken ga tsuki o kiru - “This sword cuts the moon” by 堀内 厚徳 Atsutoku Horiuchi
“Sojiro Okita (Soji Okita), 9 years old. A boy without his father is entrusted to the Kendo Dojo "Trial Hall" and has a fateful encounter with his brother, Katsuta Shimazaki (Isami Kondo). The youth of the tears and bonds of the boys who later formed the strongest swordsman group "Shinsengumi" in history. They were never superheroes. I was worried about myself, who was nothing, and was overwhelmed by society, but I still dreamed with his colleagues. This story is not a "historical drama". "Your story" for all the boys who haven't taken a step forward.”
Volume 1 only; shounen
6. 黒猫DANCE - Kuroneko DANCE - Black Cat DANCE by 安田 剛士 Tsuyoshi Yasuda
“"Mr. Kondo also died. The Shinsengumi is ruined." That is a mysterious dream that a young Sojiro had. In the 5th year of Kaei, 9-year-old Sojiro challenges a mysterious vagrant-like man to exterminate bandits. The encounter with the man who calls himself Hijikata Toshizo was the beginning of everything !! Sojiro Okita, 9 years old. Later shakes the capital of Kyoto Soji Okita, the leader of the Shinsengumi Ichiban Squad. The young youth of a man who finally reaches the height of the sword in human history !!”
Volume 1 only; shounen
7. 新選組 - Shinsengumi - by 手塚 治虫 Osamu Tezuka
“Juro Fukakusaoka, a boy who joined the Shinsengumi, works hard to practice swords to avenge his father's death! Through the encounter, the boy grows up ...”
Complete; retro shounen
This artist also did Astro Boy!
8. 俺の新選組 - Ore no shinsengumi - “My Shinsengumi” by 望月 三起也 Mochizuki Mikiya
“The capital of Kyoto, where the Tokugawa Shogunate began to fluctuate and terrorist assassinations by the defeated factions occurred frequently. An elite group of rogue corps recruited to crack down on them. The name is "Shinsengumi", which is well known !! The people of the trial hall gathered under the popular Isami Kondo, and those who yearn for the Mito Ronin and Serizawa Kamo. The buds of the dark battle between the two factions have already begun at the main inn on the way to Kyo! It was that man who stood out among the swordsman group who pushed out raw potatoes to Serizawa in a scene of immediate promptness and ruled the situation.”
Volume 1 only, there appear to be 5 volumes in the series; shounen
9. 新選組沖田総司―煌の残像 - Shinsengumi okita sōshi ― Ko No zanzō - “Shinsengumi Okita Souji - The Afterimage of Glitter” by 姫木 薫理 Kaori Himeki
This seems like a collection of short comics by different artists about Okita. The style overall looks like yaoi, but I don’t think it is.
Complete
10. 一の食卓 ４ - Ichi no shokutaku - “One Table” by 樹なつみ Natsumi Itsuki
“What is Saito Hajime's past before joining the Shinsengumi !? What is the first encounter with Hijikata and Okita ...!?”
Volume 4 only; seems to be shoujo
11. 新選組 - Shinsengumi - by かみゆ歴史編集部 Kamiyu History Editorial Department
“[Chapter 1] Comrades gathering and Shinsengumi formation
[Chapter 2] The Ikedaya Incident and the prosperity of the Shinsengumi
[Chapter 3] Yamanami Seppuku and Aburanokoji Incident
[Chapter 4] The end of the Koyo troupe and Kondo
[Chapter 5] Divorce from allies and the Battle of Hakodate”
Complete, tricolor (black white red)
I’m going to be real honest here, I don’t know what exactly this is
12. 賊軍土方歳三 - Zokugun Hijikata Toshizō - “Thieves Army Toshizo Hijikata” by 赤名修 Akane Osamu
“The Shinsengumi, a fighting group that once cracked down on the unscrupulous ronin of the Choshu clan who disobeyed the shogunate in Kyoto. In the first year of the Meiji era, Choshu and Satsuma now called themselves the government army, and the Shinsengumi became a thief army. Toshizo Hijikata, the deputy director of the Shinsengumi, is being chased north by the government forces.”
Volume 1 - 5, complete; action manga
I don’t know much about this one, just that Okita is alive!
13. 星のとりで~箱館新戦記~ - Hoshi no Toride ~ Hakodate Shinsenki ~- by 碧也 ぴんく Aomata Pinku
“Hijikata Toshizo ran through the end of the Edo period. With passion in my heart, I aim for the northern land-- !! Toshizo Hijikata, who was feared to be the deputy chief of the Shinsengumi demon, With those who are not willing to give in to the new government He was still fighting. It's been four months since Isami Kondo fell in the middle of his career. Hijikata aims for the northern land. Is his eyes staring at the future or the land of dreams? Draw through the eyes of the boys who serve Hijikata's side, The story of a man who ran through an angry era !!“
“A basic story of love between the various members of the Shinsengumi, that mostly focuses on Okita Souji and Hijikata Toushizou. Mostly slapstick humour about the love shared between these two men; and how Hijikata tries his best to avoid the feelings he has for Okita.”
Volume 1 only, 2 volumes; yaoi
This is scanlated
16. だんだら - Dandara - by きら Kira
“Suddenly, Soji Okita took on the role of an actor who specializes in the role of being slashed. One day, he woke up from a nap and existed as "Soji Okita" in the bloody world of the end of the Edo period ...! ??“
18. 浅葱色の風 - Asagiro no Kaze - “Light Green Wind” by 里中満智子 Machiko Satonaka
Seems to be an overall story of Okita’s life (and maybe also romance??)
Complete; shoujo
19. 沖田総司 - Okita Souji - by 小島剛夕 Goseki Kojima
“A magical sword hidden behind a baby's face! Master Goseki Kojima draws Soji Okita, a genius swordfighter who lived in the end of the turbulent Edo period!“
Complete; historical drama
This author did Lone Wolf and Cub!
20. アサギロ - “Asagiro” - by ヒラマツ ミノル Hiramatsu Minoru
“Shinsengumi, dressed in a light green haori coat, ran through the streets of Kyoto and was feared by people as a "wolf"!
Among them, Soji Okita was called the strongest.
The story begins when he was 12 years old, when he wasn't called a wolf yet.”
Volume 1 only, this seems to be a long series
21. 無尽 - MUJINn- “Inexhaustible” by 岡田屋鉄蔵 Okadaya Tetsuzo
“The end of Edo ... The life of Hachiro Iba, the "small tengu of Iba" that appeared during the turbulent period at the end of the Edo period, is drawn by Tetsuzo Okadaya, who was talked about in "Hirahira Kuniyoshi Ichimon Ukiyotan"! Authentic historical drama!“
“Sojiro Okita and Hajime Saito gather at the Poor Dojo / Seieikan in Edo. They have the opposite taste and personality, but somehow they are slick. At that time, to cheer up Okita's teacher, Isami Kondo We will be making a dish called "tamago fluffy" together ...!? Top-ranked regulars in the pixiv comic ranking! A gentle and sad youth story that depicts life-sized Shinsengumi soldiers through delicious rice!“
Volume 1 only, up to volumes; slice of life
This is partially scanlated through chapter 7
23. つげ義春大全 - Yoshiharu Tsuge Daizen - by つげ 義春 by Yoshiharu Tsuge
“A hot-blooded era manga "Kenshin Himura" full of humanism, "Akatsuki's Gunshot", in which Ryoma Sakamoto also appears, depicting the battle between the Shogunate side and the defeated faction. "Fu-un Bakumatsu", which has an outstanding story and refines its drawing power Complete recording of three masterpiece era feature films !!“
Volume 5 only, 22 volumes; partial color; retro
I think that this series is a collection of everything by this artist, so the other volumes wouldn’t be needed for this set of stories. This is not Shinsengumi-centric, but they do appear.
24. サムライダーリン新撰組 - Samuraidārin shinsenkumi - “Samurai Darling Shinsengumi” by よしだ 斑鳩 Yoshida Ikaru
“Shinsengumi's popular corps is the host !? club Asagi is the No. 2 I-sama de S Hijikata, the crazy little devil Okita, and the representative Kondo, and other unique hosts slash the hearts of girls. ~ The 22-year-old Aoi who suddenly became the owner of the host club said to the troublesome No. 2 host Hijikata, "If you nominate me as a guest, I'll make you addicted"?”
Complete, but appears to be connected to other Samurai Darling books; shoujo romance
“Futaro Yamada's "brush" now "calls" the "water surface" of history again. In the early Meiji era, when Edo was just in Tokyo, the police of the "Metropolitan Police Department", which had just been established, and the former concentric, who was the "defense of Edo", were the tactics behind the incident that disturbed the imperial capital. Unfold. Great people, dignitaries, inspectors, police officers, magistrates, concentrics, okabiki, rakugoka, geisha, thugs, literary masters, villains, witches ... all kinds of people come and go, get mixed up, and are swallowed up into a "story" like a taiga. Kazetaro, his masterpiece of Ayu finally reincarnates into a manga.”
Volume 1 only
I’m a little unclear what this is tbh. It seems to be a popular detective-type story turned into manga. It’s not Shinsengumi-based. However, there is a police officer who I suspect is Saito based on an image on the wrapper.
26. NHK「その時歴史が動いた」コミック版 新選組 - NHK `sonotokirekishigaugoita' komikku-ban shinsengumi - “NHK ‘History moved at that time’ Comic version Shinsengumi” - by 谷口 敬 (イラスト), 沖 圭一郎 (イラスト), 池原 しげと (イラスト), 宮前 めぐる (イラスト), 天野 タマキ (イラスト), 柳 リカ (イラスト), NHK「その時歴史が動いた」取材班 (編集) Kei Taniguchi (Illustration), Keiichiro Oki (Illustration), Shigeto Ikehara (Illustration), Meguru Miyamae (Illustration), Tamaki Amano (Illustration), Rika Yanagi (Illustration), NHK "History Moved" (Editor)
“The romance of men who ran through the end of the turbulent Edo period !! It depicts Isami Kondo, Toshizo Hijikata and other men who spent their youth at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, the moment of their vivid lives and decisions, and the love and farewell drama of Fuunji Ryoma and Ryoma. All 6 volumes are drawn. Popular series, the long-awaited end of the Edo period !!”
Complete
Seems like it might be a manga summary of the NHK show?
27. 拝啓、未来に生きた昔のぼくへ 新選組青春録 - Haikei, mirai ni ikita mukashi no boku e shinsengu seishun-roku - “Dear Sir, To the old me who lived in the future Shinsengumi Seishunroku” by 伽古屋 圭市 (著), 南野 ましろ (イラスト) Keiichi Kakoya (Author), Mashiro Minamino (Illustration)
“I'll definitely see you again. Survive this era. Toshio and Genkuro have been estranged from past events. They were in Kyoto on a high school school trip and were hit by a huge earthquake there. We were able to confirm each other's safety, but something is different from Kyoto. Toshio turns his real sword at a man like a demon, but he notices that a man called "Kondo" puts him in the spot. It was Toshizo Hijikata who was with the man. This is Kyoto at the end of the Edo period. A magnificent youth story about two boys who find meaning in life in a turbulent era.”
“Born to a wealthy farmer, the Hijikata family, Toshizo had a slender look, but he hated to lose and had a serious personality. He becomes stronger and becomes a samurai-that passion will eventually lead to the fateful encounter with Kondo and Okita .... Hijikata Toshizo Youth Edition!”
Complete? TEXT ONLY.
29. 新選組のレシピ - Shinsengumi no reshipi - “Shinsengumi Recipe” by 市宮 早記 (著), しきみ (イラスト) Saki Ichimiya (Author), Shikimi (Illustration)
History x gourmet x unexpected love !?
If a modern cook slips back in time to Kyoto at the end of the Edo period ...?Hana Kanzaki, an apprentice of a long-established restaurant in Kyoto, slipped back in time at the end of the Edo period due to a traffic accident. As a suspicious person, she is interrogated by Toshizo Hijikata and other wanderers, but she is expected to be good at cooking, and she will become a cook as it is. While Susumu Yamazaki takes care of the flowers and is struck by Soji Okita, she finds out that the director, Serizawa Kamo, is the two of her father who disappeared ten years ago.
If you don’t know this one, idk what to tell you. I think there’s a fan translation of at least the first chapter here, but I think I recall a full translation somewhere else too...
Complete. TEXT ONLY.
I am happy to take some pictures of the contents of any of these manga if you’d like to take a look. All of these are open for translation, I just don’t want to go through the trouble of scanning and cleaning them unless someone wants to translate (or is super nice).
Additionally, if someone picks up volume 1 of a longer series and wants to translate the rest, I may be interested in purchasing more volumes for further translation~!
(Rough translation - I paraphrased a little bit. Please let me know if anything is wrong. I also skipped the intro, which didn’t add much info.)
Okada-san played the “Demon Hijikata”. What kind of presence was Okita Souji?
Okada: Okita was very much a genius, so normal people could not understand what he was thinking. However, Hijikata and Okita acknowledged each other, so Okita did not feel scared when Hijikata got angry. Okita was played by Yamada-kun, so it was easy for me to do. He is reliable as an actor, so when the director told me “I am thinking about having Yamada-kun play Okita”, I thought that was great.
Where do you place the most trust in him?
Okada: Since I know the human body pretty well, he asked me “What is the best way to slim down?”, I said “Dehydration”, which was the toughest method (laughs). Then he actually did it, which I thought was impressive. He lost around 8kg of weight.
Yamada: I didn’t even know the word dehydration [at that time].
Okada: It is a method used by bodybuilders, first you take in a lot of water, then suddenly stop and the water will disappear from your body*. Since the blood becomes thick, it is not good [for the body]. In addition, Yamada-kun was not eating to [further] lose weight, so he did both methods…
[* In the Esse interview, Yamada said he stopped drinking water 3 days before the death scene. He also went to the sauna at the hotel, and as expected, he fell down. I know he is playing a dying character, but did he have to go that extreme?]
Yamada: You told me that potassium can also reduce the water in the body, so I took it as well. I did all the things I learned. However, it was really like hell.
Okada: You only ate chocolate?
Yamada: Almonds.
Okada: Ah, I did say nuts are good. You were rolling your tongue and eating little by little like a squirrel.
Yamada: One time, at around 3am, I had excruciating pains in my stomach, so I went to the hospital. They didn’t find anything wrong but I guess that was the price to pay. But I felt good about that too. It was like the character was starting to come alive.
Okada: Normally, if you don’t eat, you start to feel heartsick and lose your will. However, even though Yamada-kun had such a hard shooting schedule, you never lost the will to play the role and I thought you endured a lot. Although we meant to shoot the scenes where you were the thinnest at the end, the schedule [didn’t allow for it].
Yamada: When I filmed the scene just before my death, I also had to film [another scene] where I was healthy on the same day. I wanted my face to look fuller, so I ate a lot. I was trying to gain back the 8kg I lost within 1 week, so I ate about 5-6kg of rice every day. Although my body felt very heavy, I enjoyed [the experience]. I don’t hate being forced into a corner.
Okada: When you were rail thin, you never said a single thing in frustration…
Yamada: I couldn’t possibly show that sort of thing at the place where Okada-san was the center (laughs)! But I never thought about saying stuff like “This bastard”. I thought I would just grin and bear it.
Okada: There’s not much more I can say about Yamada-kun’s skill as an actor. The one thing I would add is that his earnestness towards the role was very amazing. That’s his personality & character.
Other than the body, what advice did you get from Okada-san?
Yamada: I was watching Okada-san to a somewhat disturbing extent. I was really trying to learn about each thing. For example, Okada-san can peek at the camera lens and know the angle of view. Isn’t that weird? (laughs)
Okada: I did ask you, like “Do you know the angle of view?”
Yamada: I was like “Angle of view?!” I thought I didn’t study enough. You told me everything you thought I would not understand and I am very grateful for that.
Yamada-san, what is Okada-san to you?
Yamada: He’s absolutely larger than life. I worship him not as a senpai. Although I’m the type who thinks that I can do whatever others can do because they’re also human like me, I cannot copy Okada-san. Like after he finished filming, he would just sleep a little and head to the gym*; although it sounds kinda bad, he’s like a monster. Really (laughs).I wonder if I will ever reach this level even after many years.
[* He just told the story on Ariyoshi x Monster - They finished filming at 2am & had to reconvene at 5:30am. In 3.5 hours, Okada managed to sleep and go to the gym and that’s why Yamada thought he was inhuman.]
What was the atmosphere on the film set?
Okada: It was an old world where angry roars were flying around. I think it was probably different from what Yamada-kun experienced before..
Yamada: If the young people of today were to jump into this, they may lose heart. You need to really hate to lose and really be motivated to live in this world.
[T/N: I’m a bit confused as to whether they’re talking about the actual film set or the Shinsengumi times. I guess maybe the Shinsengumi atmosphere bled into the set? Sounds a bit horrifying but it is a testosterone filled film. 😅]
How would you link the unity of Shinsengumi to your “Group Bond”?
Okada: If you bring in the really strict rules that Shinsengumi implemented to the group, like whoever broke the rules would have to commit seppuku*, it will collapse.
[* Seppuku is the act of ritual suicide where the person cut across the stomach with a sword. For Shinsengumi, people could be executed by beheading or allowed to commit seppuku. Basically seppuku is the honorable way to die.]
Yamada: You’re not wrong (laughs).
Okada: Shinsengumi was a strong and unusual group. It only lasted 6 years, that’s why it was beautiful and powerful. For those of us in V6, we are made up of gentle people who all wanted to do this together for a long time rather than aim to be the bright light. How long has Hey!Say!JUMP been around?
Yamada: Next year will be our 15th anniversary.
Okada: From now on, I think it will be interesting for Hey!Say!JUMP, King & Prince, SixTONES, and Snow Man. You’re going to fight for the national idol throne. We were wondering and looking forward to find out “Who will take it!”
Yamada: We are race horses (laughs).
Okada: That’s right. These 4 groups know what their situation is like, and I think you have discussed this amongst your groups. Although it is tough, it is probably fun to be creative. What is JUMP doing?
Yamada: Recently, we are starting to find our niche individually. However, I think our rule is to try and bring something from those places back to JUMP. For example, I’m a part of “Moeyo Ken”, so people may say “Yamada Ryosuke, who played Okita Souji, is part of the group called ‘Hey!Say!JUMP’”, and that brings the topic back to the group. As for the “National Idol” throne, whether we can win will depend on how much power we can each bring by following that rule of JUMP’s.
A little moment of Souji teasing Hijikata in the Moeyo Ken trailer. Not PMK, but still Shinsengumi related. The movie is set to be released in October 15 in Japan.
