During the late Tokugawa regime (bakumatsu), elite samurai corps whose aim was to track and defeat the Shogunate's opponents. They were opposed to the ishin shishi (維新志士) or "renewal patriots" from Satsuma and Choshu.
The shinsengumi has recently become a popular samurai theme thanks to the new NHK drama on Japanese TV, as well as the related video game. Fans of the manga "Rurouni Kenshin" will also be familiar with the shinsengumi.
