Shindō Tatewaki was the staff officer of the Meiji Government. He was the Ishin Shishi responsible for betraying and murdering the Sekihōtai and its leader Sagara Sōzō, whom he charged with spreading false information about halving the taxes of farmers, despite having been ordered to do so by the Meiji Government. Tatewaki admitted that he knew this, but didn't care one bit--as far as he was concerned, the Sekihōtai were simply pawns to be used and sacrificed in order to advance the purposes of the Ishin Shishi.
Later on, during the anime series, Shindō continued to frame the Sekihōtai, having murder committed in their name, in order to advance his own position in the government. However, he is stopped in his tracks by Sanosuke Sagara and Tsukioka Katsuhiro, former dedicated members of the Sekihōtai and close pupils of Sōzō, whom he is surprised by, since he believed that all the Sekihōtai were dead. Himura Kenshin watches on in satisfaction as the two pummel their way through the treacherous Shindō and his subordinates.