Oniwabanshu
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The Oniwabanshū (お庭番衆) was a group of ninja and onmitsu established by the 8th Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune, who was considered one of Japan's greatest shoguns.(1684-1751).
Purpose
Yoshimune established the Oniwabanshū to perform security, information gathering and espionage functions. It is believed that during the tumultuous time of the Bakumatsu Revolution that the Oniwabanshū was sent to America to spy not only on the Shogun's opposition, but the gaijin from America.Membership
Members of the Oniwabanshū were chosen from the Kii clan. Positions were hereditary and were passed down in families. This is most likely because Yoshimune was originally the leader of Kii.Deployment
- Acted as security guards in the Edo castle
- Spied on other clans.
- In Bakumatsu times, Oniwabanshū members were secretly included in missions sent to the United States.
In fiction
The oniwabanshū have been depicted in many jidaigeki and more recently in the anime series "Rurouni Kenshin".
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