Who is Sanosuke Harada?
He was the tenth unit Captain of the Shinsengumi. According to most sources, he preferred to fight with the spear rather than the sword, and in fact was the best spearfighter in all of the Shinsengumi. He was also said to be the most handsome of all the Shinsengumi members. Nobuhiro-sensei has already mentioned that Sanosuke Harada was his favorite among the Shinsengumi.
It was also said that Sanosuke Harada joined the Shinsengumi so that he could get free food as well as fight against the loyalists. Sounds like someone we know....
Who were the Shinsengumi?
During the 1860s, the Shogunate called on loyal civilians to help fight against the Sonno Joi movement (Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians). Isami Kondou, an adopted samurai heeded that call, and joined the Roshigumi together with his friends and students at his dojo to act as protector of the Tokugawa shogunate. Thirteen of the original twenty four members of the Roshigumi left later on due to differences in ideals, and formed the Shinsengumi led by Isami Kondou.
The three original captains of the Shinsengumi were Kamo Serizawa (Shishio Makoto was said to have been based from him), Isami Kondo, and Nishiki Niimi. They watched over Kyoto to lessen revolutionary and lawless activities there, but Serizawa and Niimi overstepped their authority, making their group feared instead of looked at as police. Eventually though, Niimi committed seppuku, and Serizawa was assassinated by Kondo supporters.
List of Shinsengumi Captains
1. Okita Souji (Soujirou Seta was based on him)2. Nagakura Shinpachi
3. Saitoh Hajime (Saitoh Hajime in the anime was pretty much him)
4. Matsubara Chūji
5. Takeda Kanryūsai
6. Inoue Genzaburō
7. Tani Sanjūrō
8. Tōdō Heisuke
9. Suzuki Mikisaburō
10. Harada Sanosuke
Shinsengumi Commander: Kondou Isami
Vice Commanders: Hijikata Toshizō (Aoshi Shinomori was said to have been based on him), Yamanami Keisuke
Military Advisor: Kashitarō Itō
The Ikedaya Affair made the Shinsengumi famous; in 1864, they ambushed an anti-shogunate group and managed to foil their plans. Almost overnight, they attracted many followers, as close to 300 at their peak.
What makes the Shinsengumi best loved is their very tragic ending; when the Shogunate finally collapsed, they retained their loyalty and kept on fighting. Eventually, they were either killed in battle, or commited seppuku. The two most popular survivors were Saitoh Hajime and Nagakura Shinpachi.
All rights reserved. Aku was created and is maintained by Erin. Sanosuke Sagara, Rurouni Kenshin, and all other characters thereof were created by Nobuhiro Watsuki. This site is not officially related to them in any way. Fanlisting powered by Enthusiast.