#shinsengumi hq

[shinsengumi-archives]

The Shinsengumi's temple barracks

Yesterday I was looking into what year the Shinsengumi moved to Nishihongan-ji Temple, where they terrified the monks with their pigsty and cannon firing. And it turned out that the information about it was different everywhere. I looked deeper for clarification and got to a whole collection of all kinds of data, videos, and photos.

So, Hongan-ji (本願 - Hongan - great vow of Buddha to save all people, 寺 - ji - temple) was founded in 1272. In 1672, it was divided into the Eastern (Higashi) and Western (Nishi) temples.

Since then it has been rebuilt several times.

In February 1865, Hijikata negotiated with Nishihongan-ji for the relocation. On February 28, the authorities officially approved the move, and the Shinsengumi settled in the temple on March 10.

They were assigned two buildings on the right side of the fence. One of them is still standing today, the Drum Tower.

But the Shinsengumi's main barracks were located in the North Assembly Hall. It was 29x36 meters in size, or 300 tatami mats. For the Shinsengumi, it was divided by partitions into several rooms.

In 1873, this hall was dismantled and part of it was moved to Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture. It's now part of the Kameyama Shrine in Himeji.

The beams of this temple still have shinsengumi sword notches on them.

You can see what it all looks like here [descriptions only, images missing :(].

More photos:

kytfushimi.exblog.jp/12302763/

kata2.wablog.com/482.html

A drawing from the Edo period, year unknown [broken]

Map of Kyoto (Nishi Honganji temple a little southeast of Mibudera) [broken]

Another map of Kyoto (temple, palace, zoo :) )

Video - overview of the temple grounds with monastic chants [broken]

A video selection of photos of the temple with pleasant music [broken]

Another virtual tour, in two parts, for 16 minutes

I didn't see the Shinsengumi house there, but I did see a black cat walking around the temple.

[yakuzacanons]

I'm playing through Ishin and every time I think of Okita my brain goes brrrrr at an alarming velocity. It might be a problem, tbh. I love that feral gremlin too much.

Inspired by the Saejima ask, could we have some HCs for Okita teaching his S/O so to defend herself? Would he just teach her the basics, or would he also have her learn some basic sword/dagger techniques just to be extra safe...and maybe it's a little bit of a turn on to see your girlfriend with a sword. (+ some NSFW if you're cool with it)

Thanks for all your work boss! It always makes my day when you post. <3

More Ishin posting let's fucking goooooOOO, yes you may have more Okita, we can never have too much, no such thing as too much! Headcanons below, mwah.

Unlike Nagakura who thinks it's kind of cool and hot that his S/O wants to learn self defense, Okita has the opposite reaction. He's like "Whaddya mean, protect yourself? That's what I'm for." Not that he wants his partner to be constantly relying on him but he does kind of like to be protective.

Once he sees that you really do want to learn this, he'll volunteer to do it, mostly because in his mind "If ya really wanna learn, then ya may as well learn to do it right. Lemme show ya."

Is it secretly a ploy to make sure no other guy is putting his hands on you while showing you the ropes? Maybe. Totally. He'll never tell!

Okita isn't actually typically that jealous but he does actually think that if you're going to learn, you may as well learn from someone you already know who also happens to be experienced. Plus, an excuse for physical closeness.

You might even get away with doing your training on Shinsengumi grounds, and he'd love to just show you off in front of all the others.

Okita would start you out with the basics, although his teaching style is eccentric to say the least. He wouldn't hestitate to have some of his men step in for him to "show" you how it's done, which he gets a kick out of and they're mildly terrified by.

Speaks very bluntly, saying things like "When your back is against the wall, ya gotta slash 'em with everything ya got!" while grinning wildly. Hijikata thinks he sounds insane, but he keeps his mouth shut and just shakes his head as he passes by during a training session. Todo thinks it's really funny.

Once you have the basics, then Okita starts breaking out what he would refer to as "Soji Special Moves". No one else does these things except for him. He's kind of showing off a little bit at this point.

What surprises HIM is that you're an eager and quick learner. You needed some guidance on the basics but honestly he should've expected that you'd be able to handle it once you knew the bare minimum. After knowing him for so long and being so close to him, it was only natural that these things would seep into your own life.

The other captains think it's pretty cool that you can handle yourself, meanwhile Okita is busy thinking about the fact that he didn't realize he could find someone holding a sword attractive? His brain has stopped working now.

Nagakura notices this the most and will kind of poke him to snap him out of his stupor from watching you practice against a dummy made of straw in the back of HQ by yourself. Nagakura will kind of laugh, saying something like "Whatcha lookin' at? Must be real interesting."

[whosname]

Oh, yeah, here's a second post about Gintama's Live-action adaptations. I'm a total completionist so I not only watched the second movie, I had to find the Mitsuba arc and then @sebfreak pointed me to the other miniseries, so... (sorry if it's a long post, while I'm not drawing my brain can't stop)

Right, the Mitsuba arc

Loved they include the spicy parfait scene, I mean, the cgi is what it is, but I have a lot of respect for 'em even trying,

Zaki's afro? chef's kiss, simply delicious

I mean:

Also, Hijikata's reacion to the spicy snacks? delicious. These guys are good at funny faces.

Loved the Gin's pretending to be sleeping scene, missed the part about the black circles under his eyes, tho.

(Look, it was very difficult to find the three parts of the drama, I got 'em from 3 different places and every place has it's own subtitles on indonesian or french. Also, the quality? oh my, the quality was terrible by the third part)

This is a fucking sad arc, daaaamn, and this being a drama... well, it's even more dramatic. I mean, that last scene on the roof? it always breaks my heart.

And now, for something completely different, the mini-series thingy.

The episodes they choose to adapt are... interesting, I mean who in their right mind chooses those three? okay, I love how weird the decision is.

I love the details on the one were Kagura can't sleep, I mean, the Dragon Ball mangas, the justaway alarm clock, Gintoki's pajamas.

Holy shit, the make up, the Napoleon thing, the radio drama, "I didn't get enough sleep, and I'm starting to hear strange things"; I love this episode.

And then, the one were Hijikata can't smoke, maaaan, this episode was like a fever dream in the anime and the live-action is so on point. The whole Namek planet thing, "I'm going to defeat Breeza!", "I'm trying to revive Grillin!", the cgi is not that bad, I mean, slimy grimmy Shen Long could've looked worst. Also, I insist, Hijikata's actor is so stupid good at expressions.

And, finally, the dentist episode, another fever dream. I'm very afraid of the dentist so, yeah, can confirm that People of All Ages Hate the Dentist!. Also, again, their expressions!; Hasegawa!; the treatment! This episode may have worsen my fear of the dentist

I love the way this live-actions thingies keep the whole Gintama spirit, I love that the first scene on the Rules are Made to be Broken movie is the still shot from Yorozuya HQ and it's just these idiots talking over it. If I've watched this on the cinema I would've cheered like the stupid weeabo I am (I told a friend yesterday "I went from 0 to otaku in like 3 moths" so there).

I'm so thankful for Zura's piracy thing disclaimer.

Otose!!! OMFG, I love her!

"Work! We have to find work, Gin-san!" "I don't want to!" MOOD FOREVER!

I love how they all try very hard not to laugh in the scenes with this guy, they failed, but I love it.

We've already talked about Zura's gender but... come on! how fucking amazing they are??!

Oh, and the Katsurap and then Pako (I mean, they changed her name here, but I still like Pako more 'cause Ginko is a different character, come on!) carrying her on her back.

"It's the Shogun!" aaah, you didn't fail me, Rules are Made to be Broken.

And then the hairdresser thing. I can't stop thanking you, Rules are Made to be Broken.

I guess the whole chip on Toshi's neck is weird, but maybe the whole sword thing would've been longer to explain so probably it was best for simplicity.

On that note, "Sakatashi"

"You're a Neet. You're thinking like a total Neet!" "Is that so? You guys look like pretty big Neets too." "Who the hell is a Neet?! We are hard-working workers now!"

So, yeah, I can forgive the the chip thing ONLY for the scene at Gengai's shop. Toshi, pilot the EVA.

I can't believe how close to the original is the scene were Gintoki catches Toshi by his neck and they all run away from those Shinsengumi guys.

"You tax thieves" <3

this look badass, I mean...

We have little Takasugi action in this one, but hell, I don't care, I love his scenes with Bansai. Also, Bansai, of course.

Now, this is were I feel this goes weird, Bansai's gonna try to kill the (freaking) Shogun in a total different location form the train thing. It's... weird. Tho, Bansai looks amazing on his motorcycle.

I've said this a thousand time already, but I don't care, Kagura's really Gintoki's clone, I bloody love her.

Now, I don't fell Gintoki has a real motivation to go a fight Bansai in Edo, it never convinced me. I grateful for the Raccoon Bus scene, tho, I laughed like a maniac (look, I know I need to sleep more), but... dunno "then Takasugi Shinsuke will start killing people!" wasn't enough for me. Oh, and Zura, I love that they use every excuse to use Zura but still... weird?

I really like to like the first part of Gintoki vs Bansai but... too matrix~y too... the choreography is kind of cool, the shots between fights too but the whole matrix thing... I didn't like it.

BUT! the strings thing, that I liked.

And then the last scene at the dango place, I liked it a lot, I love when they did that on the anime averytime.

[kyuuxmizu]

Went to watch the Baragaki Arc - Movie version yesterday~ also new info(?) For the Ginpachi-sensei anime👀✨

I got Toshi 🏀uniform keychain as a freebie~

Bought the pamphlet and other goods at the theatre shop XD

The movie felt nostalgic 🥹 but ngl I feel scammed... XD (well actually Kondo-san/Zaki shamelessly admitted that BNP are just scamming us 🤣🤣 that's sasuga Gintama for you!)

Anyway (maybe spoiler but not really) below...

'Bonus scenes' was just the still shot of Shinsengumi HQ gate with the Shinsengumi talking in the BG🤣 this was at the beginning and the end

At the start of the movie, Hijikata had a summary introduction of Shinsengumi charas, Isaburo, and Gin-chan

During Sabu-chan's intro, they already showed FS scenes in the prison island, like Kondo-san donning the Naraku outfit as well as Toshi vs Isaburo in the forest...

And then they played Wonderland!! I almost cried!!! I love that OP sm...??? It was so nostalgic 😭😭 and Nakama at the end of the movie 🥹🥹

And Baby Toshi! Ponytail Ginchan! Sabuchan!Nobutasu~ (Takasugi👀✨)

The '3z new content' after the movie is the same content included in the last page of the pamphlet (pic below)

When they showed this frame at the cinema, Toshi said 'thats it????' 😭

Also, based on the non-Baragaki scenes that they included, are they planning to do a movie version of FS?👀✨

They showed some FS scenes (Toshi then said 'but that's another story')... including Utsuro at the end of the movie...

why do that if you don't plan on making a movie abt that 'other story' hmm?

Will we be able to see a re-animated version of FS!!! OMG!!!!???

But hey let's not forget about Ikkoku Keisei, Shinigami, *most importantly* SA?? Aren't those part of the overarching plot as well...

I'm so excited!!! What else is in store for us Gintama fans!! XD

[clavissionary-position]

Koibaku Character Impressions

Aaand of course my translator starts glitching the second I get to Naosuke in the prologue >.>

Anyway, my first impressions of everyone so far (please forgive inaccuracies since I use a translator to play).

SAITO

Straight-laced former-Shinsengumi current-Tokyo-police-dude(?) with an understated gentleness to him. Of all the Ikeseries posterboys that I'm familiar with he reminds me of Napoleon and Ray the most. He's heccin easy on the eyes, but nothing else has really captured my interest so far.

KIDO

Kind, easy-going, progressive-thinking (feminist icon) and gentlemanly. He's basically the advisor to the Emperor(?). All the characters on the Meiji Government side seem to answer to him. He reminds me of Comte and Victor!

MORI

Not a romanceable suitor (yet?) but he has a sprite and he's a quirky military doctor. He's very playful and inviting and hospitable (he literally invites Rin, the MC, to come stay with him while she stays in Tokyo and tries to get her memory back). He reminds me of Gilbert if Gilbert hadn't joined the dark side. Also I think he robbed Mousse in a dark alley and stole his outfit.

KATSU

I don't know how I feel about him. He's one of the characters who is the most openly distrustful of Rin. He's also the only one so far who's made a pass at her, joking or otherwise. So I'd say he reminds me of Nokto. He was against Kido hiring a female, but he might have a more nuanced reason for it besides it being the prevailing attitude in that era. And he did quickly accept the decision without a fuss, but it seemed more because Kido is such a high-ranking official. Katsu leads the navy.

SAIGO

Charismatic general. He's really just so very charming and easy to talk to. And that reminds me of Jin and Leon and Masa. I don't really have a lot else to say about him. He's very good at keeping his guard-dog at bay XD

TOSHIAKI

Angry pomeranian general. He tiny, he bark, he probably bite. He literally has a little fangy sticking out of his mouth. He's SOOO overprotective about Saigo. He. Is. ADORABLE. Reminds me of Hideyoshi in terms of "my lord can do no wrong and I would die for him" vibes. Yves too! And though I don't know a whole lot about Kanetsugu, I think the guard dog bit might be similar to him?

ENOMOTO

My dude is a prisoner!? Only because he was on the losing side of the Boshin War. But he has his own little research room at the prison and gets so caught up in his research that he forgets to eat for DAYS at a time. Without showing any exhaustion. He's got radiant vibes. I think I might love him. I don't know. Mitsunari? I don't know. Dazai minus his rainy vibes?? ;;

HIJIKATA

Alluring. Somehow elusive. Leaves an almost ghostly impression in the brief encounter Rin has with him. AND HE'S GOT INHUMANLY COLD HANDS SO LET ME JUST PREPARE MY TEARS. I think he's definitely for the Leonardo-enjoyers. And Galileo-voice-enjoyers :)

NAOSUKE

I don't know because my stupid translator decided to glitch just as I got to him :( But he's mysterious. Seems to huff a quiet, knowing, malicious laugh instead of giving a straight answer. Will update after I play the last bit of the prologue.

edit: finished the prologue. HECCIN Shakespeare vibes. He only says as much as he needs to and leaves the rest to his mysterious and unsettling aura. During Rin's encounter with him he helps her back to government HQ when she gets lost, but ofc it's weird that he even knew where she was going in the first place hehe :)

???

WHO IS HE?? Foreigner dude that Rin only sees in passing. 0 interaction in the prologue. And he's not romanceable afaik

[yakuzadumpingground]

Me showing up at shinsengumi HQ like "I found him on the street can I keep him pleeeeeease????"

[kirinposting]

Ryoma the pet hoarder has ran out of space for the 30+ animals he rescued, so he brought them to the Shinsengumi HQ. The animals do wonders for the morale of the troops but the whole place now stinks like hell. Ryoma’s friends urge him to find a solution that keeps everyone happy.

“I could train them to do their business in a designated place. There’s no need to kick them out.”

The animals were allowed to stay on these two conditions:

- Ryoma is not allowed to adopt any other living creature. Ever.

- All animals living in HQ must relieve themselves exclusively in Kashitaro Ito’s room.

[the-insanity-of-mojiru]

what is buchigire anyways?

Oh boy, well please let me first apologize that I've been posting so much of it that this question needed to be brought up.

The short answer is: It's an original anime by Hirakawa Tetsuo that aired in Summer 2022. It's set in an alternative 1863 Kyoto, where the Shinsengumi are all killed and they are replaced by the main cast of characters. Their goal is to stop the Masked Demons, who's plans seem to be killing people for the sake of the country.

I'll put the longer answer in the undercut, though, if you're curious, since I have a lot to say about this anime. I'll go through the character introductions, so if that feels like a spoiler, just don't read below the line.

The more detailed story is about a man named Ichibanboshi, who grew up in poverty with his dad, mom, and younger brother. One day, his family is attacked by the Masked Demon, and Ichibanboshi only survives thanks to his mom pushing him in a river for him to escape. Having grown up with no power, Ichibanboshi feels that there's no justice in the world, and that the powerful class will always bully the impoverish. He spends the rest of his life seeking revenge against the Masked Demons, becoming known as the Samurai Killer. He is eventually captured for his crimes and sentenced to death row.

However, instead of being killed, he is taken to the Shinsengumi HQ, where he is introduced to Todo Heisuke, the only surviving member of the Shinsengumi. He is told that he, along with 6 other death row prisoners, are to pretend to be the captains of the Shinsengumi. While at first Ichibanboshi is against it, he later accepts when he learns that the Shinsengumi are also here to take down the Masked Demons, and their goals align. The story then follows his growth as he becomes the replacement for Commander Kondo Isami.

Ichibanboshi's rival in the cast is Sakuya, an assassin who counts the number of people he's killed and is a perfect teacher's pet (lovingly). Where Ichibanboshi is impulsive, loud, and has one braincell, Sakuya is more calculated, reserved, and by the books. The two have trouble getting along because their personalities always clash. Sakuya is Hijikata Toshizo's substitute.

The team's ace as well as swordsmanship trainer is Akira, a woman disguising herself as a man who sees the world in very black and white terms. She is poised and well mannered, and for her, things must either be stated clearly, or not stated at all. I like her arc a lot, personally, and I think in another setting, she would make a great main character. (Also, there's an isekai manga which stars someone isekai-ing and becoming Akira, so very ironic.) She is Okita Souji's substitute.

Next is Gyatarou, the self proclaimed "collector of crimes" and a man who has the tattoos to show for it. Gyatarou is one of the few characters who doesn't learn how to use a sword, instead opting for the "superior" firearm. He's everyone's big brother in the slums, and has a lot of connections with people from the lower class. This is my personal ramblings, but I really love the between the lines you can infer on Gyatarou. He feels like a very good character who was forced to commit crimes due to his situation, which is reflected in conversations he has with the children in the slums. He is Nagakura Shinpachi's substitute.

After that is Bou, known as the "hungry giant" who is great with a paintbrush. He is the only one who uses a spear, but his best asset is how strong he is. They never really clarify why he is a death row prisoner, although my assumption has always been that because he eats so much, he got in a lot of trouble for not always having the money for food. He's very sweet, and honestly feels like the youngest in the cast to me. He is Harada Sanosuke's substitute. Both he and Gyatarou defend Ichibanboshi and look up to him.

So now onto my personal biases for favorites. First there's Suzuran, a "depraved" monk who flirts with women has a very laid back personality. I won't reveal the reason he was arrested because I feel like it's pretty plot important. He uses an electrical staff instead of a sword, on the basis that monks don't kill (well, we never said his friends couldn't kill though). He has a lot of pretty good advice buried under his nonchalant attitude, and conversations with him and Sougen are my favorites in the show. He's actually pretty level headed when it comes to problem solving. He is Saito Hajime's substitute.

Second is Sougen, a practically genius level doctor who is good at medicine, anatomy, and also machinery. Suzuran's staff is actually made by him. Sougen has a personal lab in the Shinsengumi HQ where he keeps a junk of crazy things, like medical books, cadavers, weird chemicals, and sometimes he does his operations there too. He's a bit grotesque when it comes to his hobbies, but it's all to benefit research. That's, as you can expect, why he was arrested in the first place. He is Yamanami (Sannan) Keisuke's substitute. Absolutely this is my own bias but I love him the most. The man looks so sleep and nutrition deprived that I'm baffled he lived this long on curiosity alone. Someone please give him a nourishing face mask and, like, a decent meal.

Finally in our main cast is Todo Heisuke, as mentioned earlier, the sole survivor of the original Shinsengumi. During the attack from the Masked Demon, he was barely able to survive and lost an arm and a leg in exchange for injuring the leader of the Masked Demons. The substitutes call him the "chibi oni commander" because he might be the shortest, but he's also the harshest. At first, he distances himself from the substitutes, since they're just tools and figureheads, but he slowly begins to rely on them more as the series goes on.

There's other historical characters too, like Katsura Kogoro, Matsudaira Katamori, and Akizuki Teijirou who make an appearance throughout the show and either hinder or support the new Shinsengumi (the Shin-Shinsengumi?). Their main villain is the commander of the Masked Demons, a man with purple hair who always keeps his face covered, and his right hand man Rashomaru, both original villains to the anime with no real historical counterparts.

The story starts a bit before August 1963, when historically the Mibu Roshigumi become the Shinsengumi, and covers events around the Shinsengumi through 1864 with the black ships stationed in Osaka. As you can expect from pretty much every Shinsengumi anime, it also covers the Ikedaya Incident. It's got it's on personal spin on history, though, which is why I like to say it's set in an alt-history Japan.

A bit of a personal rambling here, but a lot about this anime was done very well to me. With the limited amount of time they got to tell a story, I felt that I understood the characters and their motivations, and their relationships with one another. I feel like they were able to keep with historical events well while still doing their own thing. Having re-watched it several times now, they hid a lot of easter eggs throughout the series that I'm honestly impressed by for people watching the first time not to pick up. It's got it's funny moments, it's emotional moments, and enough action to keep me satisfied. I'm also a big fan of the art style and the way they show flashbacks. Just to kind of add to the plus.

Is the anime rushed? It certainly is, with the information they have to squeeze into 12 episodes. Is it understandable? Yes, it still is! Even if you don't know the history of the Shinsengumi, it's still understandable because they do a great job explaining historical events in an easy way. Is it for children? Honestly, yes, I think I fell in love with an anime for preteens and teens. Is it worth it? Absolutely.

[mankatzu]

bakumatsu yankee is goated because to my knowledge not a lot of other shinsengumi media explores how the shinsengumi actually felt about foreigners let alone them interacting directly. its just really really funny to me once you know the cultural context how yankee is just fucking living at the hq shooting people for them and hijikata has a funny nickname and sakamoto is trying to kill him its just everything to me

[mihotose]

if im not fixating on a niche subsection within a larger franchise whats even the point

[headbandxbowties]

Spotted this in a Kyoto souvenir store yesterday so of course I had to get it!!!! The Karasuno birbs dressed as shinsengumi!!!! 😂

Japanese shop owner: You know HQ?!!!!!!!!

Me: 🙄😌😂

Me: *Do I KNOW HQ????????*

Me: *I can name every series you’ve stocked in your store*

Me: Yeh I know HQ 🙂

[shinsengumi-archives]

Letter from Kondo Isami dated May 20, Genji 1 (June 23, 1864) to Nakajima Jirobei (中島次郎兵).

The second line from the left reads, "Male sexuality is popular" (男色流行).

Original letter

（本文略） 尚々、御家内中様御尊父始メ御勇猛之至奉恐賀候。陳者尊兄健次郎様事市ヶ谷辺江御縁談之由、恐悦至極奉存候。 次ニ下拙義も素□愚魯身不顧尽忠報国有志御募リ相成、然馬合之局中ヲ預リ、州鄙客申述頻ニ心配致ゆへ□哉意外多病相成、依而去二月肥後守殿□なるへく温泉致候様、依之罷越候処僅七八日ニ而俄ニ　肥後守殿御役替ニ付飛脚到来、其夜五十丁十六里帰京致候。 併相応度候哉当節大丈夫ニ相成候間、御懸念可被下候間敷、且乍憚一統様暫時処公然様奉願上候。 一、扨先年府中宿おいて御同様始楼登リ、妄戯仕事時々思ひ出申候。就而者当節婦人戯候事聊無之。局中頻ニ男色流行仕候。尚帰府之上申上度。以上

Translation

(Text omitted) I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you, including your dear father, for your bravery. I am very pleased to hear of your older brother Kenjiro's marriage proposal and move to the Ichigaya area. Next, I have been recruiting volunteers to repay the nation with loyalty without regard for my own life, and have been entrusted with the affairs of bureaucrats. I've had too many worries on my mind and I have been unexpectedly very ill. Last February, Higo-no-kami-dono asked me to visit a hot spring, so I did. After just 7 or 8 days, a courier suddenly arrived with news of Higo-no-kami-dono's change of position, so overnight I returned to Kyoto at a distance of 50 blocks and 16 ri [16 hour walk]. At the same time, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your concern. For the time being, I can only offer my best wishes. Now, I sometimes recall that last year when I was in Fuchu, we visited brothels and indulged in raunchy games. In that regard, people no longer play around with the ladies these days. Male sexuality is popular frequently throughout the headquarters. I would like to mention this to you upon my return to my home province. That is all.

Commentary

In the main text (omitted), he writes that he was disappointed in the Shinsengumi's position and its role, and that he considered disbanding the group, but was consoled, and so on. [T/N: This was before Ikedaya]

In the postscript, in addition to congratulating the Nakajima family on their happy event, he wrote that he had fallen ill due to hard work and went to a hot spring for treatment, as recommended by Katamori, but after about a week, Katamori informs him that he was to be reassigned to a different position. It is written that he returned to Kyoto, sick and beaten.

He then fondly remembers how they used to indulge in "raunchy games" together at a brothel in Fuchu, and tells them that these days there is no such thing as playing with women at all, and that "danshoku" (male sexuality) is prevalent within the Shinsengumi.

(source: www.toshizo.com)

Translator Notes

Instead of interpreting it as Kondo complaining about the prevalence of male sexuality, doesn't it sound like he's actually trying to convince Nakajima to go for male prostitutes together next time?

"I know we used to play around with women, but no one does that anymore. Here at the Shinsengumi HQ, we do male love all the time. Just something I wanted you to know before I visit you ;)" 😂

[ukaiknowsbest]

bruh.. Gintoki prostrated himself/ performed dogeza not once but TWICE during the Beam Saber Arc.

We know he bowed to the Shinsengumi because of Sougo's revelation. But Kyuubei also mentions this to Kondou when they were in space.

If you look at chapter 405, both the Shinsengumis and Yagyuus were doing their preparations in their respective headquarters.

Kondou and Kyuubei in their private quarters while the alien announcement were broadcasted:

Shinsengumi HQ:

Yagyuu Dojo / Estate:

These two places were probably on the opposite sides of town since Edo is a large area.

Gintoki ran around town and begged all these organizations to stand down and protect the Shimuras while he dealt with Hajime Obi One himself.

He did this by performing the most humiliating form of kowtowing in front of them.

This Sakata Gintoki, the most prideful man whom shogunates, major yakuzas, terrifying alien entities cannot subdue, bowed his head to the two organizations, the two organizations who tried to marry off Otae to their leaders, the leaders whom Gintoki had defeated long ago to protect Otae's honor and smile.

This Sakata Gintoki lowered his head, begged and lost face two separate times in one day just to protect the Shimura family's happiness, to see them smile again.

Even if it meant they'll hate him,

Even if it meant losing them forever,

Even if it meant letting go of the home he found himself into.

Bruh.

If that's not love then I don't know what is.

I'm getting goosebumps.

Do you all remember the other canon couple who performed dogeza to save their partner?

Hasegawa's wife (Hasegawa also followed her when he saw what she did)

damn.

[annatateson]

More giffable trauma! Shiranui causing problems as usual! I hugely respect this guy's dedication to showing up to an already chaotic situation and adding fuel to the fire :')

I really wanted to draw this scene when I first played it a while back because I feel like there's a lot going on; Miki's sprite poses are way too chill for the amount of screaming at people he (undertandably) does in this part of the game and I wanted to honour Fringe Queen (that's what I'm calling the Guard who gets shot because of VN's excellent tradition of giving nameless characters stupidly long fringes because if you're not fuckable you don't deserve an entire face)'s sacrifice to stop Miki getting murdered by another blue-haired menace :')

I'm going to put the rest of my images under a cut (even though they're way too stupidly big to show up well on tumblr) as well as the bit in the game this is referring to. Also, more rambling because that's how I be!

(I edited this to remove Fringe Queen's awkward arm because I forgot to originally and I thought that it wouldn't bug me but it absolutely did... I also added my little symbol :) )

It almost becomes comical how terrible Miki's night becomes very quickly... Like, his brother is murdered; they get ambushed by the Shinsengumi; their allies turn on them; Shiranui almost kills him while being a dick about it; Shiranui shoots one of his men; two others (including Heisuke) seemingly DIE; he apparently gets covered in blood; his clothes become "TATTERED" (shook); Saito has fucked off (back to the enemy, as it turns out); he obviously doesn't get any sleep before dragging himself to Shinsengumi HQ; he doesn't get to do ANY murdering :( and some PAGE has the AUDACITY to get in his way, CRITICISE HIS OVEREMOTIONAL SWORD TECHNIQUE and then, AND THEN has the cheek, the nerve, the gall, the audacity and the gumption to say, AND I QUOTE, "you have no right to be angry!" XD Jesus, Souma...

Anyway, here's the section of game I based this on:

I wanted to draw this for a while but I had to draw Miki and Itou being sickeningly happy first :'(

The Guards (including Miki) don't have swords because they didn't, apparently, except for this guy, Hattori who fought back and was killed. https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/person/Takeo%20HATTORI.html

I also just read this article and the tea is SCALDING: https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/history/Aburanokoji%20Incident.html

And, of course, Hakuoki is not about historical accuracy and Miki switches to his fighting sprite at some point but he doesn't fight anyone so I went with the "less effort" option, since I suck at drawing swords (sorry Saito).

I added big, glowy lanterns because the Guards have them in the musical and I like things which are round and glowy :D

I made this on a ridiculously big canvas and ran out of memory in SAI so I had to switch to Photoshop and had to draw Shiranui's tattoo without the nice swooshy SAI brush :'( (but at least my brother hasn't been murdered)! <3

OH, ALSO, one other thing I forgot to mention (I have a lot of THOUGHTS while I do my drawings and I have to EXPELL THEM) about this scene that I love! It's Shiranui's response to Miki calling him out for betraying them

It's like he's protective of the new human he's aopted! <3 Don't mess with Harada or Shiranui will come and shoot your face off! He also arrives and says something like, "Hello human! I'm here to play with you!" because he is, in fact, a cat trapped in a demon's body, I guess.

[aurata-rin]

Fate/Grand Order Gudaguda 2021 (Ryouma Close Call) - Chapter 9 summary

This was a full chapter of story and no battles so there is a lot to go over, but man. At this point I’ll be grailing all the Gudaguda characters I have. I am very confused about the circumstances of the Singularity and this new Sakamoto but hopefully... hopefully the last chapters will explain.

Arrow 1

Back in Chaldea HQ, Nobunaga (still with a sign and drawing for a head) is curious about the Oumiya incident. Okita asks her to not suddenly show up with that face. Mashu explains it's the incident in which Sakamoto was attacked and assassinated. Even now it's unknown exactly who was behind it. The Kyoto Mimawarigumi, the Satsuma domain, the Choshu domain, and even the Shinsengumi were suspects in the case.

Okita: "Well, he seems like he had a lot of enemies." Nobbu: "Wait, you're the Shinsengumi. What were you doing." Hijikata: "Dunno a thing about that. Hey, Saitou, know anything?" Saitou: "No, no, there were talks that it looked like our Harada and I did it, but we wasn't around there back then in the first place." Nobbu: "Ah well, seems like there are a lot of theories. Right, so what about it?" Da Vinci: "That Oumiya incident on the 10th of December in year 1867 of the Western calendar, the day that Sakamoto Ryouma died, appears to be the origin of this Singularity." Okita: "But then, what's the relation to us being unable to enter this Singularity?" Da Vinci: "Seems like in this Singularity, only those who have died before this day are able to enter. We still don't understand the reason for this." Okita: "So then I can't enter it, huh. Neither can Hijikata, and Saito went on long after that." Saitou: "I mean, yeah, but can you not say it like that?"

Da Vinci suspects it might be possible to force a rayshift if they can confirm the coordinates, but it's also dangerous if those coordinates turn out to be off. Still, if they look into it a bit further, they might be able to send some reinforcements to Master. Then, Da Vinci asks what's up with Nobunaga's face.

Nobunaga: "'What's up', huh. I told you my head is--" Okita: "Geh?! Nobbu's head is on fire, like a candle!"

And it is. Nobunaga has no idea what's going on, but she hits Nobukatsu -- who clarifies that he actually didn't do anything, yet got hit anyway. He's thankful for that. Okita believes it's a sign things aren't going well in the Singularity. They're ready to go help at any moment; even Okita Alter, who's reminded she's unable to enter. At that moment, Himiko and Nagao enter -- they've returned from chasing some giant clam and fighting a giant octopus. Which they ate afterwards. They wonder what's got everyone gathered in the room.

In Saitama, the group's returned to the detective office. Nagayoshi and Chacha have been filled in on what's happened while they were distracting the guards. They're asking why Takechi got brought back with them. Nagayoshi wants to execute him for revenge, and Takechi seems defeated enough to go along with it. But before that, they'd like to ask him some questions. It's about Sakamoto, but even Takechi doesn't seem to know what he really is. Chaldea's Ryouma speaks up.

Ryoma: "That's Sakamoto Ryouma. Me." Nagayoshi: "Huh? I don't get it." Ryouma: "He's probably a me who did not form a contract as a Servant of the Counter Force. That day, just as I was dying, I made a contract with the World. So that I could save someone even after death. That's why originally, I couldn't be summoned as a regular Servant. If that other me was summoned in the previous Grail War, then it was from a world in which I was recorded as a Heroic Spirit in the Throne of Heroes, not one where I became a Guardian. In other words, the me who should have died at Oumiya survived because of this Singularity."

Takechi confirms that while the two might be the same person, they're not entirely identical; this Ryouma is not like the Sakamoto in this Singularity. He's not the type who'd calmly cut down a woman. Ryouma doesn't know how he could have ended up like that other version of himself. Maybe that's who he really is. Okuni disagrees; they are the same person, but what lies within them is different. She caught a glimpse of it when Shinbei was possessed by the dark energies. It's the thing she's been searching for, the old, unruly kami; Ama-no-Sakagami.

The scene ends.

Arrow 2

Okuni recounts her tale in a flashback. She was born in Izumo. There was a village where shrine maidens were born to suppress evil spirits with magic seals. In reality though, they were a good-for-nothing bunch. Although it was their livelihood to seal away evil, the shrine maidens they used were children with no relatives stolen away from elsewhere. These girls became human sacrifices -- raised and used up under the pretense of becoming shrine maidens of the seal. Eventually she was to become one such shrine maiden, but among the children stolen away, there was a single person.

A girl, Ohana, is hit, and a man scolds her for moving in the middle of a prayer. She apologises profusely, but he keeps hitting her. Okuni rushes in to help the girl. There's no meaning in hitting her so much. The man disagrees, and orders them both to be taken out to discipline them. Okuni, angry, calls for the destruction of the village. Beaten up, she and the girl end up locked in a cave. Ohana apologises. Okuni tells her it's fine.

Time passes, and Ohana asks where Okuni was taken from. She's not sure. Ohana thinks she must have been from a good family, with how she's so graceful and speaks so well. Maybe she's the daughter of some high-ranking official. While Ohana is talking down about herself, Okuni interrupts her to ask what she wants to do when she grows up. Okuni wants to become a dancer after she saw one visiting the village. She wants to see the world while making a profit off of dancing. Ohana laughs -- that's impossible, they'll forever be here to pray for the peace of the country. But who decided that, Okuni asks. It can't be the gods, they're there to save people, but if it is, Okuni will send them flying! The girls spend some more time chatting, and then the flashback fades.

In the Saitama detective office, Chacha is enraged at hearing about this village. Okuni calms her down; that village is no more, after all. She continues.

We return to the flashback. Okuni is wandering an underground passageway searching for Ohana. She wasn't aware there was such a place beneath the temple. There's a tremor. further in, Ohana is talking to someone -- if she removes this seal, can she really escape from the village? A voice tells her sure, it'll let her leave. It claims itself a decendant of the gods, locked away here after falling into a trap by some wicked people. If it can leave this place, it'll let the girl do as she pleases as way of thanks. Ohana removes the seal before Okuni can stop her. Ohana tells the dark entity appearing that it promised to grant her freedom; and it will. Freedom from everyone, and freedom from herself. It possesses Ohana. Okuni calls out to her, but Ohana rebukes her; Okuni's always looked down on her, she's sure of it. Ohana pauses -- she's never thought that. The entity assures her she has, in the depths of her heart. Yes, everyone's always had it out for her. They need to die. Ohana is enveloped in a dark aura, and the flashback ends.

In the detective office again, Okuni explains the entire village was eradicated that day. Ranmaru inquires what happened to Ohana. She was disposed of in a corner of the village. She never got to leave it, in the end. Some people call that entity the "Amanojaku", an descendant of the old kami; Ama-no-Sakagami. An evil god that strengthens the negative emotions lying in the very corners of people's hearts. It jumps from person to person, and as the months and years went by, threw the world into chaos. This is how Shinbei ended up that way, Ranmaru says. This is why Okuni travelled, as well, and she took a powerful exorcism treasure with her when she left the village -- which is Zanzaburou. She's not sure whether it's true or not that he was made from the husk of a kami, but since it looked like a trashy haniwa, she had it remodelled. Still, she never managed to find that entity and seal it away in life, and that regret became the core of her being. She joined the ranks of the Heroic Spirits after her death, but that determination never changed. The very fact that she was summoned as a Servant here proves that Ama-no-Sakagami is present. It must have possessed Sakamoto when he was summoned as a Servant in the Grail War. It's a wicked kami that only needs a slight gap to slip into the hearts of others and steer them towards destruction. Sealing this kami away is her duty, and she will fulfill it. 

Still, she won't do it alone. That Sakamoto has something Ranmaru needs back. Chaldea's Ryouma is also joining; he might not be that useful without Oryo, but he needs to do something about himself.

Takechi: "Ryouma, I--" Ryouma: "Takechi, you don't need to say anything. After that, I--" Izou: "...Oi, Ryouma." Ryouma: "...Izou?" Izou: "Piss off with your 'don't need to say anything'!"

Izou hits Ryouma.

Ryouma: "Guh!" Izou: "You too, Takechi!"

He proceeds to hit Takechi too.

Takechi: "Gah! Izou, you--" Izou: "You two always leave things unsaid! Say it so even an idiot like me can understand! I'm not a god or a Buddha, if you don't say the things you want to say, there's no way I'll understand it!"

The two are taken aback. Izou tells them to speak like back when they snuck in to eat an upper class samurai family's persimmons. People keep going about their business as if it's useless to talk to Izou -- this is why people like Takasugi went behind their backs! For a moment the others think Ama-no-Sakagami's taken hold of Izou, but Nagayoshi laughs; he's shouting nonsense. But perhaps because he's doing that, it'll resonate with the two. Ryouma and Takechi do take a moment to think. Takechi finds it funny he'd get scolded by Izou, of all people, but Ryouma finds he's the smartest of the three; and certainly the best at stealing persimmons. 

Ryouma: "Izou, thank you..." Izou: "That's disgusting, stop that!"

With this, Nagayoshi thinks it's obvious what they ought to do. Master agrees. They'll go together. Ryouma asks if Izou's got a plan, but he says that's Ryouma and Takechi's responsibility. 

Takechi: "Well then, let's steal every last persimmon from Takasugi's house, shall we?"

There's a tremor. Outside, an announcement proclaims a new martial law in Saitama, bidding all citizens moved to their assigned blocks. The citizens are confused, and Takasugi comes on the screen, apologising for the vague wording. He asks the citizens to return to their homes and stay there. Even if they don't want to move, they will be made to. Light spreads below the citizens. They probably won't die if they go home, he says.

Inside the detective office, Ranmaru notices the field drains the life force, the magical energy, of those within it. For Servants it is not lethal, but for normal humans, it is dangerous. Ryouma muses that the Restoration city itself is a reactor that gathers magical energy. This is likely for Takasugi's true goal; to build a god. The Kishin Project.

The scene shifts. Takasugi stands in an underground storage bay. He monologues -- he was probably born under the starts to do something great. Sakamoto asks when he thinks this thing will move. It'll probably take another half a day. Finally, Sakamoto declares, the strange god will manifest. As long as trouble doesn't find them, Takasugi reminds. As if on cue, an alarm goes off.

Takasugi: "See, there it is."

Back at the detective office, they're going over the plan. The city is separated into six different blocks, in which the magical energy furnaces are installed. They probably all lead to the central tower. They'll be usurping all six of those furnaces; if they can cut off Takasugi's supply routes, they can interfere with his plan. Six furnaces is a lot, though, and they're only 7 Servants. Chacha makes a comment about Izou normally sulking and drinking sake, and at Takechi's prompting, Izou introduces Chacha to him. They get back on topic. While they consider simply going along with the plan despite their numbers, the door to the office opens. A silhouette (Okita) appears.

???: "Fufufu, seems like you're in trouble, huh!"

The chapter ends.

[risuwu]

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