Ask John: Why is the Meiji Era so Popular in Anime?

Question:
Why do so many samurai anime take place during the Meiji era? Are there any good samurai anime that take place before this time period?

Answer:
In fact, there aren’t actually a lot of anime set during the Meiji Era, which lasted from 1868 until 1912. In fact, the Rurouni Kenshin TV series is possibly the only anime series actually set during the Meiji era. (Theoretically the Kidou Shinsengumi Moeyoken OAV series may be set during the Meiji Era, but considering that it’s a very anachronistic series, it’s probably best to not consider it accurately set during any period of Japanese history.) I think that American anime fans typically associate the historical Shinsengumi with the Meiji era, although, in fact, the Shinsengumi splintered and died out permanently in 1869, only the second year into the Meiji period.

The Shinsengumi, a ruthless government sponsored peacekeeping force of the late Edo period, has been popular in Japanese pop culture for nearly a century in novels, plays, movies, television series, and anime. There seems to be a significant romanticism and heroic respect for the Shinsengumi among Japanese women who idolize the Shinsengumi’s staunch idealism and doomed goal of supporting the traditional Tokugawa shogunate. The Shinsengumi are also a popular cast for yaoi manga based on the Shinsengumi’s historical principle of emphasizing a masculine warrior ethic by avoiding romantic entanglements with women. Basically, the Shinsengumi are trendy and popular, which may account for why anime dealing with them and their era are also popular.

Actually, most samurai themed anime are actually set prior to the Meiji Era. Considering that the Meiji government outlawed the possession of swords in 1876, the ninth year of the Meiji era, samurai anime that feature a lot of swordplay are almost obligated to occur prior to the Meiji era. The Otogizoushi and Kaidomaru anime both occur during the Heian period. Although it’s not primarily a samurai themed anime, Princess Mononoke is set during Japan’s Muromachi era. And the samurai anime fantasies Makai Tenshou (known in America as “Ninja Resurrection”) and Samurai Deeper Kyo are set during the Edo period that directly preceded the Meiji period. Although it focuses on the Shinsengumi, the Peace Maker Kurogane anime TV series is set around 1864, just prior to the Meiji Era. Likewise, the third story arc of the Shura no Toki anime TV series deals with the Shinsengumi during their heyday, which is actually during the last years of the Edo period.

Note: This article was extensively re-written on March 18, 2005 with the assistance of Chieko Cranley.