Shishi (志士; sometimes known as 維新志士 Ishin-shishi) was a group of Japanese political activists of the late Edo period. The term shishi literally translates as "men of high purpose." While it is usually applied to the anti-shogunate, pro-sonnō jōi (尊皇攘夷; "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarian[s]") samurai primarily from the southwestern clans of Satsuma, Chōshū, and Tosa, the term shishi is also used by some with reference to supporters of the shogunate who held similar sonnō jōi views.