Three years after the Ikedaya Affair [1], the Shinsengumi name was not only known in Kyoto, but all over Japan too. The rumours began to call us by notorious names such as “group of assassins” or “a band of murderers” more often.
It didn’t feel right to hear the townspeople who we were meant to protect criticise us like that, but on the other hand, it meant we had killed many of those worthless men who believed in revering the emperor and driving out foreigners. Strangely enough, it doesn’t feel so bad when I think about it that way