Shinsengumi! (新選組!) is a 2004 Taiga drama historical fiction television series produced by Japanese broadcaster NHK. It was a popular drama about the Shinsengumi, a Japanese special police force from the Bakumatsu period.
Actors include Koji Yamamoto, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Joe Odagiri, and Shingo Katori of the pop idol group SMAP. It was written by Japanese director and playwright, Kōki Mitani.
Contents
Staff
Original: Kōki Mitani
Music: Takayuki Hattori
Titling: Tansetsu Ogino
Narrator: Yasuo Kodera
Historical research: Manabu Ōishi, Tatsuya Yamamura
Architectural research: Sei Hirai
Clothing research: Kiyoko Koizumi
Production coordinator: Kōji Kikkawa
Casting: Kazuhiko Itō
Sword fight arranger : Kunishirō Hayashi
Cast
Shinsengumi
Shingo Katori as Kondō Isami
Kōji Yamamoto as Hijikata Toshizō
Tatsuya Fujiwara as Okita Sōji
Joe Odagiri as Saitō Hajime
Nakamura Kantarō II as Tōdō Heisuke
Tarō Yamamoto as Harada Sanosuke
Masato Sakai as Yamanami Keisuke
Tomomitsu Yamaguchi as Nagakura Shinpachi
Takashi Kobayashi as Inoue Genzaburō
Shoei as Shimada Kai
Kichiya Katsura as Yamazaki Susumu
Koji Ohkura as Kawai Kisaburo
Norito Yashima as Takeda Kanryuusai
Seichū-rōshi gumi
Kōichi Satō as Serizawa Kamo
Kazuyuki Aijima as Niimi Nishiki
Tadashi Sakata as Hirayama Gorō
Gōshū as Hirama Jūsuke
Itō-dōjō party
Shōsuke Tanihara as Itō Kashitarō
Masato Obara as Kanō Washio
Aizu Domain
Michitaka Tsutsui as Matsudaira Katamori
Episode list
The series originally aired from January 11 to December 12, 2004. The initial viewership of the series was 26.3%, however, it later dropped to an average of 17.4%. On September 29, 2025, the series officially began streaming on NHK.
Specials
Shinsengumi! Special (新選組！スペシャル, Shinsengumi! Supesharu) is a compilation of the entire story aswell as including some unreleased footage. The special was released three parts that were originally aired on December 26, 2004, at 4:45 PM, 7:30 PM, and 9:00 PM. The special was compiled into a full 3 hours and 42 minutes long film and released on DVD on March 25, 2005.
Reception
During the 2005 43th Television Drama Academy Awards held by Kadokawa, the series won the best show award. For the series, Shingo Katori won the best actor award, Koji Yamamoto won best supporting actor, and Kōki Mitani won the best screenplay award.