Kaze Hikaru (manga)

Kaze Hikaru (風光る、literally Shining Wind) is a historical shoujo manga created by Watanabe Taeko (渡辺多恵子）, and serialized in the monthly shoujo comic Flowers. Set during the Bakumatsu era, it tells the story of 15-year old Tominaga Sei, in her quest to avenge her fallen family at the hands of Choshu samurai by joining the Shinsengumi as a boy named Kamiya Seizaburo.

This is Watanabe's longest running manga series, beginning its serialization in Betsucomi in 1997 before moving to the monthly shouji magazine Flowers. One of Kaze Hikaru's noteworthy traits is its adherence to historical facts, with the famous Ikedaya incident being the main focus in one of the volumes, as well as the realistic portrayal of the customs and culture of the people during the Bakumatsu era. Some of these details are explained by Watanabe in a section called Kaze Hikaru R, which is found at the end of every volume.

Characters

 * Tominaga Sei (富永セイ）
 * The series' main heroine, age 15. After witnessing the death of her father Genan and brother Yuuma at the hands of the men under the Choshu clan, she joined the Mibu-Roshi (later the Shinsengumi) as a boy named Kamiya Seizaburo for the purpose of exacting revenge. She shaved her head into half a sakayaki in order to convince everyone that she was a boy.


 * Okita Souji　（沖田総司）
 * Captain of the Shinsengumi first troop, and Sei's mentor and love interest. He first appeared in the series as the assistant vice-captain of the Mibu-Roshi. A genius swordsman, he was selected by Kondo Isami to become the next master of the Tennen Rishin Ryu style of swordsmanship, after mastering all of the techniques at the age of 18. He is considered to be one of the strongest swordsmen in the group, alongside Nagakura Shinpachi and Saitou Hajime.


 * Saitou Hajime　（斉藤一）
 * Captain of the Shinsengumi third troop. He was Sei's brother's best friend, and bears a striking resemblance to him both in his voice and appearance. His skills with the katana rival that of Okita's.


 * Kondo Isami　（近藤勇）
 * Captain of the Shinsengumi, and fourth grandmaster of the Ten'nen Rishin Ryu style of kenjutsu. He is a passionate and well-respected leader who is very loyal to the shogunate.


 * Hijikata Toshizo　（土方歳三）
 * Vice-captain of the Shinsengumi, also known as the Oni Fukuchou (Demon Vice-Captain) due to his harsh and strict demeanor. Handsome and popular with the ladies, he serves as Kondo's right-hand man and acts as the bad guy of the troop to maintain order and discipline.


 * Ito Kashitaro　(伊東甲子太郎)
 * The Shinsengumi's Military Advisor. A very handsome and graceful man who has mastered the pen and two fighting styles, the Hokushin Itto Ryu and Shinto Munen Ryu. However, unlike most of the men in the troop, he dislikes the shogunate and sees it as his mission to lead the Shinsengumi away from its heavy inclination to the government.


 * Yamanami Keisuke （山南敬助)
 * Vice-captain of the Shinsengumi, and master of the Hokushin Itto Ryu style of kenjutsu. Intelligent, well-mannered and mild-tempered, he is popular both inside and outside of the troop.


 * Harada Sanosuke (原田左之助）
 * Captain of the Shinsengumi 10th troop who is very skilled with fighting with a spear. He is most often seen with Nagakura and Todo.


 * Nagakura Shinpachi　（永倉新八）
 * Captain of the Shinsengumi 2nd troop. Easily recognized by his "stubbly beard", he is the legitimate son of a bushi family who left his clan to perfect his kenjutsu. He is considered one of the strongest swordsmen in the Shinsengumi alongside Okita and Saito.


 * Todo Heisuke　（藤堂平助)
 * Captain of the Shinsengumi 8th troop. He's one of the youngest members and is most often seen with Nagakura and Harada. He's a student of the Hokushin Itto Ryu style, which makes him very close to Yamanami.


 * Inoue Genzaburo (井上源三郎)
 * Captain of the Shinsengumi 6th troop and a practitioner of Ten'nen Rishin Ryu. Oftentimes he's teased by the other members, calling him an "old man" even though he's only 35 years old. He's also very loyal to Kondo.


 * Suzuki Mikisaburo (鈴木三木三郎)
 * Captain of the 9th unit and a selected successor of the Shinto Munen Ryu style of kenjutsu. He's also Ito's younger brother, who calls him a "fat piece of lard" due to his appearance.


 * Akesato (明里）
 * A beautiful tenjin from Shimabara. She serves as a sister figure to Sei and helps her conceal her secret by pretending to be "his" lover.