LIBRo KINSE SHIRIAKU. A HISTORY OF JAPAN FROM THE FIRST VISIT OF COMMODORE PERRY IN 1853 TO THE CAPTURE OF HAKODATE BY THE MIKADO'S FORCES IN 1869. TRANSLATED FROM THE JAPANESE BY E. M. SATOW, Japanese Secretary to H. B. M. Legation. YOKOHAMA: PRINTED AT THE "JAPAN MAIL" OFFICE. 1873. INTRODUCTION. IT is almost impossible that any person whose attention has been drawn to the extraordinary efforts which the leaders of the Japanese nation are daily making to raise their country to a level in point of moral and material civ- ilization with the Occidental World sho uld remain content with noting merely what is passing around him at the present moment. An analysis of the causes of this desire for progress, which seems to be peculiar to Japan alone among Eastern Nations, would require a far greater know- ledge of its past political history and habits of thought than any foreigner yet possesses; but at the same time some light may evidently be obtained from the study of the most recent events. It is a fortunate thing, therefore, that a native writer should have undertaken to compile a work which presents so compact a summary as this does of what has passed since the sudden arrival of the American squad- ron in 1853 awoke Japan from the almost undisturbed slumber of the last two and a half centuries. To any fu- ture foreign historian of the relations between it and the outer world such a work, compiled from the most trust- worthy sources, cannot fail to be of the greatest use, and it is chiefly with the object of facilitating such labours that the task of putting it into an English dress has been undertaken. The author, for what other reason than a dislike to notoriety does not appear, has chosen to conceal his iden- II. tity in the preface under the fictitious name of ' the rustic annalist of the pepper mountain,' but as he has half re- vealed it on the title-page, which announces that the work is printed for YAMAGUCHI Uji, there can he no indis- cretion in stating that he is an ancient official of the For- eign Department as it was constituted under the adminis- tration of the Shoguns, and now an official of the Mom- busho or Education Department. These two facts are presumptive evidence of impartiality, since to favour the one side too much might be stigmatized as ingratitude for past benefits, while too great leniency to the other would indicate an indifference to present emoluments, somewhat rare. For the literary merits of the work there is little to be said. It is composed in imitation of the terse style of the Chinese annalists, and is therefore almost incapable of being rendered at once literally and into idiomatic English. Freedom of translation, where the object does not happen to be the illustration of native modes of expression, is always advisable, especially if the idea of the original is thereby more correctly conveyed, and it may be as well to warn students of the language that they must not expect to find here an instrument to aid them in the dissection of Japanese (or rather Chinese) syntax. Dates on which events occurred are often stated vaguely in the original, the month only being usually given. As the Japanese months seldom coincide with those of the Gregorian calendar (which has only been adopted since the commencement of the current year) it has seemed prefer- able to translate literally in this instance and to give in brackets the Gregorian dates which correspond to the beginning and end of each month. The precise day, where possible, has been supplied in footnotes from the Genji Yume-monogatari (G. Y. M.), Parliamentary Papers and other sources. THE TRANSLATOR. AUTHOR'S PREFACE. This compilation commences with the arrival of the American squadron in 185:3 anil ends with the taking- of Hakodate in 1869. I have found slight discrepancies in the various accounts of this period which I have seen, and have endeavoured to arrive at the truth by consulting them impartially. I have no doubt, however, that more learned persons than myself will be able to discover mis- takes and obscurities in what I have put together in this way, and I shall be grateful for their suggestions. Public documents and memorials are often of unneces- sary length. I have therefore been careful to abridge them as much as possible, so as not to fatigue my reader. An old axiom says that a historian is worthless unless he possess both native talent, learning and wisdom. As I cannot lay claim to either of these qualifications, there is no doubt that in thus rashly taking up my pen, I expose myself to the accusation of having attempted what is be- yond my powers. But there are few complete and au- thentic histories of modern events. In the one or two works which do exist, the authors have either omitted everything which they thought likely to give offence, or have made their relation so obscure as to render it impos- sible to understand clearly what the real course of events has been. For this reason I have disregarded my own unfitness for the task, and have recorded summarily what has taken place for the use of those who may hereafter wish to write upon this subject. SHOZAN YASni. 1871. KINSE SHIRIAKU, OR SHORT HISTORY OF RECENT TIMES. VOLUME I. I >> 1853. In the sixth month (July 5th August 3rd, 1853. July 7th. G. Y. M.) of the sixth year of Ka- yei, in the reign of the Emperor Komei Tenn6, the Amer- ican Envoy Perry arrived at Uraga in Sagami with fcmr ships, and handing in a letter, asked for a treaty of amity and commerce. In those days all classes of the nation were so accustomed to a peaceful and enjoyable existence that the suddenness of the event caused great excitement. It was an ancient custom not to allow foreign vessels to enter any port but that of Nagasaki, and this old law was fully explained to the Envoy, who, however, would not listen. The Bakufu ' eventually received the letter at Shimoda, and ordered the daimids* to guard the most important strategical positions in Musashi. The object of the American mission was then reported to Kioto, and orders (1) Bakufu is the term by which the Sh6gunate was usually spoken of by its political opponents. It is derived from baku, a curtain (in allusion to the fact of its head being a general, whose camp in Japan was usually surrounded by a curtain) and/w, a government office. (2) Territorial nobles. Although it is somewhat of a barbarism to make the plural of a Japanese work with an English suffix, it is better to do so for the sake of clearness. were sent by the Imperial Court to the Shinto priests at the shrines of Ise to offer up prayers for the sweeping away of the barbarians. V The American Envoy demanded an answer in the 7th month (August 4th September 1st), but the Bakufu, ex- plaining- how the condition of affairs necessitated its con- sulting the general opinion of the nation, insisted on a delay. The Envoy was obliged therefore to sail 3 from Uraga, after promising to return the following year. Short- ly afterwards the Bakufu communicated the American letter to all the clans, and asked their opinion. Some ad- vocated entering into amicable relations, while others took the opposite view, and maintained that all advances on the part of foreigners ought to be repelled. In the course of the same month 4 the Shogun lyeyoshi died, and was succeeded by lyesada. ^ In the 8th month (Sept. 2 Oct. 1) a Russian ship came to Nagasaki and begged leave to enter into friendly relations, in order to discuss the question of the northern boundary between the Japanese territory and their own. " During the same month the ex-Chiunagon of Mito was appointed a commissioner for the superintendence of the maritime defences. In the year 1841 this prince had been placed in confinement at one of his secondary palaces in Yedo for having melted down the bells of all the Bud- dhist monasteries in his domain to cast cannon with, and for other similar acts, but the Minister Abe Ise no kami now pardoned him by order of the Shogun, and directed him to make extensive military preparations. The prince had always had two objects at heart, namely an increase of respect for the Mikado and the expulsion of bar- barians, 5 and he was celebrated for his energy and courage. (3) July 16. G.Y.M. (4) August 25. G.Y.M. (6) In Japanese .swi 6, jo i. 6 Permission to build war vessels was also given in the 9th mouth (October) to all the daimios, and the red ball on a white ground, representing 1 the sun, was chosen as their distinguishing flag. "I The construction of the forts in the sea at Shinagawa v was commenced during the same month, and numbers of large cannon were cast. The expenses were met by a contribution levied on Yedo and the villages round and on the rich merchants of Ozaka. 7 Takashima Shiuhan 6 was released from prison about this time and placed with Egawa Tarozaemon as musketry instructor. His lessons speedily became fashionable, and ; v the European system of artillery was thus introduced into this country. Shiuhan had learnt the art from a Dutch- man at Nagasaki, and its introduction is therefore due to him. 1854. In the 1st month (Jan. 28 Feb. 25) of 1854 7 the American envoy again arrived with his ships, anchoring this time at Shimoda in Idzu, and demanded the same things as had been urged in the letter presented the pre- vious year. He waited until the 4th month (April 26 May 25), when the Bakuf'u promised to accord kind treat- ment to ship-wrecked sailors, permission to obtain wood, water, provisions, coals and other stores needed by ships at sea, with leave also to anchor in the ports of Shimoda in Idzu and Hakodate in Mutsuinae. In the 6th month (June 24 July 23) the envoy left Shimoda, and the same privileges as he had obtained were shortly afterwards granted also to the Russians and the Dutch. / o Whilst the American envoy was at Shimoda, a Cho- shiii man, named Yoshida Shoin, and his pupil Shibuki, suddenly appeared on board of his ship and asked leave to sail with him. The envoy refused and sent them ashore. For this infraction of the laws Yoshida, Shibuki, and (6) Shiroclaiyu and Kihei arc other names by \vliicht.hismaniskncnvn. (7) Feb. 18.' G.Y.M. Sakuma Shozan were cast into prison. Sakuma was a Matsushiro (in, Shinano) man of vast learning, and also acquainted with European literature. He was Shoin's first instructor in the military art. Shozan had said to the latter : " In these days you should travel in foreign coun- " tries and acquaint yourself accurately with the state of " things there. " At that moment the Bakufu had com- missioned the Dutch to construct a man-of-war for it, and Sh6zan said ; " Bather than entrust the commission to the (l Dutch, send Japanese to Holland to study their most " important arts, and let them purchase a man-of-war by " the same occasion. Besides our countrymen will be- " come expert in navigation as they travel backwards and u forwards, and will learn the condition of all countries. " This would be of immense value to us. " He laid this proposition before the authorities, but it was not favourably entertained. Sh6in heard of it, and being mightily taken with the idea, conceived a desire of making a sea-voyage. By chance a Russian vessel put into Nagasaki, and Sboin, pretending that he was merely going there on a visit, but with the secret intention of accompanying her to foreign countries, took leave of Shozan. Shozan divined his plan, gave him money for his travelling expenses, and composed a stanza of Chinese poetry in which he wished him a safe and pleasant journey. Sh6in then started off direct for Nagasaki, but on his arrival found that the ship had already left. He then returned to Yedo and asked Sho- zan's advice about taking passage in the American vessel. Sh6zan secretly told him how to set about it, and after the failure of the plan his farewell stanza was discovered in Sh6in's trunk, when the latter was arrested, and he was punished as an accomplice. These men were after- wards' sent back to their respective clans and thrown into prison. In the 7th month (July 24 Aug. 22) s an English (8) Rear- Admiral Sir James Stirling arrived at Nagasaki about the man-of-war came to Nagasaki and presented a letter, say- ing : " Hostilities have broken out between our country " and Russia, and we may possibly come to blows with " them in the vicinity of your shores. We may also be " obliged to obtain wood, water and provisions, in which " case we beg you to furnish us with what we " may require." The Bakufu granted permission for this to be done at the two ports of Hakodate and Nagasaki. , *\s In the llth month (Dec. 19 Jan, 16, 1855) the 9 sea overflowed its limits at Shimoda in Idzu, and wrecked a Russian vessel which was anchored in the bay. The chronological period was changed this year from Kayei to Ansei.. , 1855. In the 3rd month (April 16 May 14) the Court gave orders that the bells of all the Buddhist monasteries throughout the country should be melted down and cast into cannon and muskets, but the Princes of Chionin and Rinnqji opposed the measure, and it was therefore aban- doned ( Lf In the 4th month (May 15 June 12) the two houses of Sendai and Satake were ordered to garrison the north, east and west coasts of Yezo. If During the same month Katsu Rintaro was despatched to Nagasaki to learn from the Dutch how to manage steam- vessels. ; ^ In the 10th month (Nov. 9 Dec. 7) 10 a great earth- quake occurred in the eastern provinces. It was felt most violently at Yedo, where one hundred and four thousand persons lost their lives. '7 1856. In the first month of the 3rd year of Ansei (Feb. 5 Mar. 5) the Bakufu commenced to rebuild the Mikado's Palace, which had been destroyed by fire in the previous year as well as the castle at Yedo 7th September, and signed a convention with the Japanese plenipo- tentiaries on the 14th October. Parl. Papers. (9) December 22. G.Y.M. (10) November 10. G.Y.M. 6 and the Shrines [of the Shoguns] at Shiba -arid Uyeno, which had been destroyed by fire some time be- fore. In olden times, whenever any works of the kind were required, the clans were called upon to contribute towards the expense, but the rule was departed from on the present occasion, in view of the great charges they had been put to during' the last year or two in maintaining garrisons at various places. The Bakufu treasury was, however, reduced to a very low ebb. \^ In the 7th month, (July, 31 August 22) batteries were erected at the two mouths of the Ozaka river. \ During the same month an American named Harris arrived at Shimoda in Idzu, bearing a letter. He stated that he was entrusted by his nation with full powers, and that he was instructed to reside in Japan. He also re- quested leave to present his credentials to the Shogun. About the same tune an English vessel " came again to Nagasaki and commissioned the Dutch to ask permission for them to enter into relations of amity and commerce. V A great storm occurred in the eastern provinces during the 8th month (Aug. 29 Sept. 27), and more than a hundred thousand persons lost their lives at Yedo. V> During the same month Hotta Bitchiu no kami was appointed a Minister, with rank above his colleagues. It is said that this was done by the advice of the Minister Abe Ise no kami, who found the burden of state affairs too much to bear, for various portents had occurred during the last two years, and the Bakufu was driven to its wits end by the repeated visits of the foreigners. ^ 1857. In the first month (Jan. 25 February 22) the chief of the Dutch factory at Nagasaki sent in a letter, saying : " I advise you to be careful, for in intercourse with " foreign countries disputes often arise out of the smallest (11) This is ai evident mistake for the visit of Rear- Admiral Stirling in October 1855 to exchange the ratifications of the Conven- tion concluded by him in the previous year. " matters, let alone questions of right and wrong. To be " ignorant of your own weakness is certainly not the way " to preserve your country from danger. It was for this " reason that China some ten years ago lost part of her " territory after the opium war, and that the province of " Kuang-tung is now a desert. " The Ministers believed that this mention by the Dutch of the Canton war was not a mere exaggeration of the facts, prompted by a desire to gain their own ends, and they began to fear that if they excited the wrath of the foreigners beyond a certain point Japan would bring on herself the same fate as the province of Kuang-tung. If they were to change the law which had been in existence since 1039, and to enter into friendly relations, they would also have to change their method of treating foreigners, and act in accordance with the prac- tice observed previous to that year. The Bakufu thus came to the conclusion that it must do its best to pre- serve peace. During the same month the ex-Chiunagon of Mito declared his unwillingness to have any further share in public affairs. This resolution was attributed to his dis- satisfaction with the course pursued towards foreigners by the Bakufu. The American Harris, who was residing at Shimoda all this while, preferred frequent requests for permission to proceed to Yedo in order to have an interview with the Shogun. An ancient custom forbade the entry of fo- reigners into Yedo, and the Bakufu quoting this, exhausted every possible art in order to dissuade him from his pro- ject. Harris, however, would not listen, and it had no resource but to give way. When it informed the princes of Mito, Kishiu and Ovvari and the princes of the Extraordinary Council (Taman no ma dzinnt;), most of them, especially this ex-Prince of Mito and the Council, were disgusted, and recorded their opinion in a written protest. V Harris eventually reached Yedo in the Oth month (Oct. 1? Nov. 15). He had an interview with the Shu- gun and presented his credentials, after which he with- drew and returned to his lodgings. Shortly afterwards he had an interview with the Ministers and briefly stated his demands. These were, unrestricted trade between the merchants of both countries in all articles except gold and cereals, without any official interference ; the closing of Shinioda and the opening of Ivanagawa and Ozaka ; the residence of a minister plenipotentiary at Yedo, to settle all diplomatic questions, and the conclusion of a treaty in detail, to be ratified by the Japanese Government. ^ 1858. The Bakufu was afraid of exciting hostile comment amongst its own people, and sent Hayashi Daigaku no kami to Ki6to in the 12th month (Jan. 14 Feb. 12, 1858) in order to request the Mikado's sanction, and the failure of this negotiation being reported to Yedo, the Minister Hota Bitchiu no kami was also despatched in the 1st month of the 5th year of Ansei, (Feb. 13 March 13) to explain the critical state of affairs and to ask for sanction. Several of the court nobles (huge), however, sent in a joint memorial to the Mikado, in which they strongly opposed the measure, and the opinion of the court was divided. - In the 2nd month (March 14 April 12) the American Harris, rendered impatient by the long interval which had already elapsed without anything being commu- nicated to him about the treaty, threatened that if his time was to be wasted in this way, he would proceed forth - with to Kioto and arrange it himself. He was surprised, . after being informed that Yedo was the seat of govern- * ment, to find such dilatoriness on the part of the Bakufn, * and he gave it a certain number of days within which it must make up its mind. The Bakufu at once sent messengers post haste to stir up Bitchiu no kami, but (12) September iM. G.Y.M. 9 from the state of things at Kioto it was evident th:tt nothing would persuade the Court to give way. <4 There was a certain retainer of the prince of Hikone, named Nagano Shiuzen, who happened to be on intimate terms with one Shimada, a retainer of the Kuambaku, Kuj6 dono, and the Bakufu induced Shimada through Shiuzen to talk the Kuambaku over. The Kuambaku then issued a decree stating that full powers were given to the Bakufu to deal with the foreign question. Sanj6 Naidaijin and eighty-eight other Court nobles reproached the Kuambaku for having lightly decided so weighty an affair, and the opinion of the Court undergoing a complete - change, the negotiation became a failure. Hotta Bitchiu no kami returned to Yedo in the 3rd month (April- 13 May 11). lP\ It was at this time that li Kamon no kami was elevated by the Bakufu to the office of Tairo (or ChiefMinister). * jo In the 6th month (July 10 Aug. 7.) an epidemic of cholera spread throughout the land, and about 30,00*0 persons died in Yedo alone. . The Shogun lyesada being childless, li Kamon no kami chose lyemoehi, the prince of Kishiu, to be his heir and successor. During the same month American and Russian men-of- 1 war came to Yokohama and gave information that the English and French squadrons would arrive in a feu- days with the object of concluding a treaty. Harris took advantage of this to point out what he considered the best course for them to pursue, and to urge the ratifica- tion of his own treaty. li Kamon no kami began to think that if, in the presence of these constant arrivals of foreign- ers of different nations, he were to wait for the Kioto people to make up their minds, some unlucky accident might bring the same disasters upon Japan as China had already experienced. He therefore concluded a treaty at Kanaguwa, and affixed his seal to it, alter which he 10 reported the transaction to Kioto. Immediately afterwards the Russians, English and French entered Yedo, and con- cluded treaties on the model of the American treaty. It was at this time that the agitation for ' expelling the barbarians' was started, and many people began to discuss domestic and foreign affairs. Some time before this the Shogun lyesada had fallen ill, and he eventually died in the 8th month (Sept. 6 Oct. 5). 13 He was succeeded by lyemochi, who was only twelve years of age. li Kamon no kami kept him in his power, and wielded immense authority. He was gener- ally nicknamed ' the swaggering Chief Minister ' (Balilto Genro), When a proposal to choose an heir to the late Sh6gun was first made the princes of Owari, Echizen and several others advised that Shitotsubashi Giobukio, who. was a grown man and had both reputation and popularity on his side, should be adopted by the head of the Toku- gawa family. Giobukio was the eighth " son of the ex- prince of Mito, who loved him more than all his other children, but li Kamon no kami rejected his candidature, and put in the prince of Kishiu. \ When the treaties were made, the princes of Owari and Echizen and the ex-prince of Mito, who were much offended at his arbitrary conduct, at once ordered their palanquins and proceeded to the castle. The populace was afraid that an outbreak of a dangerous kind would result from this extraordinary event. The three princes insisted on seeing the Shogun, in order to argue the matter with him personally, but li Kamon no kami refused, and receiving them himself crushed their remonstrances. The three princes retired in a rage, and li Kamon no kami forbade them to appeal- again at the castle. li Kamon no kami was devoted to a species of theatrical entertainments called J\ T 6, and he (13) August 15th, G.Y.M. (14) 7th according to the Taihei Bukan, or list of Japanese territorial nobles. 11 borrowed ten thousand rio from the public treasury (o ~~ defray his expenditure. Every day he had performances and gave himself up to amusement ; but when the Court, hearing- of the state of affairs at Yedo, summoned him and the three princes to Ki6to, in order to restore peace among them, he reported the circumstances which had led to the disgrace of the princes, and excused himself from appearing on the ground of his multifarious public duties. During the same month secret instructions were sent from Kioto to the ex-prince of Mito, which ran thus : l( The Bakufu has shown great disregard of public opin- " ion in concluding treaties without waiting- for the opinion " of the Court, and in disgracing princes so closely allied ^ " by blood to the Shogun. The Mikado's rest is disturbed " by the spectacle of such misgovernment when the fierce " barbarian is at our very door. Do you therefore assist " the Bakufu with your advice ; expel the barbarians, " content the mind of the people, and restore tranqnility " to His Majesty's bosom. " When the princes of Owari and Echizen tried to have Shitotsubashi Giobukio adopted as the Shogun's suc- cessor, Ajima Tatewaki and Aizawa Idaiyu, retainers of Mito, and Ukai Kichizaemon and his son who were resi- dent at Kioto, sought counsel in the matter, by order of the Court, from Kobayashi Mimbutaiyu, a retainer of Takadzokasa dono, and Mimioka, one of Takadzukasa dono's women. It happened also that Hashimoto Sanai came to Kioto upon the same business, and consulted with Kobayashi. They were also assisted by Kusakabe Isoji and li-idzumi Ivinai at Yedo. Isoji eventually came to Kioto by Ajima's orders, whereupon they all took counsel together and the negotiations were going on well, when the whole project was ruined by the opposition of li Kamon no karni. Isoji was eventually selected to carry the private instructions of the Court to the ex-prince of Mito. li Kamon no kami had some time previously sent hi- 12 retainer Nagano Shiuzen to Kioto as a spy. This man discovered that the secret instructions had been sent, and also got hold of the correspondence of Ajima Tate- \vaki and the rest relative to the proposal to make the (Jiobukio heir to the Shogun. There was also a consid- erable body of Court nobles' retainers and of Chinese pro- fessors who blamed li Kamon no kami's conduct in the matter of the treaties, and Shiuzen, having ascertained their names, reported everything to his master. li Kamon no kami at once despatched the Minister Manabe Shim6sa no kami to Kioto, where, after having consulted with Sakai Wakasa no kami, the Shogun's Resident, he placed Takadzukasa, Konoye and Sanjo (Court nobles) in confine- ment, and arresting Kobayashi Mimbutaiyu, Kasuga Sa- nuki no kami, Moridera Inaba no kami, Takahashi Hiobu, the woman Muraoka, Ukai Kichizaemon and his son, Hashimoto Sanai, Rai Mikisaburo and Umeda Genjiro, thirty persons in all, sent them to Yedo in the charge of an armed force. Twenty-seven persons, including Ajima Tatewaki, Kusakabe Isoji, li-idzumi Kinai and Fujimori Koan were arrested at Yedo. 1850. In the 12th month of the Gth year of Ansei (Jan. 3 Feb. 1, 1859) the office of Shogun was conferred by the Mikado on lyemochi. The ex-prince of Mito had frequently pressed the questions of the necessity of showing due respect to the Mikado and the expulsion of the barbarians on the attent- ion of the Bakufu, which however paid no attention to him, and he finally put his views in writing and forwarded them to Kioto. In the 8th month (Aug. 27 Sept. 24) the Chief Minister and his colleagues reproached the ex-prince, saying : " When we refused to listen to your " lordship's advice, you laid your views before the Court, " upon which Ajima Tatewaki abused the Bakufu, alleg- " ing that it misgoverned the country, in order to mislead " the Court nobles. He then privately brought instruct- 13 " ions to your lordship from the Court, and nearly suc- " ceeded in bringing about a rupture between the Mikado u and the Shogun. Furthermore, when the succession " question was pending, he obstinately besought the " Mikado to order the adoption of Shitotsubashi Giobukio. " Although the ostensible actor was Tatewaki, your lord- " ship was the real author of these proceedings, and you, " whose duty is to be the support of the Bakufu, have " have failed in your obligations." They consequently placed the ex-prince in perpetual confinement at Mito, and in order to punish Shitotsubashi for having desired the office of Shogun,, they forced him into retirement. Short- ly afterwards they made the princes of Owari, Echizen, Tosa and Uwajima resign their daimiates to their sons, and retire into private life at their secondary yashikis 15 for wy~ V I / / the offence of having shared in the conspiracy. Kobayashi ' Mimbutaiyu and twenty others were condemned, some to exile, and others to imprisonment, while Ajima, the two Ukai, Hashimoto, Umeda, Rai and others were put to death. In the same month Yoshida Sh6in of Choshiu suffered capital punishment. He had been confined in prison ever since the Bakufu delivered him to his clan in the autumn of 1854. During this period his fanatical patriotism constantly increased, and all his hopes were fixed on forc- ing the Bakufu to expel the barbarians. Some one having proposed to make war on the Bakufu, Shoin, who felt the injustice of such a proceeding, wrote a pamphlet against the scheme, and was afterwards released from pri- son. When li Kamon no kami assumed the reins of gov- ernment, and the Bakufu, estranged from the princes who were blood-relations of the Shogun, was left without sup- porters, Shoin declared that it could not be saved. He (15) Every dabnio had a hanii ytiMhiki or chief residence, and one or more ski wo yashiki or private residences. secretly wrote to a court noble named Ohara Shigetami 1G inviting him down to Cho'shiu, in order to get up an agita- tion in the clan for the expulsion of the barbarians, and the restoration of the Mikado. It happened that Manabe Shimosa no kami had arrested, by order of the Chief Min- ister, all the patriots of Ki6toj and Shoin, collecting a number of desperate men, despatched them to the capital to assassinate Shim6sa no kami. The project came to nothing, and the clan, observing that there was something strange in Sh6in's proceedings, cast him a second time into prison, fearing to incur the resentment of the Bakufu. Not long afterwards the Bakufu found reason to suspect Shoin, and despatched Nagai Uta 17 to Ch6shiu, to bring him to Yedo in a cage. He was then interrogated about his having conveyed an anonymous document into the Palace at Ki6to, and about a secret conspiracy into which he had entered with Um6da, when the latter was on a visit to Ch6shiu. Shoin had always been a friend of Umeda's, and knew nothing about the anony - mous document. He therefore gave complete explanations on these two points, but confessed his letter to Ohara and his plot to assassinate the Minister. These matters had been hitherto quite unknown to the Bakufu, which was exceeding astonished when it heard of them, and inflicted capital punishment on Sh&in. Every plan conceived by this man since his failure in the attempt to get a passage on board the American squadron had ended in disaster, and his fate excited universal pity. A great number of upright and loyal men lost their lives about the same time, and their fate was compared to that of the learned i men of Tunglin under the Ming dynasty. - Kanagawa, Nagasaki and Hakodate were opened in the (16) This is the elder 6hara, still alive at the present day (69 years old in 1873), known also as Ohara Sakingo, Envoy from the Court to the Shogunate in September, 1863. (17) Nagai Uta was a Choshiu man who held moderate views, and wrote a pamphlet to prove that the daimios owed allegiance to the Shogun, and not to the Mikado. 15 summer of this year, and permission was given to Japan- ese and foreign subjects to trade with each other. In the 10th month (October 25 November 22) that chief Castle at Yedo was destroyed by fire. 1860. Envoys were despatched to the United States of America for the first time in the first month of the 1st year of Manyen (January 22 February 20, 1860). When li Kamon no kami punished the princes of Owa- ri, Mito and Echizen all classes held their breath and looked on in silent affright. From that moment his power increased daily, but a few ronins conspired to assassinate him, and watching for an opportunity, approached his palanquin one day as he was proceeding to the castle, under the pretence of presenting a petition. Snow hap- pened to be falling heavily, and rendered every object in- distinct, so that the escort taking the men to be ordinary petitioners, scarcely noticed them. Suddenly the head of the train was attacked, and the commotion which ensued in that quarter drew away the attention of the guards at the side of the palanquin. The petitioner profited by his opportunity to cut down the bearers, and to reach the palanquin, arid a number of confederates sprang up instant- ly, who succeeded in slaying the Chief Minister, and in escaping with his head. The escort engaged the men who had attacked the front of the train, and fought vigorously. Four, including Nagoshi Genji and Kusakabe Naiki, were killed on the spot, while Kusakari and nine- teen others were wounded. The affair occurred so sud- denly that they were unable to assist their master, and on looking round were horrified to see what had happened. They pursued the ronins, but could not overtake them. This affair, known as the Sakurada outrage, occurred on the 3rd day of the month (March 23). 18 (18) In Sir R. Alcock's despatch to Lord Russell of the 2nd April 18GO, the attack on the Regent is said to have taken place on the 24th March. As will be seen by reference to this despatch, Sir R. Alc< x,-k : 11 unaware of the result when he wrote, and it is quite possible 10 v The perpetrators of this deed were Ozeki Washichiro, Sano Takenoske Saito Kemmotsu, Kuroda Chiuzaburo, Ariraura Jizaemon, and twelve other Mito men. Some were killed, while others escaping- to the house of the Minister Wakizaka Nakadzukasa no taiyu, addressed a letter to him in which they enumerated the crimes of li Kamon no kami. They accused him firstly of possessing himself of the person of the young- Sh6gun, and of dismissing' and appointing- officials as his own selfish objects suggested ; secondly, of receiving- enormous bribes and granting private favours ; thirdly, of having driven away the princes of Owari, Mito, and Echizen, thereby depriving the Sh6gun of the sup- port of those who were most nesu'ly allied tp him by blood; ko i\ jt.-wv-^v T^ fourthly, of having deluded Ilig ^lliglmeaS^Knj^ by means t*f Manabe SlHnwsa- o-kauai -aud S^tai,- the SU4- -g'ttHWReswleirty-besides confining Prince Joren In and many Court nobles, and putting numbers of the Samurai and common people to death; and fifthly, of being ' frightened by the empty threats of the foreign barbarians 1 into concluding treaties with them, without the sanction ', of the Mikado, and under the pretext of political necessity. These five crimes being such as neither the gods nor men could pardon, they as the representatives of divine anger had chastised him. They prayed that death might be at once inflicted upon them, and shortly afterwards under- went capital punishment. .A From this time the advocates of the expulsion of the barbarians increased every day, and in the 8th month (Sept. 14 Oct. 12) a motley band of thirty men came to the Satsuma yashiJd praying the clan to give their support, and to allow themselves to lead the van. The therefore that he may also have been misinformed about the date. Anyone can verify the date given in the text by comparing the European and Japanese almanacs back to the year 1860. The earliest comparative Japanese and European almanac accessible to the translator was that of 1864. 17 Satsuma clan pacified thorn, and lodged them for a while within the walls of the yaxhiki. During- the same month a large number of dissatisfied men, who also advocated the expulsion of the barbarians, collected tog-ether in Hitachi and Shimosa. The foreign merchants had been daily arriving- in greater numbers at Yokohama, which so increased in wealth and importance as to form a new city of itself. The ronins in Hitachi and Shimosa consequently conceived the idea of attacking- it, but the Bakufu issued orders to the neighbouring- clans to take every possible precaution. However, the secretary of the American Minister who resided at Yedo, one Ileus- ken 19 , was assassinated one evening* in Mita as he was returning- home from an excursion. ^ During- the 10th month (November 12 December 10) the re-erection of the Shogun's principal castle at Yedo was commenced. 1861. During- the 1st month of the 1st year of Bunkiu ( February 9 March 9 ) the number of the ronins in Hitachi and Shimosa increased to such an extent that they proceeded into Kodzuke and Shimotsuke, where, under pretext of requiring- war contributions for the expulsion of the barbarians, they ex- torted money from the peasants and tradespeople. The Bakufu ordered the house of Mito to arrest them. During- the same month some Russians landed in Tsushima under the pretext of repairing- their vessel. So Tsushima no kami complained of their behaviour to the Bakufu, which despatched some of its officers to bring- them to reason and make them leave the island. ^ ( \ In the 5th month (June 7 July 6), some ronins attacked ** the house occupied by the Eng-lish at Tozenji in Takanawa. The vassals of the Bakufu and the troops of the Koriyama clan who acted as guards to the temple (19) Mr. Heusken was murdered on the night of January 14, 1861. (20) This attack was made on the 20th day of the iJth month or July 5th. Takanawa is the southern suburb of Yedo. 18 repelled the assailants, and a large number of the ronins were killed. The troops of the Bakufu also suffered some loss in killed and wounded, while two of the English were wounded by the ronins. The English Minister was angry, and said such ruffians only existed because the Japanese Government could not rule its own country. Remarking that in future it would be useless to appeal to reason with such a people, he retired with the French and Dutch representatives to Yokohama, in order to prepare for an attack with troops. The Bakufu made ten thousand apologies, and the affair, after some difficulties, was peaceably settled. From this time onwards English troops were always stationed at Yokohama, to guard against surprises, and they were com- monly called ' the Scarlet Regiment ' from the colour of their clothing. During the same month the Bak ufu ordered the House of Mito to arrest the men who had broken into the English temple-residence, but they made their escape into Oshiu and Dcwa. The ex-prince of Mito died in the 8th month (Sept. 4 Oct. 3). Whilst he was still alive li Kamon no kami applied to Ki6to for leave to make him give up the letter of instructions which had been sent to him some years previously by the Court, and his application was granted. li Karnon no kami then despatched Ando Tsushima no kami to communicate this to the house of Mito, but the samurai refused, believing it to be nothing but an in- vention of the Bakufu, and hundreds of them were ready to quarrel about the affair. A great commotion ensued in the clan, which the house of Mito had much difficulty in appeasing. The ex-prince, who disliked having to resist the Shogun's orders, wrote a letter for the information of his retainers, which was so perfectly reasonable that they, withdrew their opposition. Upon this the Imperial letter was given up to the Bakufu. 19 !f\ In the llth month (December 2 30) the Princess Kazu, younger sister of the Mikado, arrived in Yedo. The Minister had argued that the marriage of the adopted daughter of the prince of Satsuma with the previous Sh6- gun had been evidence of the submissiveness of that great clan. But he had died early, before any support could be derived from his consort's relatives. On this occasion they married the Shogun to the Mikado's younger sister, in order to show to the world that the Imperial family and the house of Tokugawa agreed in their political views. V Envoys were despatched" this year to 21 England, France, Russia, Holland, Prussia and Portugal for the first time. A 1862. In the 1st month of the 2nd year of Bunkiu (Jan. 30 February 28) as the Minister And6 Tsu- shima no kami was going to the castle a number of ronins attacked him in front of the Sakashita gate. 22 His escort repelled the assailants and Tsushima no kami escaped with a wound on his shoulder. Several of the ronins were killed, and a document was found on each of them in I which Tsushima no kami was reviled. The substance of it was : " The Minister Ando, inheriting the ideas of the " Chief Minister li Kainon no kami, has made friend of " the barbarians. In concert with the Resident Sakai " Wakasa no kami he has placed in confinement honour- " able and loyal Court nobles. He has abused the influ- " ence of the Bakufu in order to bring the Mikado's sister " to Yedo, and, worst of all, has commanded' learned Japan- " ese scholars to collect precedents for the deposition of " the Emperor, his intention being to depose the Son of " Heaven. His crimes are too heinous to be spoken of " with calmness, and we have therefore sacrificed our " lives in order to kill this wicked traitor." The Bakufu (21) The embassy to the Treaty Powers left on the 21st Jan. 1862, before the Japanese New Year, which accounts for the apparent miastatement in the text. (22) This gate stands between the Hommaru or Chief Castle, and the Nishi no Maru, or western Castle, formerly appropriated to the heir apparent of the Shogun, and now converted into a Palace for the Mikado. The attack took place on the 14th Feb. G.Y.M. 20 at once deprived Tsushima no kami of his office as Minis- i ter, and tried to get into the good graces of the influential 7 court nobles by increasing the official salaries of Kujo, Hirohashi, Bojo, Asukai, Chikusa, Iwakura and thirteen others. H / During this period the samurai deserted from their /lans in daily increasing number. They allied themselves I " mvith the ronins in all parts of the country to raise the cry of 'honour the Mikado and expel the barbarian,' thus creating a great ferment throughout the empire. In the 2nd month (March 1 29) the house of Shitnadzu published \ a proclamation to its retainers, expressing approval in the main of the policy of supporting the Mikado, but forbid- ding them to ally themselves with the ronins for the advancement of the objects above-mentioned, or to do anything without the instructions of their superiors. ^r Not long previously the Prince of Ch6shiu, who was in * Yedo, had addressed a letter to the Bakufu, saying : " Since the conclusion of the treaties the people of this " empire have done nothing but protest against them. They " declare that you have disregarded the Mikado's wish " that the country should be closed to foreigners, and that " you treat him as if he were not of the slightest import- " ance. I beg most earnestly that the Shogun will -^ " recognize the supremacy of the Mikado, so that the " harmony existing between the two may be made evident, " " and the comments of the people be put a stop to." He added that his retainer Nagai Uta was familiar with the state of opinion at Kioto, and the Bakufu sent for him to ask his advice. Nagai was altogether in favour of a con- ciliatory policy, and his advice entirely fitted in with the views of the Ministers. The Bakufu rewarded him hand- somely, and proposed to send him to Kioto with secret instructions, but the very suspicion of his being in the iBakufu's interest- jTfatly diminished his influence with I his own clan. 21 In the 4 th month (April '29 May 2S ) Nagai I'ta arrived at Kioto, furnished with special instructions from the Minister Kuze Yamato no kami, and addressed a letter to the Tumo a Naka)-ania Dainagon, in which he set (forth in detail the nature of the circumstances which ren- dered the Imperial sanction to the treaties so necessary. At this moment the agitation for the expulsion of foreign- ers arose throughout the length and breadth of the land. A great deal of hostile criticism was directed against Nagai, who was unable to attain his object, and shortly afterwards set out to return to Yedo. The Choshiu men who were at Kioto were much offended with his expres- sed opinions, and lay in wait to assassinate him at Otsu on the Tokaido. Nagai divined their intentions, and avoided them by starting earlier and taking the route by the Nakasendo. In the following year the Choshiu clan ordered him to perform disembowelment. During the same month Shimadzu Idzumi * 4 was travel- ling to Yedo, and had got as far as Himeji in Harima. It happened that a certain Hirano Jiro of Chikuzen, who was lurking in those parts, had caused a good deal of excitement by raising the cry of ' honour the Mikado and expel the barbarians.' He had collected together a body of two hundred sympathetic spirits, and proposed to them that as it was impossible to preserve discipline amongst so motley a society, the best plan would be to place them- selves under the leadership of one of the great ' clans. They were on the look-out for an ally of the kind J they wanted, when they heard of the arrival of Shimadzu (23) The Teiuto were Court nobles appointed to act as mediums of communication between the Court and the Shogunate. They were generally two in number. The institution of this office is attributed 1 . Voritonio. Ti-n is ' to communicate ' to an inferior; .s-<5, 'to report to the Sovereign.' (24) The father of the Prince of Satsuma. afterwards notorious as Shimad/.u Sahuro, then known as Shimad/.u Osumi no kami and now as Shimad/.u .Jiusamini. Ik- i.> ihc younger brother of Satsuma no kami, the previous prince of Satsnma, who having no children of his own, adopted the eldest sun of Saluini. SahiiH'is (hu.- legally only the uncle uf the prince of Satdiuna (Trincc of Satsuma no lon^r. ) oo Idzumi at Himeji. Hirano, who was aware of the intrepid character of this prince, at once proceeded thither with his men and addressed a letter to him. It said : " The " Bakufu has lately been treating the Mikado's orders " with contempt, and has concluded treaties without his " sanction. The Empire is on the point of becoming- a hell. " We wish therefore to get you to become our leader, in " order that we may release the Court nobles who have " been confined in consequence of the Bakufu 's displea- " sure, seize the castles of Ozaka, a Hikone and Nijo, send "orders to all the clans, carry the Mikado to llakone, " punish the crimes of the Shogun, and immediately after- " wards sweep out the barbarians. Pray take our request " into your gracious consideration, oh Prince, arid " grant it." They then asked him to forward their letter to the Imperial Court. Idzumi felt secretly alarmed at their violence, and giving an evasive answer, pacified them as well as he could. Having left them at the town of Fushimi he went on to Kioto, and sent Hirano's letter to Konoye (a Court noble). The Court was so frightened at the seditious style of the letter, , that it retained Idzumi at Kioto to keep the ronins in order. It happened that the ronins at Ozaka and some Satsuma samurai of the same way of thinking heard of this, and were enraged at what they called Idzumi's temporizing policy. Some forty or fifty started for Kioto at once, intending to put pressure on him, and proceed to action. On receiving this news, Idzumi sent some of his retainers to stop them at Fushimi, and to persuade them to remain quiet. The efforts of the retainers were unavail- ing, and after a long dispute, they were obliged to use force. Numbers were killed on both sides, and the town became the scene of an indescribable commotion. (25) The castles of Ozaka and Nijo (at the end of Nijo street in Kioto; belonged to the Shogun. That of Hikone in Omi to the li family. 23 Not long before this the prince of Choshiu, who was still at Yedo, had addressed a letter to the Bakufu in which he said that the domestic and foreign troubles which threatened the land were entirely destroying the national tranquillity. The Shogun ought therefore to proceed to Kioto, and call an assembly of daimios in order to ascer- tain the opinion of the nation. All matters concerning the general government of the country ought to be ordered by the Court and the Biikufu in concert, in which case the general opinion would be easily obtained. y_ The Court at once sent for the writer of this letter, and ordered him to undertake the preservation of order among the ronins in conjunction with the house of Shimadzu. In the 5th month of (May 29 June 26) the English addressed a letter * to the Bakufu in which they asserted that the Bonin islands did not belong to Japan. However, the Bakufu had already, in the previous year, despatched Midzuno Chikugo no kami thither to ascertain the facts, and they were thus enabled to produce proofs of our title in reply. On the 22nd day of the Gth month (18th of July) 27 a retainer of Matsudaira Tamba no kami, named Ito Gum- pei, one of the guard at Tozenji, in Takanawa, the lodging of the Englishmen, murdered two of them in the garden, and returning at once to his house committed suicide. The English and their allies demanded satisfaction from the Bakufu, which produced to them the corpse of Gum- pei, and made an apology. The charge of maintaining- guard was also taken away from Tamba no kami. Gumpei himself hated foreigners, and, chafing under the idea that his prince should have to protect the objects (26) The despatch here alluded to does not claim the Bonin Islands for Great Britain, but, on the contrary, offers to recognise the right of Japan to those islands so long as the European settlers are not disturbed . (27) An error for 2Gth June. The second attack took place on the anniversary, according to the Japanese calendar, of the previous attack, namely, on the 29th day of the 5th month. There is no reason to suppose that this was anything but a coincidence. of his dislike, hud hoped that something would happen 10 .put a stop to it. It happened to lie Uumpei's turn to be on guard, and one of the Englishmen having committed an act of discourtesy towards him, he flew into a rage. and took advantage of the darkness to accomplish his pur- pose. * - During the same month the Mikado's envoy, Ohara Saemon 29 no kami came down to Yedo and delivered the following message from His Majesty. Firstly, the Sho- gun must come up to Kioto with all the da'tmiu*, great and small, ascertain the opinion of the country, exju'l the barbarians, nru^so cojm the indignation of the Mikado's divine ancestry. Secondly, five of the greater princes were to be selected, according to the precedent established by Toyotomi Taiko (Taicosama), to be consulted as Chief Ministers upon the conduct of public affairs. Thirdly, Shitotsubashi Giobuki6 was to be appointed guardian to the Shogun, and the ex-prince of Echizen (Matsudairu Shtmgaku) to be made Chief Minister of State. 8 * 1 The r> I object of these three measures was the renovation of the institutions created by the founder of the Tokugawa line, and to promote the efficiency of the administration. The Bakufu undertook to carry out these instructions, and determined to go up to Ki6to. Two hundred and thirty j years had elapsed since the Shogun lyemitsu had last I observed this practice, and most people only became aware of the fact that the rule existed for the first time. In the 7th month (July 27 Aug. 24) the Bakufu dismissed Sakai Wakasa no kami from office, and confined him in his own domains. It also ordered the house of li to inflict capital punishment on Nagano Shiuzen. (28)The author docs not apparently mean that either the unfortunate sentry or corporal of marines who 1'ell victims to the fury of Gmnpei was the person who insulted him. It is more than probable that, the story of an act of discourtesy having been committed is a (ictioii. (!".)) Also called Ohara Bakingo. (,'-".>a) According to the G. Y. M. these three alternatives were oM'ered to the Shogun, and he might accept any of them. It will be seen that the first and third were elected bv his adviMTs * Soiiu- tiiiit- before this the Bakufu, jn obediencr to ih. oj-ders__j)__tlie__Cout, had released Prince J6ren-In, Takadzukasa, Konoye, San jo, the ex-prince of Owari, Shitotsubashi Giobukio, the ex-daim'tox of Echizen, Tosa, LVajima and others from domiciliary confinement. The Shogiin now had frequent interviews, with Owari, Shitotsubashi and Echizen, and passed the time in friendly conversation with them. At the same time Itakura / Suwo no kami [afterwards Iga no kami], who was one of the Ministers, made great changes among the officials of v the Bakufu. Shitotsnbashi was raised from the rank of Giobukio to that of Chiunagon, and appointed guardian (kuken) to the Shogun, while the ex-prince of Echizen i_j ^ was made Supreme Director of Affairs (Seiji-sosai-shoku) c^^ f in accordance with the orders of the Court. ^V' | U^ In the saiut3 month some ronins murdered Shimada *** \y rf ft I Sahei and Ugo Gemba, retainers of Kujfl dono, at Kioto, and pilloried their heads on the dry bed of the river at Shijo. The cause of this deed was the fact that these two men had been active associates of JN'agano Shiuzen when he was at the capital. The Court 'therefore punished Kiijo, Kora, Chikusa, Iwakura, Tomi-no-koji and other / Court nobles, and appointed Takadzukasa to be Kuambaku. It was generally supposed that these measures were attributable to the misconduct of the above-named persons i n the negotiations with Yedo. t>b The prince of Tosa was now in Kioto, and the Imperial Court, anxious to preserve the tranquillity of the capital, commanded him to act in concert with Satsuma and Cho- shiu in the repression of disorder. Fi*om this time, when- ever the people wished to express the influence and popu- larity of the princes they always mentioned Sat-ch6-to (a compound of the first half of each clan's name). (i") In the intercalary 8th month (Sept. 1?4 Oct. OL') the Ijakufu established an oilier at Kioto called 28 (or Protectorate), and "Matsudaira Higo no kami, the prince of Aidzu, was chosen to fill it. Hitherto it had been a part of the Bakufu's system that the princes should pass each alternate year at Yedo, tlioir wives and children being compelled to reside there continually. The object of this rule was to divide the strength of the clans and to render them easier to keep in order. But in consideration of the great expenditure re- quired from the country the time which they had to pass in Yedo was now lessened, and they were permitted to keep their wives and eldest sons at home in their domains. The style of dress was also reformed, unnecessary orna- ment being discarded. The prosperity of Yedo, which had in a great measure depended on the residence of the princely families, received a heavy blow from this consti- tutional change. During the same month the Bakufu, after enumerating the crimes of the late li Kamon no kami, confiscated two-sevenths of the lands belonging to his heir, and punished Ando Tsushima no kami and other adherents of the murdered Minister. 1863. In the llth month (Dec. 21 Jan. 19, 1863) Sanjo Chiunagon* and Ane-no-kqji Sh6sho came to Yedo as envoys from the Mikado. The message they bore de- clared that the Bakufu must clear away the old abuses, entirely reform the constitution, and so give peace to the Mikado's mind. Further, that the Shogun must -come up to Kioto in the following spring, issue his orders to the clans, and proceed without delay to achieve the expulsion of the barbarians. Shortly before this the Court had ordered the Bakufu to proclaim a general amnesty for political offences. A decree was therefore published throughout the country by which all persons who had been confined for taking * Now (1873) Daijo-Daijin, or Chief Minister of State under the Mikado. 27 interest in the national affairs since 1858 were released. \ / Pensions were also granted to the widows and orphans of I' those who had suffered death for their opinions. 1 V During the same month the Bakufu besought the Court to make Toda Wasaburo, a relation of the Toda family of daimios, commissioner of the Imperial Tombs, and to ' raise him to the rank of Yamato no karni. Yamato DO kami was a man who had remonstrated against these tombs being left in their dilapidated state, and had conducted their restoration. During the 12th month (January 20 February 17) certain persons unknown set fire to the residence which the Bakufu was erecting for the English at Gotenyama behind Shinagawa. 30 Hanawa Jiro was also assassinated / on the top of Kudanzaka. This man had been much detested for having collected precedents for the deposition of the Mikado by the orders of li Kamon no kami. The act was generally attributed to men of the Choshiu clan. During the same month the House of Shimadzu presented ten thousand koku of rice to the Imperial Court. Some time before, as Nakagawa Shiuri no Daibu was ^ passing through Fushimi on his way to Yedo, Prince Joren-In and the Court nobles sent a number of samurai belonging to various clans to rebuke him for placing Yedo before Kioto. He thereupon turned bock to the capital, and the number of princes who were now assembled there was more than eighty. The city became more crowded than it had ever been within the memory of man. - I. During this year the Bakufu commissioned Holland to build it a man-of-war, and despatched Enomoto Kamarijo, Akamatsu Daisaburo, Uchida Tsunejiro and others to that country, to study the art of naval warfare. It also enlisted men belonging to the lower classes to serve as infantry soldiers, and formed its own vassals the Hatamoto into (30) This event hastened on the night of February 1. Several men of low social standing who had a share in the work are now high officials of the Mikado's Government. 28 cavalry and artillery. These troops went by the name <>t the Sampeitai 3I . Enomoto and those who went with him to Holland made great progress in their studies, and five years later they all returned to Japan with the man-of- war, which was named the " Kaiyo-Maru." ^ Shitotsubashi Chiunagon arrived at Kioto in the first month of the 3rd year of Bunkiu (February 18 March 18) whereupon the samurai of the different clans and the ronins pressed him about the expulsion of the bar- barians. He replied that the matter would be settled as fas soon as the Shogun should arrive. The ronins were disgusted with this temporizing policy, and assassinating /Kagawa Hajime, a retainer of the noble Chikusa, sent the lyiead to the Chiunagon as a blood-offering for the expul- ysion of the barbarians. They sent the arms to Chikusa $ himself. Kagawa was a man who in previous times had intrigued with Shimada and Ug6 in the interests of the Yedo Government. Todoroki Buhei of Higo and Kusaka Gisuke of Choshiu also called on the Kuambaku, and urged him to fix a date of the expulsion of the barbarians. ^ It was about this time that Miwada Koichiro of the Matsuyama clan and a number of ronins cut the heads off some wooden images of Ashikaga Takauji, Yoshinori and Yoshimitsu, 32 which were enshrined at the temple of T6ji-In, and pilloried them in the dry bed of the river at Sanjo. This was intended as a hit at the Tokugawa family, whose acts might be compared to those of the Ashikaga. The prince of Aidzu, offended at this outrage, arrested Miwada and his accomplices. The city was in a commotion, and the prince of Choshiu interceded for their (31)Lity. three bodies of troops. It would be more convenient in English to call them by the name of ' The Drilled Troops.' (32) Takauji (b. 1305, d. 1358) was the first Shognn of the Ashikaga line. His son Yoshinori (b. 1330, d. 13t>7) did not rise above the rank of Dainagon. He was succeeded by Yoshimitsu, who became Shognn in I3C.8 and died in I 108. The insult offered to their effigies occurred on the !>tb A] nil. G.Y.M. Ashikaga Takauji at first took the side of (iudaigo Tenno against the 1I'">,K> familv, but afterwards turned tniil-u- and sci/cd the power for himself. lives, but the prince of Aidzu and the ex-prince of Echizen were obdurate. From this time onwards the ronins enter- tained great affection for the prince of Choshiu. ")^ In the same month the Court established the Gakujiu- In, which was intended as a place wherein the samurai might freely express their opinion on politics. The prince of Kuruuie recommended Prince J6ren-In to both the Court and the Bakufu, who permitted him to lay aside his priestly robes. He was henceforth styled Prince ^N'ukagawa, and took part in affairs. o In the 3rd month (April 18 May 17) the Shogun came up to Kioto and went to Court on the same day, after which he took up his quarters at the castle of Nijo. ^ \ During- the same month the prince of Satsuma M addressed a memorial to the Mikado, saying 1 : " For some " time past I have criticised the political situation, and " have offered my humble opinion to Your Majesty. But " the tongue of the slanderer has been busy, and my sug- " gestions have not been carried out. If under these cir- t( cumstances I remain at the capital, I am merely justify - " ing- the slanders which have been uttered against me, " and I am afraid that some disaster may be the result. " Besides, as the time for the expulsion of the barbarians " is drawing near, I must make my preparations. I beg " therefore that Your Majesty will grant me a few months " leave of absence. " Having sent in this letter he depart- ' ed for Kagoshima on the following day, without waiting for an answer. It was currently reported that he was moved to this course by the remarks which had been made by some of the clans 31 at Iviuto about the assumption by the house of Shimadzu of too large a control over affairs. (33) When the Prince of Satsuma is spoken of as taking a part in affairs, it must be understood that either Shimadza Saburo or the leading- men of the Satsuma clan acted under his name. Scarcely any of the iltiimii'>., except the ex-princes of Hizen, Tusn, Kchi/en and Uwajima, were of any personal importance. It is clear in the present instance that it is Shimad/.u Saburo who writes. (34) The word fain, here translated clan, literally means fence, the duty of a han bciny, to defend the throne against its enemies ; but clan 30 'IT* During this period the Court deliberated daily upon the expulsion of the barbarians, and finally sent the prince of Mito down to Yedo, to superintend the closirig_jjfjjhe ports. All the maritime princes ~were sent home to their respective provinces to make preparations for war. the office of Kuambaku, and appointed Nij6 in his stead. Shortly before this, when the Bakufu was about to shut the ports, it represented to the Mikado that it was afraid of the clans proceeding to commit acts of violence, ami the Court now issued an order to the princes, directing them to wait for instructions from the Bakufu. The latter "* then despatched Ikeda Chikugo no kami on a mission to foreign countries to discuss the closing of the ports. The advocates of the expulsion of the barbarians were dis- satisfied on hearing of this, feeling that the Court was becoming retrograde in its policy, and fled in a body to Choshiu. END OF VOL. I. , VOLUME II. (^Is 1864. During the twelfth month (Jan. 9 Feb. ?) 41 a Satsnma merchant vessel, which had anchored off Tanoura in Buzen on her way from Hi6go to Nagasaki, was fired on from the forts on the opposite shore of the strait, the Ch6shiu people mistaking 1 her for a foreign vessel on ac- count of her build. Thirty Satsuma men were killed, and the resentment of the clan was great. ft*) Shitotsubashi Chiunagon went up to Kioto during the course of the same month. , In the first month of the first year of Grenji (Feb. 8 March 7) the Shogun proceeded a second time to Kioto, where he was joined immediately afterwards by Echizen -' Chiuj6. On the i?8th February the Shogun went to Court accompanied by Shitotsubashi Chiunagon and Aidzu Chiu- \ VMTU> 2 7 j6, and the In no Miya addressed him on behalf of the Emperor as follows : " We are not in favour of a hasty " and ill-considered attempt to expel the barbarians, but " Fujiwara no Saneyoshi 42 and others, wilfully blind to " the actual condition of affairs in the Empire, have mis- " represented Our Will, have proclaimed the expulsion of " the barbarians withoiit being properly authorized to do so, " and have stirred up war against the Bakufu. The turbu- " lent retainers of the Saisho of Nagato have made a fool " of their lord, they have fired on barbarian vessels with- (41) Feb. 1. G.Y.M. (42) The Court Noble Sanjo Chiung-n, nov(1873)Pnme Minister. 44 u out provocation; they have murdered the envoy sent to " their prince by the Bakufu, and finally seduced Saneyo- " shi and his companions to follow them down^to their " native province. These fellows must be punished. u Nevertheless the true cause of these evil deeds is our " own want of virtue. Henceforward do } r ou assist us in u carrying- out our wishes, by restoring 1 domestic harmony " to the country and cutting- off foreig-n intercourse." By speaking- thus, after having- previously proclaimed the ex- pulsion of the barbarians, the Court brought upon itself the reproach of inconsistency. A\ In the 2nd month (Mar. 8 Apr. 5) Satsuma proposed to despatch an envoy to Choshiu to demand satisfaction for the merchant- vessel having- been fired upon in the end of the previous year, but the Bakufu persuaded him not to do so, promising- to obtain redress for him. ^ Jo During- the same month Shimadzu Saburo, father of the prince of Sateuma, was raised to the rank of Sakonye no Shosho, and associated in the direction of affairs at Court. The rank of Scmc/i (Counsellor-of-state) was offered to Aidzti Chiuj6, but he refused it. 1/7 "7 In the 4th month (May June 3) the office of Guard- ian to the Shog-un was taken from Shitotsubashi Chiuna- g-on, who was appointed Protector of the Imperial Palace and Commander-in-chief of the Maritime Defences in the Bay of Ozaka. i % In the same month the Bakufu presented a new law containing- five articles to the Imperial Court ; firstly, the Pmkiifu would provide; two thousand bags of rice towards the expenses of the Shrines at Watarai in Ise : that the Shog-un and tla'im'iox on succeeding- their repective pre- decessors should present themselves at Court and acknow- ledge the bounty of the Emperor; thirdly, that all the western il(i'ntii<>x should p;iy court at Kioto, on their way to Yedo ; fourthly, that all the clans should make annual presents of their produce to the Emperor, and fifthly, that. I.-. playing on musical instruments should be stopped for a certain number of days after the death of a prince of the blood. All these things were done to honour the Court, v which consequently gave its consent. f) ^ In the fifth month (June 4 July 3) the Imperial Court formally placed the direction of affairs in the hands of the Bakufti, which was also ordered to punish Choshiu and the seven runaway nobles. On the 23rd of June Shimadzu Sabur6 returned to Kagosbima, whilst the Sh6- gun made his way back to Yedo. / 6 o During the same month certain retainers of the Prince of Mito, named Fujita Koshiro, and Tamaru Inanoyemon with others, took up arms in Hitachi and Shimotsuke, with the avowed object of expelling the barbarians. / o i To go back some years ; In the period called Tempo (1830 43) the ex-Chiunagon of Mito had selected Fujita Toko, a certain Toda, a certain Imai and others from among his retainers, and with their aid had inaugurated great reforms in the administration of the clan. At that time Yuki Toraji, a Kara " of the clan, a man of crafty and intriguing nature, and who had obtained great in- fluence with the ex-Chiunagon, had a greater voice in the Government of the clan than any other, and was extremely averse from changes in the system of administration. He consequently was highly annoyed at the recent elevation to power of Fujita and his associates, and exerted himself to obstruct their reforms. Having been dismissed for this by the ex-Chiunagon, he secretly informed the Bakufu that military preparations were being made in the clan . Some time previously the ex-Chiunagon and Fujita had proposed to abolish Buddhism, thereby incurring the hos- |/ tility of the bonzes, who circulated 1 a report that the ex- Chiunagon was forming ambitious schemes. The Bakufu therefore placed the ex-Chiunagon and Fujita in domici- (43) The )irinci|>al idaiinT> <>t' ilninrio were called karo, or ' old men of the family.' It was a hereditary office. 46 liary confinement, and Yuki regained his share in the administration of the clan. From this moment Yuki and Fujita headed two opposite parties, that of the former being called the Wicked Party (Jtanto), while that of the latter was known as the Righteous Party (Scigito). Sub- sequently the ex-Chiunagon was pardoned, and associated in the councils of the Sh6gunate, upon which he punished Yuki a second time, and restored Fujita to his former position. From this time onwards the Righteous and Wicked Parties constantly quarrelled with each other, hardly a day passing away quietly. Fujita and the ex- Chiunagon having shortly afterwards died in quick suc- cession, the power fell into the hands of Ichikawa San- zayemon and Asaina Yataro of the Wicked Party. Fujita T6ko's son Koshir6, Tamaru Inanoyemon, Tanaka Genzo and their friends were extremely angry, and under the pretence of carrying out the views of the ex-Chiunagon, loudly professed the combined policy of l honouring the sovereign and sweeping out the barbarians,' hoping there- by to get the upper hand of the Wicked Party. To resume the thread of our narrative; Fujita and his associates took the field with three hundred men, carrying with them the monumental tablet of the ex-Chiunagon, and coming to Ohirayama by way of Utsunomiya, ordered the towns-people of Tochigi to supply them with the funds which they required in order to carry out their design of expelling the barbarians. The towns-people, unwilling to submit quietly to this demand, reported the outbreak to the Bakufu, which gave orders, to the clans in the vicinity to chastise the rioters. The troops of Arima Hiogo no kami 44 hastened to the scene of disorder, and fought with them in seven encounters, in which neither side was victorious. The rioters then set fire to the town of Tochigi, and the inhabitants took to flight. In the 6th month (July 4 August 1) they arrived at Tsukuba yama in the (44) Fukiage in Shimotsuk6; 10,000 koku. 4? province of Hitachi, where they constructed a stockade to protect themselves from attack. Ichikawa and others of the Wicked Party, having asked leave of the Prince to attack the rioters, the Bakufu, to whom he referred their request, concerted measures with them, and joining forces they at- tacked the rebels at Tsukuba yama. The latter were however so ferocious in their resistance that they bore all before them, and the news brought from Yedo day after day to Shitotsubashi Chiunagon, the Military Governor of Kioto (prince of Aidzu) and the Ministers of state was most disheartening. 3 The Choshiu people had several times addressed letters to the Imperial Court, in which they endeavoured to ex- plain their conduct since the middle of the previous year, but the Court had refused to receive them. During the same month (July 4 August 1) Fukubara Echigo, a Choshiu Jfaro, arrived at Ozaka by sea, and proceeded to Fushimi, whence he addressed a letter to the Court, which ran somewhat as follows : " Since the Prince and 11 his Son obeyed His Majesty's desire that the barbarians " should be expelled, they have passed their days and " nights in ceaseless anxiety lest they should fail in car- " rying out his sacred will, and the whole clan is unable 11 to understand why the Court should attribute guilt to " Sanjo and his companions. It therefore humbly prays " that the seven nobles may be restored to their functions, " and that the Saisho and his Son may be permitted to "re-enter the capital." Having sent in this letter he en- deavoured to get up a fresh agitation at Court for the ex- pulsion of the barbarians. The Bakufu ordered him to send away the part of his men, and to wait where he was for further orders. A short time afterwards the Kurd* Kimishi and Masuda also arrived at the head of several hundred men, Kunishi encamping at the Temple of Ten- riuji at Saga in the vicinity of Kioto, and Musuda taking up his quarters at Tennoji in Yamazuki. y Kioto at this moment, was full of the troops of various clans, who guarded the Nine Gates, leading to the Imperi- al Palace. The In no Miya, Shitotsubashi Chiuiuigon, Aidzu Shosho and the rest declared that the appearance of the Choshiu men with troops was nothing but an attempt fto coerce the Court, and in their rage asked the Emperor's 1 permission to attack them. Shitotsubashi, Satsuma, Echizen, Aidzu, Kuwana, Ogaki, Hikone and others order- ed their troops to be in readiness to take the field, and the inhabitants of Kioto, seeing that a conllict was imminent, packed up their property and sought safety in flight. The Choshiu forces at Saga, Yamazaki and Fushinii, hearing what was in store for them, resolved to anticipate their enemies. Having laid their plans for a sudden attack, which was to result in removing the Aidzu clan and the other evil advisers of the Emperor from his side, they marched straight on Kioto on the 20th of August before the day broke. The Saga troops entered first, the Commander-in-chief Kunishi advancing against the Naka- dachiuri Gate, and the Colonel Kijima against the Shimo- dnchiuri and Hamaguri Gates. Shitotsubashi's troops engaged the front files of Kunishi's force, but were put to flight, and the latter reached the Hamaguri Gate, through which Kijima's men had already forced their way into the Palace enclosure. Here they vigorously attacked the Aidzu troops, and had nearly defeated them, when the Satsuma forces arrived on the spot, and took them in flank. The Choshiu men were shaken, and forced out of the Hamaguri Gate, on which Kijima rallied his men and renewed the fight with such desperation that he retrieved this temporary check. Kunishi's men then endeavoured to combine their efforts with those of Kijima's men, but one Nire, a Satsuma Colonel, falling on his rear with two hundred men, called his attention in another direction, and the Shitotsubashi troops, plucking up courage, returned to the. fight. The Chdshin men were thus caught between two fires, and were at last put to flight. 49 /ob The Choshiu force at Yamazaki, consisting of h'\. hundred men iui(l<'r the command of Krnzafca Gisuke, Iriy<: Kuichi ami Maki rdzumi no kami, arrived later than the Saga division, and seined the palace of Takadzu- kasa, where the troops of Echizen, Hikone and Kuwana j\LA/v attacked them without success. They then advanced, and were just about to enter the Imperial Garden when the Satsuma and Aidzu troops arrived in hot haste, and assisted the three former clans in defending it. The bul- lets of the contending forces fell as thick as hail, and the fight lasted during four hours, at the end of which the Takadzukasa palace was burnt and the Choshiu forces were defeated with great slaughter. Kuzaka and his colleagues were killed, while the survivors took to flight. t") In the defeat of the Saga division, Kijima, one of its best officers, received a bullet wound. He fell from his horse and expired. Kunishi barely escaped with his life. of The Fushimi division had started thence in the middle of the night to attack the capital. The Hikone troops attempted to bar their passage, but were attacked and forced to retreat. Profiting by this success the Choshiu men advanced in a body with drums beating, but falling into an ambush of matchlock men which the Ogaki colonel Obara Nihei had planted by the side of the roud, were put to flight with many killed and wounded. Their commander Fukubara Echigo barely escaped with his life. / off In this way the three divisions were prevented from effecting a junction in the city, the greater part of which was consumed by the conflagration which accompanied the * conflict. Many of the residences of the Iruges and ituimios were burnt, and an unusual number of men were killed and wounded on both sides, so that the roads were strewn with dead bodies. When the Yamazaki division of the Choshiu force started, the commander Masuda was left behind with a hundred men to act as a reserve, and upon the main body being defeated, Maki Idzumi no r,o kami escaped back to inform Masuda and his men of the result. He made Masuda take to flight, preferring himself to die there. Later on when the Satsuma troops who were sent in pursuit arrived at Saga they did not find a single Ch6shiu soldier, and returned to Ki6to after having- burnt the quarters which had been occupied by the Chfishiu troops. On the following day the Aidzu and Kuwana troops attacked Yamazaki. Maki Idzumi no kami and the fifty men with him fought desperately for a while, and then perished by their own hands, after having set fire to their quarters. On the 29th of August the Bakufu expressed its thanks to all the clans which had contributed to the victory, and obtained an increase of rank from the Mikado for the various daimios who had headed them. Adzumi Goro, Hirano Jiro and others who had been imprisoned for their share in the outbreaks at Gojo in Yamato and Ikuno in Tamba were decapitated, and their heads were exposed in public. During the same month Ikeda Chikug-o no kami and the other members of his Embassy returned from Europe. They had been sent in the previous year on a mission to the various countries bearing the order for the closing of the ports, and arriving first in France proceeded to ex- plain the object with which they were sent. The French rejected their proposals and refused an answer. The eyes ^ of Ikeda and his companions were opened by the high state of material and moral prosperity which surrounded them, and they returned, without proceeding any further on their mission, to report the failure of their attempts at \ persuasion. The Bakufu reprimanded them for having disgraced their functions, and reducing their incomes, forced them to retire into private life. In the 8th month (September), the Bakufu begged the Imperial Court to deprive the Mori family and its branches of their titles, in consequence of the attack made 51 by the Choshiu 45 clan upon the Palace, and issued an order to all the other clans to march to the chastisement of the two provinces of Nagato and Suwo. Owari Dai- nagon was appointed commander-in-chief, while to the troops of Satsuma and twenty other clans were allotted the points against which they were to move. With the object also of making preparations for the Shogun to take the field in person, the hatamoto (vassals of the Shogun- ate, not being daimio) were brigaded, and orders were given to lay in stores of provisions along the line of march. "* Before this the foreign representatives at Yokohama had been holding daily councils of war with the object of despatching their ships against Choshiu, and on hearing of the orders issued by the Bakufu, determined to be first in the field. They therefore attacked Akamagaseki (or Shimonoseki) in Choshiu with eighteen vessels of war on the 5th September, and fired against the shore. The shore replied by firing at the ships. Cannon balls flew about everywhere, and the smoke of the guns, covered the surface of the sea, until sunset caused both parties to with- draw. V On the following day the ships returned and opened a heavy fire on the batteries, frpm which the gunners were compelled to withdraw. The foreigners then landed, and occupying the hills on the 7th harassed our troops. Our men fought with enthusiastic bravery in several en- counters, with varied success, but their ammunition be- ing exhausted they had no resource left but to propose a cessation of hostilities. The foreigners found fault with their conduct in the previous year, but the Choshiu army produced certified copies of the orders which they had received from the Imperial Court and from the Shogun, upon which peace was restored. The foreigners then (45) Choshiu is the Chinese name for Nagato, by which both that province and the daimio of Hagi in Nagato are usually designated. came to Yokohama and made demands on the Bakufu, say- ing 1 : " We expect to get an indemnity of three million " dollars for this business. We will be guided by your ' ' decision whether we shall go back to Ohoshiu and take " it, or whether the Japanese Government will undertake " to receive it and give it to us." The Bakufu repli- ed : " Our Government will take it from Choshiu and " give it to the nationalities interested." This settlement having been arrived at, the foreigners pressed every day for payment of the indemnity, and the Bakufu was at its wit's end. At the same time the troops of the Bakufu and of Ichi- kawa were daily attacking Tsukuba yama. Fujita and his friends fought with fierce desperation, but from the want of discipline among the men, and the contradictory orders given, many chances were thrown away, while the forces of the Bakufu attacked them vigorously and rendered their position less hopeful every day. Ichikawa and his party gradually acquired greater power, owing to the support given to them by the Bakufu. They hated the Righteous Party, whose members they either placed in confinement or dismissed from office. The Righteous Party, unable to endure this persecution, determined to proceed to Yedo and complain to their prince. With this object three hundred men quitted their homes and reached Koganei in Shimosa, where entry into Yedo was refused to them by the Bakufu, which ordered their prince to pacify them. At this moment Takeda Iga happened to be in Yedo, and begged leave to undertake the service of pacifying the two parties, and the Prince, knowing that Takeda had been regarded with much favour by the ex-Chiunagon, on account of his belonging to the Righteous Party, requested permission from the Bakufu to send him. The Bakufu therefore despatched Matsudaira Oi no kami, the head of a cadet family of Mito, and attached Takeda Tga to him. Oi no 53 kami, Takeda and his companions arrived in Mito at the head of the Koganei men on the 10th September, and were about to enter the Castle, where Ichikawa and his friends refused to admit them, on the ground that they belonged to the other Party, and having posted their troops all about the neighbourhood, waited to see how Takeda would act. Takeda tried to repulse them in order to proceed on his way, whereupon the matchlock- men of the Wicked Party opened fire upon him in con- cert, throwing his men into confusion ; and following up their advantage, forced him to retreat. He was compel- led therefore to carry off 6i no kami and flee to Iso -no- ham a, where after holding a council of war, he attacked the Wicked Party at Iwafune yama on the 12th. Kawa- kami, the commander of the Wicked Party, was killed, together with ten of his men, and the remainder of the force retreated from Iwafune yama to the port of Naka. //7 Takeda and his friends crossed the river on the 16th and advanced against Naka, which they took and occupied after exchanging a few shots with the enemy. Ichikawa revenged himself by denouncing Takeda and his friends as criminals, and complained to the Bakufu, after which he arrested and threw into prison the wives and children of Takeda' s followers who were in the town. He then at- tacked Takeda himself, but the troops of the latter fought with great courage, and the losses were equal on either side. nf Fujita and his followers at .Tsukuba yama became aware of what had taken place, and proposed to unite their efforts with those of Takeda Iga in order to chastise the Wicked Party. There were a number of ronins from various provinces among them, who declared as they had taken up arms simply in order to expel the barbarians, they saw no reason why they should concern themselves about the private feuds of the two parties, and they fled from Tsukuba yama in a body. This afforded an oppor- tunity to the Bakufu to kill more than half of them, and 54 Fujita, finding that so many of his men had deserted, joined Takeda at Naka in the same month with the three hundred men who still remained to him. l\*| When Fujita and his friends first commenced opera- tions, Takeda had regretted the rash and hasty manner in which it had been done, and had hoped to arrange matters. When, therefore, Ichikawa expelled the Eighteous Party from the Castle, he proceeded to Mito under the nominal leadership of Matsudaira 6i no kami, with the object of attempting a solution of the difficulties which had arisen, but Ichikawa resisted him by arms and prevented his entering the Castle. He had consequently occupied the port of Naka and fought every day with Ichikawa, until the latter endeavoured to split up his force by luring away 6i no kami with fine words. 6i no kami was about to go and join him, when Takeda remonstrated, saying : " The enemy refuses to admit us, and invites your Lord- " ship alone. His intentions cannot be trusted, and I " secretly entertain fears for your Lordship's safety." 6i no kami refused to give way to the efforts made to detain him, and proceeded to the town of Mito with a small num- ber of men. Ichikawa reproached him, saying : " Your " Lordship received orders to effect a pacification, and be- " hold ! you are in league with rebels." He then made the prince commit suicide, by orders received from the Sh6gun, and continued to plot against Takeda. When Takeda heard of what had occurred, he became indignant and said : " The traitorous scoundel has done as I feared." It was then that he accepted the adherence of Fujita, with whom he henceforth acted in concert, thus justifying the accusations of Ichikawa and his friends. Upon this the Bakufu despatched the Drilled Troops, under the command of the Vice-Minister Tamima Gemba no kami, to chastise Takeda and his companions, and it also ordered the clans of the vicinity, as well as Ichikawa, Asaina and their friends, to render him active aid. 56 , 2,0 In the 10th month (October 31 November 28) the troops under Takeda and Fujita issued repeatedly from their fastnesses and attacked the forces of the Bakufu. The soldiers of Torii Tamba no kami fought well, and seriously impeded the operations of Takeda, whom the Bakufu's army had now completely surrounded. To add to his difficulties, the provisions began to run short, and some of his men had secret communication with his enemies. The Bakufu therefore made an attack in force, and Takeda, resolving to proceed to Kidto and make a complaint there, fell upon the besieging force with five hundred men, which were all that remained to him, broke his way through and reached Serata in Kodzuke. On the night of the llth December he profited by the darkness to cross the Tone gawa, and found his way on to the Nakasendo. The Bakufu despatched other troops in pursuit and issued orders to all the clans dwelling along that road to chastise him. As he entered the town of Takasaki in the province of Kodzuke, the local troops turned out to attack him, but were unsuccessful. He then reached the province of Shinano, where he made a vigorous attack on the troops of Matsudaira Tamba no kami and Suwa Inaba no kami, who held the Wada pass, and putting them to flight eventually got into Mino. Having crossed the Kiso gawa at Ota, he bivouacked at Knno, and was preparing to march west and enter Ki6to, when the troops of Hikone and Ogaki took up a strong position to his front and barred the road. This forced him to change his route, and in the 12th month [1865] (Dec. 29 Jan. 26) he crossed over the HaibSshi pass into the neighbourhood of Ono in Echizen. The Kaga troops occupied a stockade at Kaidzu in the province of Omi, and Takeda Iga despatched a messenger thither to say that he and his companions had been slandered by Ichikawa and others of the Yuki party, their fellow clansmen, and that having incurred the displeasure of the Bakufu, they 56 wished to find shelter with Shitotsubashi, a relation of their prince, and lay the whole matter before him. This message was also embodied in a letter, asking- for permis- sion to pass through Kaidzu, but the Kaga troops refused. 11,1 Shitotsubashi Chiunagon, who was at Kioto, had heard of the approach of Takeda and his followers, and having applied to the Imperial Court for leave to chastise them, marched at the head of some soldiers in the direction of Kaidzu, accompanied by the troops of Odawara, Kuwana, Aidzu, Chikuzen and several other clans. Takeda Iga addressed a letter to him, appealing for pity and consid- eration, but the Chiunagon would not listen, and wished on the contrary to attack him in force, so as to crush him completely. No resource remained but to seek shelter in Kaga, where it was refused to them. Takeda then ad- dressed a letter, saying : " We are informed that your " clan refuses to admit men who have earned the name of " rebels, and we bow to your decision. We have repeat- t( edly resisted the forces of the Bakufu on account of " certain private disputes in our single clan ; we have " broken the august laws of the Empire and cannot atone " for our offences. We do not hope to preserve our lives, " and for that reason we submit to you in a body ; but al- " though we do not expect to live, there is one thing " which still compels us to spend our breath in talking ; " it is the vile name of ' rebels ' which has been applied " to us. This is what we cannot bear with equanimity. " We humbly pray you to take these our humble senti- " ments into consideration." In this way they asked that the stigma of rebellion might be removed. The Kaga clan forwarded the letter to the Bakufu, which placed Takeda and his followers in the custody of the local clans. Shitotsubashi then returned to Ki6to. The Bakufu con- fiscated the lands of Matsudaira Oi no kami and im- prisoned his family in one of his yashiki. In the follow - >^^ing month Takeda and the rest were all decapitated. Four 0$ I /U*A*^ft . 5? years later the Takeda Party succeeded in taking the lives of Ichikawa and his associates, which event at last put an end t6 to the dissension of the Righteous and Wicked Par- ties. "*~ In the autumn of this year certain ronins assassinated Sakuma Shozan in a street at Ki6to. Sh6zan had in the year 1854 been condemned to confinement by the au- thorities of his own clan for complicity in the crime for which Yoshida Sh6in was punished, but having been sub- sequently pardoned, was at this moment residing in the capital. He was constantly employed on business be- tween the Court and the Bakufu, and was a strenuous advocate for the opening of the country to foreign- ers. He was constantly to be seen mounted on horseback with a saddle and bridle of foreign make, and the hatred which he thus excited in the breasts of those whose object was to expel the barbarians was the cause of the event just mentioned. Common report attri- buted his murder to some Higo men. In the same month the ex-Dainagon of Owari, com- mander-in-chief of the forces sent to chastise Ch6shiu, took up his quarters at Hiroshima in the west of Geishiu. He demanded explanations from the House of M6ri, and met with an offer of complete submission. Some time be- fore this, those samurai of the clan who had abstained from taking part in the attack on Ki6to had taken council together, and had either condemned to domiciliary confine- ment or to imprisonment Masuda, Fukubara, Kunishi and all those who had shared in the government of the clan at the time of the attack. They had also confined the prince and his son in a temple, thereby offending the general body of their fellow-clansmen, who stigmatized the authors of these measures as the Vulgar View Party (Zokuron-to) . The Vulgar View Party retorted by arrest- (46.) The author did not foresee that the fend would break out again in the end of 1872. 58 ing their traducers and effectually put a stop to the ex- pression of such opinions. |VV Such being the condition of affairs when the invading army appeared on the frontier, the Vulgar View Party destroyed the fences and gates of the batteries placed at the most important strategical points, and barred the doors of every house in the town. They then invited in the officials of the Bakufu, decapitated the three Kard (and thirteen other prisoners, and delivered up their heads as an atonement for the offences they had been guilty of. These proceedings struck fear into the inhabitants of the town. 11 Owari, the Commander-in-chief, having received the report of the Bakufu's officials, proceeded to pronounce sen- tence on the five Kuges remaining out of the seven who had originally taken refuge in Ch6shiu. Of the other two, one had died there, while another had removed to a neighbouring province. The five were placed in the cus- tody of Satsuma, Chikuzen and Higo, and they were forced to give guarantees of sincere contrition for the satis- faction of the Bakufu. In the 1st month of the 1st year of Kei-6 (Jan. 27 Feb. 25) the army was withdrawn to Ozaka, and rumours became current that the expedition against. Ch6shiu being over, the Shogun would proceed in person to that city in order to determine the culprit's punishment. I t> During the same month Takasugi Shinsaku took up arms in the territory of the clan, which again became the theatre of commotion. When the Vulgar View Party originally placed the three Kard in confinement they had also tried to arrest Shinsaku, who escaped by a miracle and fled to Chikuzen. On hearing that the three hard and other members of his party had been put to death, his indignation was extreme. Having returned to Shimono- seki with the intention of ousting the Vulgar View Party, and restoring the previous state of things, he despatched 59 messengers to all parts to summon troops to his aid. So far back as 1863, when the House of Mori began to plan the expulsion of the barbarians, Shinsaku had arrived at v the conclusion that the luxurious samurai class was of no practical value in the field, and he obtained permission from the authorities of the clan to organize troops on a new system. This consisted in breaking through the prejudice which existed in favour of birth, in selecting strong able-bodied men from the common people as well as from the samurai class, and in fixing the pay of the battalions which he thus formed at a high rate. The strictest discipline was enforced, and even the most ruffianly vagabonds willingly obeyed him. His troops were bold and valiant in fight, and went by the name of Kiheitai, or the " Irregular Troops." In the execution of these measures he was aided chiefly by Iriy' Kuichi and Kuzaka Gisuke, and the old abuses were rapidly reformed. The whole clan caught the infection, and large numbers enrolling themselves, raised Shinsaku, Kuzaka and Iriye t<> the command. Kuzaka and Iriye, however, had fallen at Kifito, and when Shinsaku fled to Chikuzen the men dis- persed into hiding: No sooner did they hear of his pro- clamation than five hundred men came flocking to join him. Having taken counsel with Ota Ichinoshin, Yarn a - gata Kiosuke and others, Shinsaku attacked the govern- ment offices at Shimonoseki, seized all the ammunition he could find, and ordered the rich merchants of the town to supply him with money. Having collected a large quantity of provisions and arms, he next prepared to attack the castle of Hiigi at the head of his troops. The Vulgar View Party were terribly alarmed, and re- ported the outbreak of the insurrection to the Bakufu, and carrying the prince and his son into the castle, sent orders throughout the two provinces for the speedy chastisement of the rebels. The common people were also forbidden to sell food or clothing rn the Irregular Troops, and finally a 60 Karo named Awaya took command of the forces and marched to attack them. The Irregular Troops anticipat- ed him, and inflicted a severe defeat upon the Vulgar View party, who thereupon brought more men into the field, and continued the fight for three whole days, but being finally worsted, were compelled to retreat and defend the castle of Hagi. Here they were immediately surround- ed by the victorious Irregulars, who were on the point of taking the place by storm, when peace was arranged through the medium of a third party. Takasugi and his friends decapitated the chiefs of the Vulgar View Party and pilloried their heads in the camp. From this moment dissension ceased, and the whole clan worked for one com- mon object. Takasugi and his friends carried off the prince and his son to Yamaguchi in Suw6, where extensive fortifications had been constructed in the year when the expulsion of the barbarians was first resolved upon. The two princes had been originally removed to this strong- hold, but after the attack on Ki6to the Vulgar View Party had placed them in a temple at Hagi, and they were now carried back again. Having thus far been successful, Takasugi and his friends took counsel. It was evident that the objects aimed at by the Bakufu in attempting to punish the clan would not be satisfied by the execution of the three hard, and besides it was certain to make a fresh attack as soon as it became acquainted with the recent proceedings. The only course left was to make a determined resistance, and if necessary, by laying down their lives, to soothe^tjie souls of those who had preceded them in death. These ideas being communicated to their followers were received with universal enthusiasm. In the fight at Ki6to it was the valour of the Satsuma clan which led to the defeat of the Choshiu men, a large number of whom had fallen into its hands. But the Satsuma men now began to regret the course which they 61 had taken on that occasion. la face of passing events, idly to fly lit amongst themselves, and to wrangle over petty matters was a bad policy for the Japanese. It >' 'timed much better that the Government of the country should be conducted from one centre, and that the nation should be united for the defence of the empire. They therefore treated the prisoners with great kindness, and loading them with presents, sent them back to Choshiu. When the occurrences just related took place, Saig6 Kichi- nosuke sent a secret messenger to Ch6shiu to negotiate a common understanding between the two clans. The Choshiu men deliberated together ; they felt that of course victory could not be hoped for in a contest in which nil the available forces of the Empire were ranged against an isolated fortress, but that all they could expect was, when their strength was finally exhausted, to perish jyjthjtheir househol(l gods. If in a critical moment like this, when their existence hung but by a hair, they were to enter into relations with another clan, posterity would condemn them as cowards. Some, who acknowledged the justice of these arguments, were yet of opinon that to reject such a magnanimous offer as that of the Satsuma clan might seem ungracious. Besides it was not impossible that with such aid they might be enabled to preserve their own clan from destruction. It happened that a Tosa man, named Sakamoto Rioma, who was in Choshiu at this mo- * ment, supported these views, and his advice being fol- lowed, the enmity of the two clans was henceforth at an end. 130 Suigo had spent the time between 1854 and 1859 in Kioto and Osaka. Being much dissatisfied with the course tilings were taking, and possessing definite views of his own, he gradually formed a partv, but when Ii Kamon no kami came into power he returned to his native province. During his residence in Kioto he had become intimate with a bonze of the monastery called J6jiti-In, named Gas- 62 sb6, a man of patriotic views. In the year 1858, when all the men of spirit in various parts of the country were arrested, Gassho was also captured, but succeeded in making his escape and fled to Satsuma, where he found concealment in Saigo's house. Having- explained to the latter the state of thing's at Kioto, he said : " Seeing- that matters have come to this pass, and that we shall all he killed, rather than die by the hand of some traitor, it is better to jump into the sea and make an end of ourselves." Saig-6 agreeing 1 , they went secretly by nig'ht and threw themselves into the sea. Fortunately it was a moonlight night and a boat was just passing- the spot. The boatmen, seeing what had occurred, saved them, and finding both to be per- fectly insensible, applied all the remedies in their power. Saig-6 was recalled to life with g-reat difficulty, but Gas- sh6 was a corpse. 47 When the Satsuma authorities heard of this they exiled Saigo to Oshima, fearing the comments of the Bakufu. Before this Saig'6 had already been twice banished to 6shima for some reason or another, and he (now chang-ed his name to Oshima Sanyemon, in allusion to his having- visited that island three times. As a special favour he was afterwards allowed by the authorities of the clain to return home, and at the time when he sent the envoy to Ch6shiu he appears to have had a great share in the direction of affairs in Satsuma. 1 1 The Court and the Bakufu were as yet ignorant that Satsuma and Ch6shiu had entered into relations, and the former, hearing- of the outbreak in Choshiu, sent repeated orders to the Sh6gnn to proceed to Ki6to. In the 4th month (April 25 May 24) the Shogun again proclaimed his intention of chastising- Choshiu throughout the empire, and the points where the two provinces of Nagato and Suw6 were to be attacked were definitely mapped out. (47) This account is not quite correct. Saigo and the bonze were being conveyed across the bay from Kagoshima to Sakurajima in a boat under guard, and profiting by the inattention of their conductors jumped overboard. They were picked up by the boatmen, but the bonze was saved last. 63 The Sh6gun was himself to take the field at the head of all his vassals, and the troops were frequently exercised before him on the parade ground which had been formed / at Komabagahara (near Yedo). / 3 1. The ex-Dainag-on of Owari had written a letter in the oth month (May 25 June 22), to the Shogun, as soon as he had heard of the affair, saying : u Last year I report- " ed that Choshiu had made atonement by inflicting capit- " al punishment on his chief retainers, and yet your High- " ness is preparing to take the field in person against him. " I confess I see no adequate reason for this course, for if " he was justly accused of any crime, the whole Empire " would declare that he ought to be chastised, and would " march against him. It is not right wantonly to take " up arms without manifest cause. Besides the very exist- <^A. " ence of the Tokugawa family depends on the result, and I " pray your Highness therefore to give this matter your " profoundest consideration before proceeding to act." The Shogun was deaf to these remonstrances. Katsu Awa no tr kami also maintained that there was no just cause for going to war, to the great displeasure of the Sh6gun's ministers, who suspected him of being in Ch6shiu's in- terest, and dismissed him from office. I j, In the intercalary 5th month (June 23 July 22) the Sh6gun eventually started from Yedo by the Tokaido, and had an audience of the Mikado on the day following his arrival at Kioto. He then proceeded at once to Ozaka. The troops of the dependent daimios and the lia- tamotos advanced by the Tokaido about the same time, but their march was greatly impeded by the swollen con- dition of the rivers consequent upon the heavy rains which had fallen. The post-towns were crowded with troops, and the last who left Yedo did not arrive in Ozaka until fifty- three days after the Shogun. In the 6th month (November 18 December I?) 48 the (48) The dates given are all incorrect. The English, French and 04 foreign representatives resident at Yokohama prepared to proceed to Ozaka with the object of presenting- a request to the Sh6gun. The Ministers, who were alarmed nt the prospect of their presenting- themselves in the vicinity of the Imperial capital, endeavoured to dissuade them, but the representatives declined to listen, and finally arrived at Hi6go, whence they forwarded their letter. Shitotsu- bashi Chiunagon, Aidzu Chiuj6, Ogasawara Jijiu and others thereupon addressed a joint memorial to the Court, saying : " The foreigners have come up to the Home " Provinces to request that your Majesty will signify " your consent to the Treaties and to demand the opening " of Hiogo. They -say that they have come to arrange " these matters directly with Your Majesty, as the Bakufu " is unable to settle them. Your servants will do all in their " power to create delays, but unless the Imperial consent " to the Treaties is given, the foreigners will not quit the " Inland Sea. If we were lightly to use force against " them, we might be victorious for the moment, but a 11 tiny piece of territory like this could not long withstand " the combined armies of the universe. We are not so " much concerned for the preservation of the Bakufu as " for the security of the throne. Tf the result be what " we must, anticipate, your people will be plunged into " the depths of misery. Your Majesty's sacred wish of " protecting and succouring your subjects will be render- " ed unavailing', and the Bakufu will be unable to fulfil " its mission, which is to govern the country happily. " Your servants cannot find heart to obey Your Majesty's Dutch squadrons left Yokohama on Nov. 1, carrying the English French and Dutch Ministers and the American Charge d'Affaires, and arrived at Hi6go on the 4th. Negotiations were commenced on the following day, and were terminated on the 24th by a letter from the ministers of the Shogun, in which they enclosed a copy of the decree announcing the Mikado's general consent to the Treaties. With characteristic duplicity they omitted from this copy the postcript in which the opening of Hiogo was forbidden and a revision of the Treaties also commanded. As there is no article in the Japanese language the omission of these two conditions made it appear that the Mikado had given his consent to the Treaties as they then stood, which was not his intention. "order to break off foreign relations, and humbly pray " that Your Majesty, deigning to take these things into " consideration, will at once give your consent." The Court debated over the matter, and after having carefully weighed the political state, sent the two Tens6 Asukai and .Xononiiya to communicate His Majesty's consent to the Bakuf'u on the 30th November, ordering it at the same time to revise the hitherto existing Treaties. At flie same time the opening of the port of Hiogo was pro- hibited. It is said that this last order was given because the Satsuma clan had shortly before addressed a memorial to the Court remonstrating ag-ainst the opening of Hi6go. From the time when the Bakufu first concluded Treaties in 1855 the whole country had been constantly discussing the matter with great eagerness, but the Imperial consent * was now obtained for the first time. The Shogun, who felt severely the weight of domestic and foreign affairs, about this time sent in a memorial to the Mikado praying for leave to resign his office to Shitot- subashi Chiunagon, on the ground of ill-health. The Imperial Court expressed great sympathy for him, but refused his request, and urged him to settle the Choshiu affair without delay. 1866. In the 12th month (Jan. 17 Feb. 14) the Bakufu sent orders for a Choshiu Karo to come up to Ozaka, and Shishido Bingo no suke came in obedience to the summons as far as Hiroshima in Geishiu, where the Bakufu reproached him with the equivocal appearance which the late conduct of the House of M6ri presented. Bingo no suke gave full explanations, which nevertheless did not remove the suspicions of the Bakufu officials, who arrested him and placed him in the custody of the prince of Geishiu. The Bakufu about this time despatched the Drilled Troops and the troops of the various clans to the western frontier of Geishiu, with the object of taking mea- sures against Choshiu, and they remained there in their quarters without moving until the beginning of spring. 60 j ^t In the 4th month (May 15 June 12) a report coming to the Ch6shiu troops quartered in the south of Suvv6 that the eastern forces were lying inactive in Geishiu, a hundred and fifty men, disregarding orders, secretly left Choshiu, and seized Kurashiki in Bitchiu, but the Bakufu's men in Geishiu, hastening to the spot, attacked the band at Abekawa in the vicinity and put it to flight. \\~l Orders had previously been issued by the Bakufu to all the clans, directing them to bring their troops into the ' field, but the Satsuma clan now sent in a memorial, pro- testing against the injustice of the war, and declining to furnish its quota. ? The Samurai of the Choshiu clan had sent a letter to Geishiu, saying : " Since the prince and his son gave " undoubted proofs of contrition in the winter of the "year before last all the clans have been expecting to " see the Bakufu behave with leniency towards them, " but troops are daily arriving in your territory. This " causes great anxiety and excitement throughout our " clan, and a hundred and fifty men who were encamped " in the southern part of the territory secretly deserted " on the 16th of May, with arms in their hands, and we " do not know what has become of them, except that " they went away by sea. It is not impossible that, " believing false rumours, they may commit violent " acts in a fit of desperation, for which the clan " would be held responsible. We beg you, therefore, to " arrest them, should they enter the limits of your juris- " diction. Please at the same time to communicate the " contents of this letter to the Bakufu." Hereupon the Bakufu at last issued its commands to the House of Mori, saying : " Although you have shown evidence of a sub- " missive temper by inflicting capital punishment on your " hards and their advisers, and by confining yourselves " within the walls of a monastery, you must be held re- " sponsible for having lost the art of ruling your retain- 67 " ers. Permission has therefore been obtained from the " Imperial Court to inflict three additional penalties on " you, namely, the forfeiture of one hundred thousand / " koku of land, the perpetual confinement of the chief of " the clan and his son, leaving the succession to your eldest " grandson, and the extinction of the families of the three " karos." A day was fixed for the answer to be sent in. The indignation of the clan knew no bounds. It was resolved to await the attack of the Bakufu and to try the issue of a resort to arms, and they purposely delayed answering in order to gain more time for their prepara- tions. 7 The Bakufu had established its headquarters at Hiro- shima in Geishiu, under the prince of Kishiu, Commander- in-Chief, and Ogasawara Iki no kami, Lieut. General of the forces, who issued their orders to the other divisions from this place. After waiting thirty days, and finding that no answer came, they decided that the judgment had been treated with contempt, and applied to the Imperial Court for leave to attack. The Imperial Court in reply bade them do their duty with all speed. In the 6th month (July 12 Aug. 9) therefore, the Bakufu at last sent troops to attack Nagato and Suw6 on all sides. The drilled troops, in conjunction with the troops of Kishiu, Hikone, Takata and a naval division, advanced on the Geishiu side. The troops of Tottori, Mutsue, Hamada, Fukuyama and some of Kishiu advanced bv way of Iwami (or Sekishiu). Those of Higo, Yana- gawa and Kokura, with another naval division were to act from Buzen (on the opposite side of the Shimonoseki Strait), while a detachment of the drilled troops and the Matsuyaina troops attacked the island of Oshima. On the 13th July Ogasawara Iki no kami proceeded to Kokura to direct the operations of the Buzen column. - On the 19th Kono Toda and some others arrived at Oshima with a force composed of fifteen hundred infantry and the Matsuyama troops, all embarked in large vessels, and bombarded the shore, setting- fire to the villages. The Ch6shiu forces not replying, the eastern troops landed, at- tacked the Choshiu barracks on the morning of the 23rd, and took them by assault. Takasugi Shinsaku and Yama- gata Ki&suke, commanding in ChSshiu, on hearing of the attack, despatched fighting vessels against the eastern troops, and the losses were about equal on either side. On the 26th the Choshiu forces invited an encounter by sending out a small body of men, who being attacked by the eastern troops, took to flight, and led them, flushed with victory, into the midst of an ambuscade. They were speedily routed, and throwing away their arms, took refuge on board the ships. Sakuma Ikkaku, a Matsu- yama leader, was killed on this occasion. At midnight the Easterners collected their defeated men, and returned to Geishiu. The Choshiu men laughed scornfully at the cowardice of the Eastern troops, and said they were not worth contending with. The Geishiu column advanced by sea and land, and the vanguard, composed of Hikone and Takata troops, pre- pared to cross the frontier. It had been resolved on the Choshiu side to anticipate the attack, and, accordingly, Ota Ichinoshin and Ishikawa Kogoro, at the head of eight hundred men, quietly crossed the upper waters of the Osegawa, and attacked the eastern army in the rear, while at the same time they despatched another detach- ment to engage its vanguard. The battle thus began in front and rear at the same moment, and the eastern army after suffering a severe defeat, fled, the men throwing away their muskets and abandoning their artillery. The Ch'6shiu men followed up their victory by entering the Geishiu territory, where they occupied 6 take, Ogata and Kuwa, having Shijiuhassaka between themselves and the enemy, who retreated and encamped at 6no. forces in Iwami had fixed on a da for 69 making an attack by several roads, when the Choshiu commanders Inouye Bunda and Omura Masujiro made an irruption into the Hamada territory at the head of twelve hundred men. The Matsue and Hadama troops had taken up a position on Mounts Hibari and Taema, where they resisted the attack, but the Choshiu troops made a circuit to their rear and encamped at the foot of the hills. The Matsue men then ascended to the summit, and poured down such a fire that the Choshiu leaders were put to flight, but again putting their men in motion, they climbed mount Taema, and attacked the Hamada camp with skirmishers. The Hamada troops being unable to with- stand the assault, abandoned the place and fled. Having thus obtained possession of Mount Taema, they took the Matsue troops on Mount Hibari in flank, who after a vigorous but ineffectual resistance were compelled to retreat to the town of Hamada. I it i At this moment another division, composed of Hamada and Fukuyama troops, about sixteen hundred in number, was lying at Masuda. On the 28th July a thousand Cho- shiu men, taking advantage of the morning mist, surprised it in front and rear, and routed it most effectually. Yama- moto Hanya, a Hamada leader, fell on this occasion. The Choshiu forces retook Masuda, seized all the provisions in the place, crossed the river Suiugawa and attacked the town of Hamada. The troops of Kishiu, Matsue, Fukuyama, Hamada, and other clans, who were stationed in the vicinity, offered a vigorous resistance, but were thrown into disorder after several skirmishes, losing an officer of rank named Mieda Giobu. lit~J The Choshiu troops attacked Hamuda on the following day, and the garrison, knowing their own i nubility to re- sist, set fire to the place and retreated. The Prince and his family fled to Idzurno by sea, and the whole of the eastern forces having retired into Gcishiu, the Choshiu men advanced and seized the government buildings of Un 70 collectorate of Oinori. With this operation the subjuga- tion of the province of Ivvarai by the arms of Choshiu was completed. The commander of the Kokura division also prepared about this time to attack Shimonos6ki, whereupon Taka- sugi, Yainagata and other Choshiu leaders gave orders for three large vessels to attack Tanoura (on the south side of the strait), and a party having been landed, an engagement took place with thirteen hundred picked Ko- kura troops commanded by Shimamura Shima. The Choshiu men maintained the struggle from eight o'clock in the morning until four in the afternoon, but getting the worst of it, burnt the village and retired, carrying off the arms they had found there. Shortly before this a French man-of-war had called at Shimonoseki on its way from Yokohama to Nagasaki to inform the Ch&shiu people that their nation had entered into an alliance with the Japanese Government, and that if Choshiu refused to obey the orders of the latter, they, the French, would be compelled to assist their ally. They therefore recommended Ch6shiu to submit. They also gave notice that they would return from Nagasaki in ten days for an answer. Having delivered a letter to this effect the vessel proceeded on its voyage. The Choshiu men deliberated, saying : " Why should " we accept dictation from foreign countries in our inter- " nal affairs ? We had better proceed to take active mea- " sures before the Frenchmen arrive." They therefore ravaged the domain of Kokura with fire, and when the French came a second time, and reproached them, they re- plied : " The Bakufu has ravaged the island of Oshima " which belongs to us, and has burnt the villages, killing " all the innocent inhabitants. Besides, the Kokura clan "has for a long time not acted as neighbours should. " Further, the eastern army is stationed in their territory, " and is ready to attack us at any moment. What obliga- 71 "tion compels us to sit down quietly and await its onset?" Tt happened that an English vessel turned up at this moment, and the commander having 1 effected a reconcilia- tion by his good offices, the Frenchmen at last departed. It was said that they had heen to Nagasaki on a secret errand for the Bakufu. On the 30th of July, the Drilled Troops and the troops of Ogaki and Kishiu being encamped at Ono, the Choshiu troops advanced over Shijiuhassaka in a direct line, at six o'clock in the morning, and from Matsugahara against the enemy's flank, and profiting by the mist surprised Ono. The eastern forces defended themselves vigorously, and the bullets fell as thick as hail. About ten o'clock the Choshiu troops were defeated and forced to retreat, with very heavy losses, to Kuwa, where they halted. Before dawn on the 5th of August the Choshiu forces again crossed Shijiuhassaka and attacked the Eastern camp. The Easterners bombarded their rear with their men-of-war, and scattered them. At this moment another detachment was advancing from Takinokuchi by a bye- path, and encountered an united volley fired by the East- erners from the top of a hill, but attacking the hill with skirmishers, who fired as they climbed, they succeeded in dislodging them. Then bringing their field artil- lery into play, they directed their fire upon the enemy in the valley below, throwing him into great confusion. Profiting by this success they made a direct attack on the camp, where a fierce combat ensued. At noon, neither side having gained the advantage, they discontinued firing, the Easterners retreating to Ono. In this battle both sides fought with desperation, and lost so many men in killed and wounded that the fields were covered with corpses. Shortly before this, Matsudaira Hoki no kami, who had replaced Ogasawara Iki no kami at Hiroshima, set Shishido Bingo no suke at liberty and sent him back to Choshiu This act was regarded by the prince of Kishiu, who was 72 commander-in-chief, as highly calculated to obstruct the success of the operations, and in his anger he reported it to Ozaka. The Bakufu consequently summoned Hoki no kami to Ozaka, and reprimanded him for his bad conduct. Hoki no kami endeavoured to exculpate himself, saying : "When your servant was at Hiroshima, he heard that " the Satsuma cian had secret relations with the enemy, " and that a large number of Choshiu men hidden in the " three capital cities, were continually spying- out the state " of our affairs. We are unable therefore to conceal the "facts from them. Besides the English were secretly "selling ships and gunpowder to the enemy, who were "gaining strength every day. With the object of under- " mining their strength, your servant therefore took the " resolution of confiding his private opinion to Bingo no " suke, whom he sent back." Having sent in a letter to this effect, he awaited his punishment. )4"M On the 6th of September the Eastern forces again arrived at 6no, and daily councils were held as to the means of making a general attack on Choshiu by sea and land. irr The Choshiu forces had at this moment seized Dairi and Tonoiira in Buzen, where they constructed batteries, and then engaged the Higo and Kokura troops with three hundred men, which was the whole number at their disposal. The Kokura troops having been frequently defeated, thirteen hundred Higo men engaged the enemy at Akazaka and routed him, with a loss of one hundred men. When the news was brought to Choshiu, fresh troops were des- patched from Shimorioseki, and with this reinforcement a series of engagements was fought, until at sunset both combatants retired from the field, the Choshiu forces encamping at Dairi. > S~l Ogasawara Iki no kami having been unsuccessful on several occasions, Higo and Yanagawa withdrew their troops, and Iki no kami, hastily embarking in a man-of- war, fled to Nagasaki. The Choshiu forces profited by 73 the lucky turn affairs had taken to attack Kokura with vigour, and its defendants, being now entirely unsupported, burnt the castle on the 9th of September, and retreated to Kaharu. ;ry The eastern army at Ono crossed the pass of Shijiuhas- saka on the 10th September, and the land and sea forces advancing in concert attacked the enemy at Kuwa and Obata. Tin; latter came forth to give battle, and the noise of artillery resounded on all sides, causing the hills to roll down into the valleys. It happened that rain had been falling for several days, and the roads were every- where so muddy that both combatants were much impeded in their movements. After an engagement which lasted from ten o'clock a.m. to four o'clock p.m. the left wing of the eastern army was broken, and the Choshiu men made an attack with all their available force, to which the enemy succumbing, burnt the village of Kuwa and retreated. At the same moment the troops of Takata, Hikone and Kishiu were engaging the Choshiu forces at Matsngahara and Kunai, but being defeated with great loss, they had to retreat to Ono. ft On the 16th of September the Choshiu forces, divided into three columns, surprised Ono under cover of a storm of wind and rain, and invited a battle with their musketeers, but the eastern army, which had not recovered from the panic caused by its defeat of the previous day, did not accept the challenge, and finally retreated to Hiroshima. The Choshiu troops at once pursued it, and after taking Ono advanced upon Hiroshima. if) In this campaign the eastern troops wore armour and surcoats, and their weapons were swords and spears, while the Choshiu men, clad in light, short-sleeved garments, and dispensing with their swords, were chiefly armed with muskets. Their drill, too, was excellent. In fact the Choshiu clan had gained a great deal of experience in the year 1803, which they had turned to account in remodel- ling their military system. This enabled them on each occasion to beat the eastern army, which at no period was able to gain a footing on the Choshiu territory. i W Some time before this the Shogun fell ill, and a mes- senger was sent to 6zaka by the Mikado to inquire after his health. 1 1* I The Imperial Court then ordered Shitotsubashi Chiu- nagon to take the direction of the forces in the Shogun's stead, and he was on the point of setting off for Geishiu when the news of the last defeat arrived at Kioto and 6zaka. The clans who had joined the expedition at once withdrew their troops, and the whole country was in a state of alarm, not knowing what would come next. The Shogun was agitated by constant anxiety, and on the 19th September he died at Ozaka. Hereupon Shitotsubashi IChiunagon began to regret his previous willingness to obey the Mikado's will, and consequently sent in a memo- rial in which he took blame to himself for having com- 1 mitted this error, and declined to proceed to Geishiu. He also requested leave to assemble all the Princes who had supported him at Ki6to, in order to deli- berate on the state of affairs. The Imperial Court having given its sanction to his proposal, the Chiu- nagon himself drew up a circular, summoning the ex- Dainagon of Owari, Matsudaira Shimotsuke no kami (eldest son of the Prince of Chikuzen), Matsudaira Kanso (ex-Prince of Ilizen), Matsudaira Yodo (ex-Prince of Tosa), Date Totomi no kami (ex-Prince of Uwajima in lyo), Shimadzu Osumi no kami (father of the Prince of Satsu- ma) and Nagaoka Rionoske (younger brother of the Prince of Higo). \v>"*~ On the 3rd October the Imperial Court gave orders for the operations against Choshiu to be discontinued, pre- texting the death of the Shogun, which orders were notifiod to all the clans by the Bakufu. \ ^ In the course of the month the Imperial Court conferred 75 the succession to the headship of the Tokugawa family upon Shitotsubashi Chiunagon. * u At this very time the Choshiu forces were encamped before Hiroshima in Geishiu, and their garrison at Kokura continually harassed the troops of that clan, the cause of their hostility being the quarrel which had lasted since first the Ch6shiu men began to expel the barbarians. The Kokura clan laid its griefs before the two clans of Satsu- ma and Higo, who thereupon sent an envoy to Choshiu to effect a reconciliation. The latter demanded an oath in writing from the Kokura clan that they would lay down their arms, which was signed by the prince and all his family. The Choshiu clan notified this to the garrison in Buzen, and peace was restored. **"" In the course of the same month the Bakufu, recogniz- ing the high estimation in which Katsu A\va no kami was held by all the clans, sent him to Geishiu, to offer terms to Choshiu and to withdraw the troops. HH was received in conference by Hirozawa Hiosko and Inouye Bunda, and communicated to them the will of the Mikado and the orders of the Shogun. The Choshiu forces were ordered to return home, but the men were angry and refused to obey. The two commanders, unwilling to disregard the Shogun's order and grateful for the courtesy of Awa no kami, succeeded in pacifying them, and they returned in great triumph to their native province after five days had elapsed. 6 The war vvjis now over at last. During its continuance the Bakufu had expended vast sums of money until its treasuries were almost exhausted, and yet it was unable 10 have its way with Choshiu. From this time onwards Tin,- great clans neglected to obey the commands of Bakufu, and its power eventually decayed. t7 1807. On the 6th of January 1867, the Imperial Court (lilt-ml thejippointment of'Shogun to Shitotsubashi Chiuna- gon. lie repeatedly declined it, but the Court, while 76 addressing- him most graciously, insisted on las acceptance of it, and he found himself compelled at last to give way. The Mikado's envoy then proceeded to the castle of Nijo (at Kioto, not far from the Palace) and invested him with the office. I On the 3rd of February the Emperor Koinei Tenno died, and was succeeded by the heir-apparent, who is the reigning sovereign. \ H In the early part of the year the Bakufu obtained some Frenchmen to instruct the infantry, cavalry and artillery. n In the course of the summer riots occurred among the peasantry of Koshiu and Shinshiu, but the Bakufu des- patched the drilled troops against them and order was speedily restored. ,-j, In the autumn Enomoto Kamajiro and his companions came back to Japan from Holland on board the Kmyo- maru. I 1 - About the same time the Bakufu despatched envoys to Russia to treat about the boundary in Sagalien. In 18G2 Takenoiichi Shimotsukc no kami and Matsudaira Ivvami no kami had been previously sent thither to discuss the same question. They proposed on that occasion to fix on the fiftieth parallel of latitude as the boundary, because it marked the division between the tribes called Aino and Smelenkur. Our officers were to proceed thither to govern the natives, and a map was prepared in which the respective territories were coloured red and green, the fiftieth parallel of latitude lying between the two. The Russians replied : " On what grounds do you call this your " territory ? If we were to consult an impartial person he " would decide that the island belonged to Manchuria. " Besides, no Ainos are to be found north of the fortieth " parallel, and you have quite disregarded the position of " the tribes in your unjustifiable desire to take the fiftieth " parallel as a boundary. How is it possible ibr us to ac- 11 cept this ? There is nothing in this island by which a 77 " boundary can be properly laid down, and under these " circumstances, if you insist upon laying; one down, it " will give rise to complications between the two powers. " We are naturally averse to having our frontier undefin- " ed, but we are equally averse to defining it on insuf- " ficient grounds, or on such as do not suit our con- " venience. Let us, therefore, leave the matter as it is for " the present, permitting our respective subjects to occupy " the island in common, as was provisionably determined " by the treaty concluded with Japan at Shimoda. At " some future day, when we have both examined the " localities, we can confer again. But if you still find it " absolutely necessary to settle something, we will take " Aniwa Bay (at the extreme south of Sagalien) as our " boundary." Although Takenouchi and his colleagues perceived from the evasive nature of their arguments that their design was to seize the whole island, they were unable to refute the reasoning of the Eussians because they were insufficiently acquainted with the nature of the locality. 773 An engagement having been entered into in writing to the effect that the discussion should be renewed on the basis of an examination of the localities, the envoys re- turned to Japan, reported the evident desire of the Rus- sians to make themselves possessors of the whole island, and requested that some person who was well acquainted with the geography of the island should be sent to nego- tiate. The Bakufu, although desirous of despatching a second mission, had so much on its hands during the five years which followed that it was unable to carry In the 6th month (July 2 30) a rich merchant of Ozaka, named Yamanaka Zenyemon, was chosen with nineteen others to form a trading corporation (Shoslta) ; annual grants of rice were made to them, and they were privileged to wear swords. This was done in view of the opening of Hiogo. I 7 ~j In the course of the same month the Bakufu, finding its y coffers empty, proposed to issue paper money. 1 *)t Although tbe Bakufu still continued to carry on the gov- ernment, it usually referred all matters of importance to the Imperial Court for decision. Shimadzu Osumi no kami and the other five princes remained at Kioto, but Yama- noiichi Y6do returned to his native province on account of serious ill health. In the 9th month (Sept. 28 Oct. 26), after he had for some time secretly grieved over the troubled state of the country, he addressed a letter from Tosa to the Shogun, advising him to restore the whole governing power to the Imperial Court. The letter said : " It appeal's to me that although the government and (lit- " penal laws have been administered by the Military Class 80 "ever since the middle ages, yet, from the arrival of " foreigners we have been squabbling amongst ourselves, " and much public discussion has been excited. The east " and west have risen in arms against each other, and " civil war has never ceased, the effect being to draw on " us the insult of foreign nations. The cause of this lies " in the fact that the administration proceeds from two " centres, causing the Empire's ears and eyes to be turn- " ed in two different directions. The march of events has " brought about a revolution, and the old system can no " longer be obstinately persevered in. You should re- " store the governing power into the hands of the sovereign, " and so lay a foundation on which Japan may take its " stand as the equal of all other countries. This is the " most imperative duty of the present moment, and is the " heartfelt prayer of Y6d6. Your Highness is wise " enough to take this advice into consideration." He then despatched his retainers Terauchi Sazen and Got6 Sh6jir5 to advise the Shogun to resign the reins of power. The Shogun from this time frequently summoned Got6 and , Komatsu of the Satsuma clan to his castle of Nij6 to dis- cuss politics with perfect freedom, and both of them per- sistently advocated the formation of an imperial Govern- ment. ^1 The Sh6gun became convinced of its expediency, and drew up a document for communication to his vassals. It said: "When I contemplate the changes which have " come about in the political condition of the Empire, it " appears to me that when the imperial authority decayed " many centuries back, the power was seized by the Fuji- " wara family. During the wars of Hogen and Heiji " (1156-1159) it passed into the grasp of the Military " Class. My ancestor was a recipient of especial favours " at the hands of the Emperor, and during over two hund- "red years his descendants have enjoyed the same favours " successively. Although I hold my ancestor's office, there 81 "has been great mal-administration of the government anil " of the penal laws, the result being the present state of " affairs. This is the effect of my want of virtue and I can- " not sufficiently deplore it. It appears to me that the laws " cannot be maintained in face of the daily extension of " our foreign relations, unless the government be conducted " by one head, and I propose therefore to surrender the " whole governing power into the hands of the Imperial " Court. This is the best I can do for the interests of the "Empire in this moment, and I call upon you all to give " your opinion as to the advisability of this course." Al- though none of the samurai made any open opposition, some of them were secretly dissatisfied. > On the 19th of November, the Sh6gun eventually sent in a memorial offering his resignation to the Mikado. This was accepted in considerate language, and he was informed that he was desired to carry on the administra- tion as heretofore, with the exception of directing the actions of the daimios, which question would be decided as soon as the prince of Kaga and thirty-three other great princes should arrive at Kioto. A proclamation was then issued throughout the country notifying the Shogun's resignation of the governing power. The princes who were under obligations to^the Tokugawa family advised the Imperial Court not to take the direction of affairs upon its shoulders without due consideration, and the Court began to feel distrust in its own capacity. It was said by some people that a secret understanding existed between Toku- gawa Naifu (the ex-Sh6gun), the In no Miya and the Kuambaku, that his retainers were acting in concert with the latter, and that the vacillation of the Court was due to these causes. Hereupon the Court nobles and the samurai of Satsuma, Tosa and other clans, who had been agitating for a return to the ancient regime of the Mikados, said to themselves : " See how the Court conducts itself, " at the very moment when the affairs of the Empire seem 82 "on the point of being 1 settled. The opportunity will " be lost." They proceeded to infuse tbeir vehement opinions into the councils of the Court, which began to bestir itself. 1868. On the 3rd of January 1868, an order was suddenly issued by the Imperial Court, dismissing the Aidzu clan from the guardianship of the Palace gates, and substituting the clans of Satsuma, Tosa and Geishiu. On the same day the In no Miya and Nij6 were dismissed, and the offices of Kuambaku and Shogun were abolished. Three kinds of offices, called S6sai, Gijo and Sanyo, were provisionally instituted, and various Court nobles (kuge), territorial princes (daimid), and samurai were appointed to fill them, and to carry on the administration. A decree was also issued announcing that the Government of the country was henceforth solely in the hands of the Imperial Court. Some time before this, whilst Tokugawa Naifu still held the office of Shogun, he, Shimadzu and three other princes had memorialized the Court with a view to the recall of the seven court nobles (who in 1863 fled to Cho- shiu), and the summoning of the house of Mori to the capital. These propositions being approved, the Bakufu sent for a member of the Mori family to communicate the order, whereupon M6ri Takumi arrived at Hiogo in Setsu, as the representative of the prince, at the head of eight hundred men, whom the Bakufu was desirous of locating at Ozaka. The commander, Yamada Ichinojo, and his lieutenant K6no Jiuro refused, and prepared to enter the capital without passing through Ozaka. As soon, how- ever, as the Government came into the hands of the Im- perial Court, it at once summoned the Choshiu clan to Kioto. The troops started immediately from Hiogo and arrived at Ki6to on the 5th of January. A decree was immediately issued by which all their honours and titles were restored to the members of the House of Mori, and 83 shortly afterwards the seven court nobles also re-entered i the capital. Although peace had been made between Tokugawa and Mori, it seemed as if the feeling of mutual hostility en- gendered by the war had not completely died out, and the Aidzu samurai, in particular, were dissatisfied. They were extremely unwilling to be considered on a level with the Ch6shiu men, and were highly offended at their pre- sence in the capital. Tokugawa Naifu himself was also bitterly mortified by the order to turn out his troops from the Palace which had been issued on the 3rd, and his r views undergoing a complete change, he at last summoned the Aidzu clan and others of his adherents to a council at the castle of Nij6. He then addressed them as follows : " Why has the policy of the Court altered thus in the last "few days? There must be some one who, in order to - / \LJ^C " succeed in a plot, is misleading the young Emperor." Annoyed at having been excluded from participation in the measures adopted on the 3rd, he informed the Court that he would act upon its previous order, and take charge of affairs ; that order having declared that everything should be determined by a council of princes to be as- sembled at the capital. The conduct of the Naifu in / sending up such a memorial after having surrendered the I governing power caused him to be regarded with general I distrust. The Palace at this moment was guarded by Satsuma, f'hoshiu, Tosa, Geishiu and various other princes, while the greater part of the Tokugawa family's troops occupied the castle of Nijo, and seemed to be keeping a keen watch on the movements of the others. The public feeling w;is very uneasy, and various rumours flew about. Some of the Tokugawa officers and men advised the Naifu not to submit tamely to the will of his opponents, but to occupy Ozaka in force, and so block up their line of communica- tions, which would enable him to control their actions. 84 The Naifu consented, and leaving- a letter behind for the Court, in which he pretended that he was going away to 6/aka in order to calm the passions of his retainers, sud- denly proceeded thither on the night of the 6th at the head of the troops, accompanied by the princes of Aidzu and Kuwana and Itakura Tga no kami (his chief adviser). The court considered this proceeding 1 so suspicious that it \ prohibited the clans of Kuwana and Aidzu from re-en- tering the capital. gf As soon as the news was brought to Yedo measures were actively taken for putting the city in a condition of defence. For some time previously the troops of Sakai Sayemon no J6 had patrolled the streets. It happened also that several hundred ronins had concealed themselves in the Satsuma yashiki situated in that quarter of the city called Shiba, and having formed themselves into a corps, were in the habit of sallying forth by night to plunder the richer citizens. On one occasion they also fired into the Sakai barracks, and a great commotion ensued. The Sakai troops, inflamed with anger, begged for leave to attack the Satsuma yashiki, and the matter being referred to Ozaka, it seemed to Tokugawa Naifu that the recent change in the councils of the Mikado was due to the influence of the Satsuma samurai, and that the same clan had no doubt been hounding on the ronins to disturb the peace of the Kuanto. He therefore sent orders to Yedo for the chastisement of the rioters. The Tokugawa officials proceeded to surround the Satsuma yashiki) burnt it, and made the whole band prisoners. From this moment the Tokugawa and Shimadzu were bitter enemies, and the Naifu sent up a memorial in which he complained of the robberies committed by the Satsuma clan in the Kuanto, and prayed the Mikado to dismiss all the samurai of that clan who had any share in the gov- ernment. The Court, however, took no notice of his re- presentations. 85 The Gijo and Sanyo then took counsel together, saying : " Although the Imperial family is now in possession of " the Goverment, it has no means of meeting its ex- " penses. The Tokuga'wa and other clans should be made " to contribute." The Mikado therefore ordered Owari Dainagon and Matsudaira Shungaku to go and talk over the Naifu, who was to be made a Gij6. They were ac- companied by Naruse Hayato no kami, Tanaka Fujimaro, Washidzu Kido and Menjiu Hiroshi, and proceeding to Ozaka communicated the wishes of the Court, offering at the same time to admit the Naifu to the Mikado's pre- ' sence. They also advised him under present circum- stances fb dismiss all feelings of resentment, and to bring but a small escort with him to Ki6to. If he felt uneasy about his safety, they, his relations, would guard Lira with their troops. The Naifu expressed his inno- cence of any treasonable intentions, and promised tp^ obey the Mikado's orders, but in his heart he disliked the pro- / posal. When he first went down to Ozaka, he had left Kondo Isami, leader of the corps called Shinsen-gumi, Hijikata Saizo, commander of the infantry, and others, at Fushimi, and at this moment the number of the eastern troops stationed in that town amounted to several thou- sands. Washidzu and his colleagues therefore remarked to Nagai Gemba no kami and Tsukahara Tajima no kami, who were in chief command, that us the Naifn, in obe- dience to the Mikado's orders, was about to appear at Court, it was absolutely necessary that the troops should be withdrawn from Fushimi, and they enlarged repeatedly on the duty of submission. Nagai and his colleague were willing to comply, but they had not power to carry out their promise. On the 25th of January the two ex- princes of Owari and Echi/sen returned to Kioto and re- ported that Tokugawa Naifu had promised obedience to the Imperial orders, but they did this in ignorance of his / real intentions. 86 The same night the princes of Aidzu and Kuwana and their chief retainers assembled at Ozaka, and addressed the Naifu as follows : " No faith can be placed in the declara- " tions of the ex-princes of Owari and Echizen. If your " Highness determines to go, your servants will follow " even at the risk of their own lives. On this expedition " we will remove from the Emperor his bad counsellors, u and try the issue with them by the sword." Hereupon .the Naifu made up his mind, and determined to enter Kioto with the clans of ^LidziTahd Kuwana in the front of liis following. When this news reached the capital the public feeling was much excited. The Court sent the clans of Satsuma and Choshiu to lie outside the capital, and blocking up the Fushimi and Toba roads, to obstruct the advance of the eastern army. The leaders Ijichi Shoji (of Satsuma) and Yamada Ichinojo (of Choshiu) accepted the duty, say- ing : " Your servants have ascertained by means of spies u that strange things are on foot at 6zaka, and they "believe that a large force will endeavour to force its " way past the barriers. We pray, therefore, for leave to " act as the emergency may require." The Court gave them orders to the effect that, although Tokugawa Naifu was permitted to enter the capital, he could not be allowed to do so at the head of a large force. As for the clans of Aidzu and Kuwana, admission was to be absolutely denied to them, and instructions were given to them to act according to circumstances. The commanders then bade their men to make preparations for resistance, and quietly to await the course of events. The Kioto forces at this moment numbered some six thousand five hundred men, while the eastern army was reported to be thirty thousand strong. Sakuma 6mi no kami and Kubota Bizen no kami * headed the drilled troops on the Tokugawa side, while the troops of Takamatsu, Hamada, and other princes * Formerly commander of the Japanese garrison at Yokohama. Hibject to the ex-Shugun acted as a reserve. The clans of Aidzu and Kuwana inarched in the van, and were ready to advance by the Fushimi and Toba roads. On the 27th the messengers of the House of Tokugawa came to the barriers which had been placed on both roads and asked leave to pass, which was refused by the sentries. The messengers then said : " Our prince is going to Court " by the order of the Mikado, and if you venture to ob- " struct his passage he will force his way through." Hav- ing said this they departed, and then the great force began to approach. The Kioto forces, seeing that matters had come to a head, discharged their artillery, to which the easterners replied with a volley from their muskets. The ordnance thundered for a while, but the Kioto forces eventually put the enemy to flight. At this moment a fire broke out in the town of Fushimi, and the easterners came again by both roads to attack the Kioto forces, who defended themselves vigorously. After having lost several killed and wounded both combatants retired from the field about six in the evening. At midnight spies were sent from the Kioto side to see what the enemy who had advanced by the Toba road might be doing, and they returned with information that lie was quartered there and was taking food. Orders were given to surprise him, and the easterners, entirely losing their presence of mind, flung down their weapons and fled. The reserves, however, coming up to their aid, the defeated troops plucked up courage, and rallied again to the fight. They charged fiercely into the Kioto forces, and threw them into disorder, but the captains Ichiki, Oyama and Goto, encouraging their men, met the attack and fell upon the left wing of the eastern army, which began to waver. The Kioto forces profited by this anil engaged them vigorously, so that the eastern army was at last defeated, but the three captains above-mentioned wen- killed. The Kioto forces withdrew at two p.m. (tor two a.m. .') from the field of batllr 88 At eight o'clock on the morning of the 28th the two armies fought again on the Fushimi and Toba roads. The Ki6to party had placed some skirmishers in a bamboo thicket at the side of the Toba road. When the eastern army pressed up along the two roads in great force, the Kioto troops opposed them with energy, Yamada Magoi- chir6 and Ijiu-in Kinjiro distinguishing themselves by their courage. At last the enemy was put to flight on the Fushimi road, while from Toba he advanced with greater determination than ever, and his ferocity was terrible. Some of the rebels' bullets actually struck the gold brocade standard of the Mikado, which the commander-in-chief, Prince Ninnaji, had ordered to be carried before him as he advanced. At this moment the men in ambush fired a simultaneous volley from the thicket, and the bullets fell in the centre of the rebels as thick as hailstones, laying- low immense numbers of them. The loyal forces M on the road profited by this opportunity to charge the rebel van, which scattered in all directions, the fugitives tramping on the dead and dying in their hurry to escape. Imme- diately afterwards fires broken out in the village of Toba, and the rebels retreated to the town of Yodo. In this engagement Sakuma 6mi, Kubota Bizen and many other rebel officers were killed, while the loyal forces lost Kajiki, Hiraoka and some twenty or thirty more. At dawn on the 29th the loyal army attacked Yodo, which the rebels defended from the other end of the bridge. The loyal forces then directed a steady artillery fire against the town, to which the rebels replied. Neither party seeming willing to advance, the rebels lodged a corps of one hundred spearmen in the rushes by the side of the river, and a party of musketeers was sent out to provoke an attack from the loyal army, but the latter, knowing of the embuscade, did not move. But a Captain (50) The common Japanese expression is Kuan-gun, of which ' Go- vernment army' would be the most literal rendering, but ' loyal army, is a more convenient equivalent for ordinary nse. 80 named Isliikawa Wakasa no suke said : " We shall ! " laughed at if we lose a good chance hecause we see dan- " ger," and with these words, he attacked the rebels at the head of a small number of musketeers. The rest were excited by the example, and shouting- out : " We must not " sacrifice our troops to the enemy for nothing'," followed the others eag-erly. Upon this this the men in ambush arose to right and left of them, and the musketeers came on again in large numbers. Ishikawa, Ito and Nakajima were killed, but Yamada, Ijiu-In, Fujimura, Miura and other captains, rousing their men to the same height of enthusiasm as they were themselves animated by, charged the foe, whose ranks began to fall into disorder. Their men then raised a shout and finally succeeded in routing the rebels. They took the castle of Yodo about noon, while the rebels retiring in a body held Hashimoto. 2- The Tsu clan (from Ise) had been holding the barrier at Yamazaki in the interests of the eastern army, but an envoy was sent to them by the Mikado, who enlarged upon the duty of obedience and talked them over. In obedience to tbe Mikado's orders they admitted the loyal forces, but the rebels at Hashimoto (on the opposite bank of the river) knew nothing of their defection. 3 On the 30th the loyal forces prepared to attack Hashi- moto. On the preceding day the rebels had wished to occupy the castle of Yodo, but the samurai of that clan refused to admit them, and they were forced therefore to find lodgings in the town. When the loyal forces arrived at the castle, they suspected the clan of siding with the enemy, and reproached them, upon which they related how they had repelled the rebels, in order to prove their sincerity. The Yodo troops were then placed in the van, and an attack was made on Hashimoto, which the rebel army stoutly defended, until a flank fire of artillery was opened upon their head quarters from the redoubt at Yamazaki, by which a large number of them were killed. 90 The whole array broke and fled, pursued by the loyal forces, down to Ozaka. Before this, news of the daily de- feats had been received there, and Tokugawa Naifu, the princes of Aidzu and Kuwana, Itakura Iga, Ogasawara Iki and the rest of the officials had betaken themselves in I a hurry^on board of a man-of-war, in which they fled east- \ wards. The castle of Ozaka was burnt immediately after- Iward. W\ On the 2nd of February Prince Ninnaji no Miya ad- vanced and entered 6zaka. In this short campaign the Satsuma clan had one hundred and fifty men killed, in- cluding 1 Ijiu-In Yoichi, while the Choshiu clan lost Kata- yama Kinjiro and one hundred and twenty more. These large losses arose from the fact of these two clans alone having- been opposed to an enemy far superior in numbers, but their reputation for valour rose immensely. ^ The loyal forces having- thus achieved a great victory sent detachments against Takamatsu and other clans, in order to bring 1 the whole of the neighbouring' provinces into order, and to enforce obedience. All the clans chang- ed their policy and submitted. 'I^When the eastern forces first occupied the castle of JNijn the Court Nobles had been in dire state of fright, dreading 1 lest hostilities should be commenced in the capital itself, but they were considerably relieved when the ex-Shogun made his retre.it to Ozaka. The commanders Ijichi Shoji and Yamada Ichinojo, and the lieutenant Kono Jiuro, were dissatisfied, and said to themselves : " Since ancient " times nearly all attacks on Kioto have been successful. " The Eastern army has retreated for no good purpose. "They intend to occupy Ozaka, cut off our means of ob- " taining supplies, bring- the troops of Kuanto up by the u T6kaid6, and then by blockading Hiogo with their fleet, " to catch us like rats in a cage." So they resolved upon sending troops to the provinces of Tajima, Tamba and Tango, to seize that tract of country, and to retreat thither 01 for a while, if the necessity arose, and there lay their plans for a second attempt. Hardly had they arrived at this determination when the war broke out, and they at once despatched thither a body of three hundred picked men under the command of a court noble named Saionji Chiu- nagon, but victory declaring- itself on the side of the Mi- kado the necessity for a retreat did not arise. At the same time the presence of Saionji in those parts had a good effect in determining the local daimios to submit. The / public praised the completeness of the Imperial tactics. Three thousand Kishiu troops had been encamped at the temple of Tennqji, close to Ozaka, and when the war broke out their leaders secretly despatched a messenger to the loyal army to ask for instructions. The councillors at-war deliberated, saying: "Although the loyalty of the Ki- " shiu clan is well-known, the prince is a relative of the "ex-Shogun, and we cannot be sure of his intentions. The "best plan would be to send them away from Ozaka back " to their native province." This decision being reported by the messenger, the Kishiu troops returned home. Ili- kone, Ogaki and other clans had already joined the royal army, and by this time all the princes of the centre and >/ west of Japan supported the Mikado. It is said that when the proposal was made to return to the ancient form of Government by the sovereign, Saigo Kichinoske, who was behind the_ scenes, disapproved of the use of force, and that the war was caused by the change which the policy of the Tokugawa family went at a critical moment. The public remarked freely upon the fact that the Naifu had acted contrary to his own convic- tions. /f f On the 5th of February the Court deprived Tokugawa Naifu and his followers of all their honours and dignities, and published a proclamation throughout the country, saying, " After Tokugawa Keiki retired to Ozaka upon a " certain pretence, the ex-princes of Owari and Echizen 91? " were sent thither to summon him to Kioto, in order to " come to an arrangement. Keiki had already been for- " bidden to enter Kioto with a large train. He declared, " however, that he would come to Court, with the clans of " Aidzu and Kuwana at the head of his following-, and " actually approached the capital. This was not obedience " to the Mikado, and was, in fact, an attack upon His " Majesty. The loyal forces resisted his advance in the * environs of the capital, and hostilities broke out. Keiki " still continued to place his vassals in the field, and for " several days in succession fired upon the imperial stand- " ard. Having been defeated he has fled to the east, but " he cannot escape the consequences of his criminal at- " tempt to deceive the Imperial Court. It has therefore " been resolved to send a large army to subdue his ter- " ritories." All the clans were called upon to furnish troops and Prince Arisugawa was appointed Commander- in-Chief of the Army of Chastisement, a brocade banner and a sword of justice being- granted to him. o At this moment all the foreign representatives were at Kobe, whence they issued a declaration of neutrality on the 18th of February, and proclaimed to their countrymen resident there, saying : " A civil war is about to break out " between the eastern and western portions of Japan. The " people of our nations must not help either party, nor sell " arms to them." This was because the Tokugawa affair was not yet settled. END OF VOL. II. VOLUME III. The governing- power having 1 now reverted to the Im- perial Court, it took steps to inform the foreign represent- atives of the fact that Kioto would henceforth be the seat of the Japanese Government. This announcement was received with due submission, and the representatives then said : " During the last few years some forty or fifty of " our countrymen have been killed by yours, and inex- " pressible grief has been caused by these acts. As the "sovereign has now freshly assumed the ruling- power, " let him give an order throughout the country prohibiting " such deeds." The court thereupon issued a general pro- clamation. But there were still many in the country who hated foreigners, and on the 8th of March, some Tosa men fired on sixteen French sailors at Sakai in Idzumi, killing some and wounding others. Already a Bizen man had assassin- ated a Frenchman at Kobe in Setsu, 51 and this together with the more recent affair excited the anger of the French Minister, who accordingly made five demands on the Go- vernment. Firstly, that a high officer of the Government should go on board the French man-of-war to make an (51) This affair occurred on the 4th February. The Frenchman said to have been ' assassinated' only received a slight wound, and an Ameri- unaii was shot through the body. As the attack was directed jienorally upon all the foreigners who happened to be in the street at the tinip flic Foreign Representatives demanded that capital punish- ment should be inflietC'l on the officer who had given the order to fire. 94 apology. Secondly, that no Japanese officer should be allowed to enter the foreign settlements with swords on. 52 Thirdly, that an indemnity of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars should be paid. Fourthly, that the Go- vernment should make a written apology. Fifthly, that the Japanese soldiers who were implicated in this murder- ous act should be capitally punished. He also insisted on the acceptance of these demands within three days, threaten- ing that if this limit were exceeded he would resort to other measures. The Government was at this moment deeply engaged in reorganizing the administration, and feeling also that the wrong was on the side of Japan, at once ac- cepted four 53 of the five articles. Sixteen Tosa and Bizen men were arrested and decapitated on the 18th March. 51 Thus the matter was settled. The ex-Prince of Uwajima and Higashi-Kuze Shosho had already informed the foreign Representatives at Ozaka that a Department of Foreign Affairs having been formed with themselves placed at its head, they desired hence- forth to act in concert. Also, that the Mikado wished to see the Representatives at Kioto before long. The Representatives replied that they had been informed that an expedition was about to be sent against the House of Tokugawa, and that they proposed to return at once to Yokohama to provide for the safety of their countrymen. If the Mikado wished to see them the matter could be arranged at once. They requested, therefore, that a day might be fixed. Higashi-kuze answered that he and his colleague would be responsible for the safety of the foreigners at Yokohama and Hakodate. The Representa- (52) The second demand was that Tosa troops should not enter any of the open ports. (53) Was the second demand not insisted on? The Parliamentary Papers do not mention its having been withdrawn. (54) The Bizen officer was executed on the evening of March 3rd; eighteen Tosa soldiers and two officers were likewise condemned to suffer death, and the sentence was duly carried out in the case of eleven of their number, the other nine being reprieved at the request of the French Authorities, This was on the 16th March. 90 lives need be under no apprehensions on that score. The Representatives responded that nevertheless they could not wait long. Upon this the Court, after debating, fixed a day. Some persons remarked that to invite the bar- barians to the Palace would cause public comment, but one of the Sanyo laughed and treated the idea with contempt. On the 23rd as the English Representative was going to Court some ronins suddenly made an attack on him, and wounded some of his escort. The Japanese officials and the English guards repelled the attack, and killed the ronins, so that nothing serious resulted. The Representa- tive, however, returned home without going through the ceremony. During the same month, in order that the nature of its intended policy might be understood, the Court proclaimed throughout the country that foreign relations would be continued. This was in accordance with the precedent contained in the Imperial sanction given to the Treaties in the preceding reign. On the 24th M the English Representative had an inter- view with the Tenno, and the Dutch, American and French Representatives were presented after him. They con- gratulated His Majesty on the magnificence of the Im- perial rule, and gave renewed promise of friendly rela- tions. It is said that when the K6be and Sakai affairs occurred the functionaries were much troubled in their minds, lamenting the uncertain future of the Empire. But now foreign affairs had been settled, the home provinces were quiet, and the samurai and lower classes of the capital gave themselves up to rejoicing. About this time the Councillor of State Okubo address- * ed a memorial to the Mikado, saying : " Although Your " Majesty's forces have been victorious in the battles of (55) The English Minister had his audience of the Mikado on the 26th March, the French and Dutch Ministers having been presented on the 23rd. The American Minister did not visit Kioto with hi* colleagues, aud was therefore not presented on his occasion. " Fushimi and Tobu the ringleader of the rebels has made u his escape. The dispositions of the various clans are " uncertain, and our relations with foreign countries are " not on a satisfactory footing'. Extreme measures are " necessary in a crisis. Since the middle ages our Em- " peror has lived behind a screen, and has never trodden " the earth. Nothing- of what went on outside his screen "ever penetrated to his sacred ear; the imperial resi- " dence was profoundly secluded, and naturally unlike the " outer world. No more than a few court nobles were " allowed to approach the throne, a practice most opposed " to the principles of Heaven. Although it is the first duty " of man ^o respect his superior, if he reveres that su- " perior too highly he neglects his duty, while a breach is " created between the sovereign and his subjects, who are " unable to convey their wants to him. This vicious " practice has been common in all ages. But now let " pompous etiquette be done away with, and simplicity " become our first object. Kioto is in an out-of-the-way " position, and is unfit to be the seat of government. Let " His Majesty take up his abode temporarily at Ozaka, " removing his capital thither, and thus cure one of the " hundred abuses which we inherit from past ages. This " seems to me to be a matter of great urgency, and I " humbly pray your wisdom to decide this without loss of " time." This memorial produced a lively effect on the Court, and to the advice contained in it the subsequent removal of the Mikado to Yedo was no doubt due. During the same month the public notice boards throughout the country were taken down and replaced by new ones. The castle of Nij6 had been converted into an office for the Council of State (Da-jo-kari), where its members met to decide upon what measures should be adopted. The Mikado proceeded thither in person and, in the presence of the assembled Court nobles and the territorial princes, 97 tuuk an oath. By this oath he promised that a deliberative assembly should be formed, and all measures be decided by public opinion; that the uncivilised customs of former times should be broken through, and the impartiality and justice displayed in the workings of nature be adopted as a basis of action; and that intellect and learning- should be sought for throughout the world, in order to establish the foundations of the empire. A discussion then ensued as to the best means of developing the resources of Yezo. Shortly afterwards the Mikado went down to Ozaka as the first stage in his personal campaign against the adherents of the fallen power, and inspected the fleet. During this time the loyal army was marching to the attack of Yedo by various roads. The troops of Satsuma, Kishiu, Choshiu, Todo, Bizen, Sadowara, Kameyama, Minakuchi, Omura, Inshiu, Higo and Echizen advanced along the Tokaido. Another detachment of Satsuma troops, with those of Inshiu, Tosa, and Ogaki advanced by the !S T akasend6. Reports of the approach of the loyal forces reached Yedo day after day. The retainers of the Tokugawu family and the samurai of the subject clans (Judai) met together in council of war. During the war at Fushimi and Toba a party 'had arisen in the two clans of Kishiu and Owari which advocated supporting the ex-Sh6gun, as head of the Tokugawa family, and placed itself in communication with Yedo. The ex-Prince of Owari, who was annoyed at this, having taken counsel with his retainers Kose Shintaro, Tamiya Joun, Tanaka Fujimaro, Washidzu Kid6 and Niwa Juntaro, issued a proclamation that loyalty must take precedence of affection for relatives. He inflicted death upon Watanabe Shinzaemon, Sakaki- bara Kageyu, Ishikawa Kuranojo, Terao Takeshiro, Tsukada Kakushiro and eight other ringleaders, besides confiscating the revenues of Suzuki Tango, Naruse' Buzen, and fifteen more; some of whom he threw into prison, 98 others being confined to their own houses. In this way the views of the whole clan were rendered uniformly loyal to the Mikado. On the other hand, those of the Kishiu clan who happened to be at Yedo bent all their efforts towards aiding the chief of the family, and took part in the plans of the Tokugawa retainers. Kondo Isami and his friends also happened to be there, and consultations were held day and night at the castle. Some proposed to send a force to occupy the pass of Hakone, while others sug- gested a naval attack upon Ozaka. These plans they pressed upon the attention of Keiki, and completely rob- bed him of his rest and appetite. But the ex-Shogun already repented of his late conduct, and animated by a spirit of respectful obedience, refused to entertain their proposals. He summoned Katsu Awa and Okubo Ichio to a private chamber, and then addressed a letter to his retainers, prohibiting them from resisting the imperial forces, and added that those who did so would be pointing their weapons against himself. Immediately afterwards he quitted the castle, and retired into voluntary confine- ment in the monastery of Kuanyeiji at Uyeno. Keiki's fanatical retainers were excessively disgusted with his submissiveness, and they all began to collect v troops with the intention of acting independently of him. Some of them fled into Hitachi and Kodzuke together with the Drilled Troops, and some into the province of Kai. The Tosa and Inshiu forces, having advanced from Shinano into Kai, had taken the town of Kofu, and the Tokugawa vassals there, entering into a plot with those who had run away from Yedo, erected a stockade at the town of Katsunama, and occupied the hills, harassing the loyal troops. The Tosa troops forced the stockade, and surprised the enemy's rear, on which the rebels destroyed all the bridges along the road, and constructing batteries out of gabions, resisted their advance. Upon the loyal forces attacking them with firearms, they set fire to the houses 99 of the common people, so as to prevent an advance. Un- able to overcome this obstacle, detachments of Tosa and Inshiu troops climbed the hills on both sides, attacked the rebels and succeeded in routing them, killing* or capturing nearly all. Leaving the town of K6fu in charge of the house of Sanada (Matsushiro) the Inshiu and Tosa forces pursued their march towards Yedo. During the course of this month the Satsuma, Choshiu and Ogaki troops arrived at Haniu in Musashi, and engag- ing the runaway troops assembled at Yamada, inflicted a severe defeat on them. They then advanced, and laid siege to the town of Oshi-no-Gioda. When the runaways first visited that town the clansmen had secretly given aid to them, and upon the approach of the Imperial forces, one of the commanders disembowelled himself by way of expiation, and the rest of the clan joined the Mikado's banner. Upon this the young noble Iwakura, who com- v manded the Nakasendo column, took up his quarters at the town of Itabashi (just outside Yedo). By this time the Prince Commander-in-Chief had ar- rived at the town of Sumpu on the T6kaid6 at the head of his forces, while Keiki, worn out by trouble and anxiety, was respectfully awaiting his commands in a small room at Uyeno. Rinnoji no Miya and the Shitto x Gakuo-In, moved by pity for him, proceeded to Sumpu and begged for mercy, while Kazu Miya and Tenshfi- In 57 also sent some of their women as messengers along the Tokaido. These envoys followed each other in rapid succession. Shortly follow the vanguard advanced to Shinagawa, whither at once came Katsu Awa to see Saigfi Kichinoske, M the military ad- viser of the royal army. Having fully explained the (56) Shitto was an office corresponding to the Soba-yonin, or man of business, of a daimio. (57) Widows of the Shogun lyemochi and lyesada. (68) Takamori is the name by which he is mentioned in the original, ^ but he is best known to both Japanese and foreigners by his common (zokumio) of Kichinoske. 100 submissive temper of Keiki, he begged that the loyal army would desist from making an attack. Katsu was an old acquaintance of Saigo's and repeated his visits frequently, using all the eloquence at his command in sup- port of his prayers. Saigo at last replied that he would leave the matter to the decision of the Miya Command- ing-in-Chief, and demanded material guarantees of good faith. Katsu promised to give these, and Saigo addressed a letter to the Miya Comrnanding-in-Chief, who after consulting with those about him, issued the necessary orders to the various divisions of the army. In this way Yedo was preserved from an assault, and was occupied by the loyal army, which took up its quarters in different parts of the town. On the 26th of April the Mikado's envoy made his entry into the castle of Yedo. The retainers of the Tokugawa family swept the roads clean and went forth to meet him in their best clothes. At the interview which took place between the envoy and Tayasti Chiuna- gon the former announced the Mikado's will, as follows : " Deliver up the castle, the men-of-war, and all your fire- arms. Condemn to a punishment one degree less severe than death those who aided Keiki in his rebellion, and report thereon. Keiki's life will be spared, and he must confine himself at the town of Mito." The Chiunagon signified his readiness to obey, but when the seditiously inclined members of the clan heard of the terms granted they absconded to the north-east in large bodies. After the lapse of three days Keiki retired to Mito. Aidzu Katamori had previously retired to his territory, while Itakura Iga, Ogasawara Iki and their friends had concealed themselves in the north-east. Some of the hereditary subject daimios of the Tokugawa family who were at Yedo went up to Kioto, while others retreated to their territories. The result w^ that the city became quiff deserted. 101 The samurai of Aidzu and the runaway troops had been engaged for some time in talking over the daimlos and rich inhabitants of Kadzusa, Shimosa Shimotsuke and Kodzuke, and had collected both money and pro- visions. They were joined by Midzuno Hiuga, the prince of Yuki, but Obata Heima and some others of his retainers, amounting to sixty men in all, adopted loyal views, and placing the prince's son at their head, expelled Hiuga and the runaway troops. Shortly afterwards Hiuga and the runaway troops attacked and took the castle, after having killed Obata and his party. The son fled and sought refuge with the loyal army, and the rebels began to show a formidable front. At this moment the troops of Hikone and other clans were in occupation of Utsunomiya, which the rebels, presuming upon their strength, formed the de- sign of taking. On the alarm being brought to Itabashi the Military adviser Kagawa Keijo, with Arima of the Satsuma clan, Soshiki of the Ch6shiu clan, Uyeda of the Tosa clan and others, advanced to Senji at the head of three hundred men. A detachment of rebels had occupied Nagare'yama, but upon being suddenly attacked by the loyal forces, found themselves unable to make a stand, and throwing away their weapons, took to flight. The loyal forces followed in pursuit and captured their leader Kond6 Isami, who was sent to Itabashi in a cage. This man had long been celebrated for his intrepid courage. In the winter of 1868, when the Sh6gun retired to Ozaka, he had commanded the van as far as Fushimi, where he final- ly remained to obstruct the passage of the loyal troops. When the war broke out he directed the movements of the troops, receiving a bullet-wound in the thigh, and upon the defeat of the Eastern army, accompanied it in its flight to Yedo. Having incited some of the Tokugawa retainers to proceed with him to Koshiu, he effected a junction with the local troops, and offered resistance to the Tosa and Inshiu forces at the town of Katsunuma, but 102 being defeated, fled with the men under his command to the vicinity of Yedo. The loyal forces, having- at last cap- tured him, put him to death, and sent his head preserved in sake to Kioto, where it was pilloried on the dry bed of the river close to Shij6. This was done because during the last few years he had to a great extent assisted in the counsels of the Aidzuclan at Ki6to. The rebel troops at Nagareyama having now been annihilated, Kagawa and Soshiki profited by their victory to advance into Shimotsuke and attack the castle of Yuki. Hiuga and the rebel troops with him abandoned the place and fled. Soshiki at once occupied the castle at the head of the troops of the Susaka clan, while Kagawa and the other commanders proceeded to Utsunomiya with the Hikone troops. Shortly afterwards the rebel leader Otori Keiske came to attack Yuki at the head of all his men, and having re-taken it, he made it the basis of his further operations. The loyal forces fled to Utsunomiya. On the 9th of May 6tori Keiske advanced to the town of Oyama at the head of two thousand men, and attacked the loyal army. The troops of Hikone, Akimoto, Ogaki and Kasama went out to meet him, but owing to the use made by the enemy of skirmishers, were unable to hold their ground. A Ch6shiu captain named Nambu and an Aki- moto captain named Ishikawa, besides others, lost their lives. At four o'clock in the afternoon the loyal army retreated to Utsunomiya, while the rebels took up their quarters at the town of Tochigi. In this engagement the Hikone troops suffered the greatest loss in killed and wounded. On the llth, before day-break, Otori Keiske made another attack on Utsunomiya at the head of his whole force. He was resisted by the troops of Matsumoto, Kurohane, Kasama, Mibu, Toki, Iwamurata, Susaka, Hikone, Ogaki and Utsunomiya, who met him outside the castle, but the rebels fought with such desperation that 103 the loyal forces were compelled to retreat and occupy the castle. At the same time another detachment of rebels advanced on their flank from Kanuma, while the Aidzu clan also advanced by the Sanno Pass, M and an united attack was now made on the castle. The noise of artil- lery resounded on all sides, until the loyal forces, becom- ing at last unable to continue the defence, abandoned the castle and dispersed. The daimio fled to Tatebayashi. Itakura Iga was in the castle, having some time previous- ly surrendered to the Hikone forces, and he fell into the hands of the rebels, in whose complete possession the town of Utsunomiya now was. The rebel leader, Otori Keiske, was an excellent strategist and manoeuvred his men with the greatest ease. Most of the troops at his disposal had been drilled by Frenchmen, so that their good discipline and valour caused much trouble to the loyal forces. The latter were accustomed to look upon him as equivalent to a whole nation of enemies. Although the clans of the neighbourhood had all joined the loyal forces after the battles of Oyama and Takei, their men were usually defeated by the enemy owing to their wearing armour and using only swords and * spears. The rebels were therefore enabled to occupy all the most important positions one after the other. An ap- peal for aid was therefore made to Itabashi and Yedo. The Imperial Court prepared to despatch reinforcements, and the order to march was given to the troops of Sat- suma, Ch6shiu, Ogaki, Tosa and Inshiu. They started forthwith, and, having effected a junction with the troops of the local clans at Mibu, attacked Utsunomiya in force on the morning of the 14th. The rebel forces issued forth from the castle to a distance of about one ri to resist the royal army, which advanced to engage them at (59) On the boundary of Mutsn and Shimotsuke, near a place called Ikari, between Wakamatsu and Utsunomiya. 104 Yasudzuka. Upon this the rebels suddenly tell upon the rear of the vanguard, composed of Satsuma and Ogaki troops, by a bye-road, and the bullets fell like hail, so that the loyal forces were almost routed. But a detachment of their fellow clansmen coming up to their aid from the town of Suzume-no-miya, they were enabled to rally, and finally put the rebels to flight. The latter then occupied the castle and the temples of Mi6jin and Hachiraan, whence they discharged their cannon, and the loyal forces surrounding them on all sides responded to their fire. The discharges from both sides shook the whole country round, and the smoke rose up to heaven in such volumes that no man could dis- tinguish his neighbour's face. At six o'clock in the even- ing the rebels still maintained their position and kept up a cannonade against the loyal troops, many of whom were killed and wounded. Kawada Sakuma, an Inshiu captain, became enraged, and said : " I am profoundly indignant " that so many of our soldiers should be lost for the sake " of a herd of rebels. We will exterminate them before " the sun sets and take the castle. Here, all of you exert " yourselves." So saying, he shouted loud, and endeavour- ed to inspire the rest with the enthusiasm he felt. The Inshiu troops were excited to desperation, and climbing up into the castle, captured one of its faces. At this mo- ment the general attack became fiercer, and the rebels giving way, the castle and both temples were deserted simultaneously by their occupants, who broke through the attacking line, and fled to Nikk6. By the time the loyal forces recovered the castle, the sun had set. It is said that the rebles were enabled to make such a deter- mined stand because deserters from neighbouring clans had joined them, and the loyal forces were sore fatigued after the assault. Even after this Otori Keiske made frequent sallies from the vicinity of Nikko. The Tosa troops encountered 106 him at Imaichi without any decisive result. Shortly after- wards the loyal forces inflicted a severe defeat on the re- bels, most of whom dispersed, and 6tori was compelled to take refuge in Aidzu with the few men who still remained to him. Some time earlier a number of runaway vassals of the Tokugawa family had taken up a position at Kisaradzu in Kadzusa, where they collected large quantities of provi- sions. The Miya Commanding-in-chief despatched troops to attack them, upon which they advanced to the town of Funahashi. At this moment the Bizen troops happened to be at Yawata ; those of T6d6 were at Kai- dzuka ; the Chikuzen men at Gi6toku, and the Sadowara troops at Kamagaya. Before dawn on the 15th of June the rebels suddenly sallied forth and attacked the quar- ters occupied by Todo and Bizen, to the great discomfiture of those clans. The rebels profited by the advantage thus gained to pour in a heavy fire, the two clans retreating as they fought. In this way the pursuit continued as far as the ferry at Ichikawa, where many of the clansmen were drowned in their hurry to reach the boats. As soon as the Sadowara troops heard the sound of artillery they started from Kamagaya, but were intercepted on their march by another rebel detachment. They concealed themselves in a field of millet, and throwing out skir- mishers, fired with steady aim at the rebels, many of whom fell. They then opened fire with a mortar and put the remainder to flight. At this moment the main body of the rebels had defeated the loyal forces at Yawata and Kaidzuka, and having quartered themselves at Funahashi, were taking their food. The Sadowara troops, after having ascertained this by means of spies, separated into three bodies ; one of which advanced along the seashore to the rear of Funahashi, while a second took the main road and the third proceeded along a bye- path. In this way they suddenly surprised the place, and 106 the rebels defended themselves in wild confusion. For- tunately the Chikuzen, T6d6 and Bizen troops came charging up, and they all attacked the rebels in conjunc- tion. As the latter fought in the most desperate manner, the loyal forces set fire to the town, and burnt their den. The smoke and flames filled the sky, and the rebels falling finally into confusion, fled in all directions. Three days after this all the runaway troops in Kadzusa had been annihilated. During this month Sanjo Sadaish6 was residing at Yedo in the quality of Kansasshi. The Imperial Court made Tayasu Kamenoske successor to the headship of the Tokugawa family, and the decree of investment was con- veyed to him by the Kansasshi. The reason of this pro- ceeding was that the ex-Shogun had already given satis- factory proofs of repentance. The value of the fief was however not yet determined, and his retainers murmured loudly. When Katsu Awa became so frequent a visitor to the loyal army, as before narrated, those who entertain- ed violent opinions had been offended with his proceedings, and hiid secretly plotted to assassinate him ; and when the castle, together with all the munitions of war, had after- wards to be given up, they were more displeased than ever. Hereupon they assumed the name of Shogitai (lity. the Bnnd which makes duty clear) and seized Toyeizan 61 . The chief members of the Tokugawa family had for generations been buried at Kuanyeiji, and it is also said to .have been intended for emergencies like the present. Having seized upon the person of Rinnoji no Miya, these seditious persons thought they could devise something. The Shitto Gaku6-In pretended to be perfectly qualified to judge of right conduct and duty, and taking upon himself to find fault with the late proceedings of the Imperial (60) This was a temporaiy office, created for the moment. It would be translated censor in China, but as there is no real English equivalent it is best to retain the native term. (61) The name of the park at Uyeno which contains the cemeteries of several of the Tokugawa ShQguns. It is also called Kuanyeiji. 10? Court, completely deceived the Miya, and obtained his sanction to the doings of the seditious ones. The Aidzu clan and samurai belonging to other clans of the Kuanto assisted with their moral support, and the seditious gained confidence. They invited men to enlist and repaired their arms. Many of the runaway troops, who had been hid- ing in Yedo since their defeat, and low fellows who were out of employment, spread the news and came to join, in hopes of filling their bellies for the moment. There is no law or order amongst a heterogeneous body of this sort (lit. a collection of tiles, an assemblage of rooks). When they walked forth for amusement they carried long swords in their girdles, wore high clogs, put on the airs of swash- bucklers, and swaggered as much as possible. The loyal troops wore a piece of brocade sewn on to their clothes as a mutual sign, and the inhabitants of the city used to ridicule them in secret, calling them ' shreds of brocade' (Kingire). If the Shoyitai met with a 'shred of brocade' in the streets, they immediately heaped all manner of insults upon him, or attacked and killed him with their swords. A large number of loyal soldiers were murdered in this way. The townspeople all feared the prowess of the Shogitai, who became highly elated, and the indignation of the troops of the various clans was so strong that they petitioned for leave to inflict chastisement. The Miya Commander-in-chief and the Kansasshi issued an order to the Tokugawa family to disband the troops col- lected at T6yeizan, but the Shdffitai refused to obey. The Imperial court then summoned Rinnoji no Miya, with the object of reasoning with him, but Gakiio-In interfered, and prevented him from attending. It then became neces- sary for the Court to issue orders for an attack to be made upon the Shogitai. Omura Masujiro, the chief director of Military Affairs, was taken into council, and it was he who assigned to the different divisions the points which they were to attack. Satsuma, Higo and Inshiu advanced 108 from Yujima, Ch6shiu, Hizen, Chikugo, Omura and Sa- dowara from Hongo, and besides these Bizen, T6do, Awa, Owari, Kishiu, Geishiu, and Chikuzen had various posts given to them. The rebels having heard of the plans, several hundred of them profited by the night of the 3rd July to make their escape. On the morning of the 4th, just as day was beginning to break, the loyal forces made a simultaneous advance upon Toyeizen. The rebels had previously taken quanti- ties of sake, and under its influence they made a vigorous charge out of the gate, which caused the loyal forces to retire on Hirokdji. 62 Under cover of a violent storm of rain and wind which prevailed at the time the latter fought with enthusiasm, and having finally made a breach at one corner of the Black Gate, put the rebels to fight. Gaku6- In and his friends were dismayed, and taking the Miya with them barely escaped with their lives by a bye-path, seeking concealment in the town. Another body of rebels had occupied Sanno Yama 63 , whence they fired down on loyal forces. The troops of Satsuma and other clans thereupon climbed into the trees, and fired up at them. The bullets of the rebels fell like hail, and a large number of men were knocked over, but the loyal forces kept on bringing up fresh men, and succeeded at last in driving the rebels from their position. The rebels then occupied the hondo (Chief Hall) of the monastery, and endeavoured to defend themselves, but the loyal forces set it on fire, com- pelling them to escape in a body. The loyal forces at Nedzu and Dango zaka were lying in wait, and completely annihilated them. During this engagement most of the part of the town in the immediate vicinity of Toyeizan fell a prey to the flames. The hondo continued to burn with increasing fierceness during the night, and the smoke and flames rose up to the sky; it was not till ten o'clock (62) The wide street leading up to the main gate. (63) An elevated spot in the grounds of Hiyeizen where stood a shrine to the Shinto daitv Sanno. 109 at night that the conflagration ceased. Fear fell upon all men, and the inhabitants of the city, when they saw the 1 shreds of brocade', communicated their awe to each other, so that the ' shreds of brocade,' at last commanded respect throughout Yedo. Shortly afterwards the Imperial Court fixed the amount of the Tokugawa fief. Seven hundred thousand koku of land in Suruga, Totomi, Oshiu and Dewa were granted to the clan, wHile the retainers were deprived of their titles. Before the amount of the fief was determined the retainers of the Tokugawa family had expected that three million koku would be granted, or two million at least, so that when the decree was issued they were filled with consternation, and all said that the Skogitai had really ruined the business. Some time before this Hayashi Shonoske, in concert with the runaways, had departed to his fief at the head of several hundred men, and now occupied the pass of Hakone. The Imperial Court despatched two of its Mili- tary Inspectors named Nakai and Mikumo to OdaAvara, to attack Hayashi and his companions with the troops of that clan ; but the Odawara people secretly aided Hayashi, and having killed Nakai, expelled Mikumo from the town. The Imperial Court immediately marched its armies against Odawara to demand satisfaction, to the great alarm of the clan, which found itself perfectly help- less. It put the ringleaders to death, and begged for mercy on the condition of attacking Hayashi and his com- panions, but the latter shortly afterwards escaped by sea to the north. The Imperial Court deprived Odawara of a portion of its territory, and pardoned its offence, after which the eight provinces of the Kuanto became quiet again. During this month the Court announced to the Toku- gawa family, that, as a special act of grace, it would take into its service the remaining retainers. This was fol- lowed by the submission of a large number of them, 110 Before this an expedition had been despatched to attack Aidzu. The troops of Kaga, Owari, Satsuma, Ch6shiu, Echizen, Matsushiro and Matsumoto advanced from the Echigo side, while other detachments of Satsuma and Ch6shiu, with the troops of Ogaki and Oshi-no-Gi6da, advanced by way of Shirakawa in 6shiu. The runaway soldiers of Tokugawa, together with the troops of Aidzu, Sendai, Tanagura, Nakamura and other clans, had occupied the castle of Shirakawa, and defended their position with vigour. The loyal forces engaged them hotly, and, after experiencing an average loss in killed and wounded, succeeded in taking the place. This was followed by the general submission of the surrounding district. Shortly afterwards the rebel army attacked Shirakawa in great force, and defeating the loyal forces, occupied the castle. About the same time some four hundred troops of the Mito clan, under the leadership of Ichikawa and Asaina, two of the ( wicked party,' joined the rebel army in Echi- go. The rebels were in occupation of the Castle of Na- gaoka, Ochiya and other places, and their strength was increasing daily ; but the loyal forces attacked them at Ochiya and put them to flight. Detachments were then posted at various points, some on the opposite side of the Shinano gawa, while others held the Enoki pass, Mi6ken and Kanagura yama. The Enoki pass is very steep ; on the left it commands the Shinano gawa, while on the right it lies close to Kanagura yama, in the direct road to Na- gaoka. This pass had hitherto been occupied by the rebels, but they were expelled from it by the Matsushiro and Owari troops. The loyal forces then advanced on Nagaoka from all sides, but the rebels fought stoutly for several days in succession, without the victory declar- ing itself for either side. After an interval of ten days, the rebels surrounded Mi6ken and the Enoki pass in great force, which places were defended by the troops Ill of Satsuma, Ch6sbiu, Owari and Uyeda. The loyal forces on the eastern bank of the river, being- thus cut off from their supports, were left alone in a position of great peril. The Military Counsellors Kuroda Ri6suke and Yama- gata Ki6ske picked out the best men from the troops on the right bank, and sent them to fall upon the rebels in front and rear. Profiting by the morning mists the cap- tains Miyoshi Guntar6, Hori Sentaro and Sakeda Jiuzae- mon started in command of two hundred Ch6shiu and Takata troops, ' with gags in their mouths,' M and cross- ed the river Chikuma gawa. Heavy rain had fallen for some weeks previously and the river was so swollen that the boats were nearly upset. The men had great difficul- ty in reaching the opposite bank, but landed without loss of time and attacked the rebel earthworks. Great confus- ion ensued, and the rebels hastily abandoned their posi- tion. The loyal forces then took possession of the artil- lery, and turned it on the rebels, several tens of whom fell. At the same moment three hundred men of the Satsuma and other clans crossed from Uyeshita mura, took a rebel redoubt, and put the occupants to flight. The rest of the forces then crossed the river, and the loyal troops from the Enoki pass and Mi6ken also hastening up, the rebel army fell into great confusion. The loyal troops then advanced simultaneously with drums beating, and the rebels, after burning the Castle, retreated to Tochio by a byeroad, taking the daimid of Nagaoka with them. The loyal army occupied the town at noon. Upon the news of the reverse at Shirakawa being brought to Yedo the Imperial Court despatched the troops of Inshiu, Bizen, Oraura, Yanagawa, Sadowara and Kasama as reinforcements, and upon their arrival joint attack was made by the whole army. The rebels were dismayed, and throwing down their arms took to flight. In the 6th month (July 20 Aug. 17) the castle was at (64)This isa Chinese metaphor, not warranted by Japanese practice. 112 last retaken by the loyal forces. The road to Shirakawa being very billy the possession of the place carried with it great advantages both for pffence and defence, and it was on this account that the two armies contested it so hotly. Having thus taken the castle of Shirakawa, the loyal forces proceeded to strengthen its defences, with the ob- ject of advancing on Aidzu with the least possible delay. The rebels on their side being strongly posted at the castles of Tanagura and Iwakidaira, they then separated into two divisions, one of which advanced by way of Hata, while the other took the high road. About day- break on the 12th August they closed in upon the castle of Tanagura, and after spending some time in bombarding it, captured it at two o'clock in the afternoon. The rebels thereupon concentrated their best troops at Iwakidaira, and they maintained such a bold front that the loyal army was almost unable .to advance. In the seventh month (Aug. 18 Sept. 15) the Military Adviser Kawada Sakuma and his officers determined on a plan for making the attack with the combined forces of all the clans. The Inchiu, Yanagawa, Sadowara and Bizen troops advanced by Yumoto ; another body of Yanagawa troops with those of Satsuma, Sh6shiu and Omura taking the Onahama road. Before dawn on the 30th August they approached Iwakidaira, but the rebels having obtained information beforehand, had left the castle and thrown up a battery about a ri distant. The Inshiu, Yanagawa, and other troops nevertheless attacked and put them to flight, after which they advanced to- wards the castle. The rebels had erected a stockade outside the gate and discharged a volley of musketry from behind it on the Yanagawa troops, but the latter made a spirited attack and forced their way in. The Satsuma troops also captured the outer ring of the castle. Still the rebels kept up an artillery fire from the other end of the bridge. A hundred and fifty Yanagawa men 118 crept secretly along the beams which supported it and suddenly tell on the right wing of the rebels, while others of the loyal troops advanced along the bridge. The rebels now gave way and retreated into the keep, followed closely by the loyal forces, who attacked them in their stronghold. The defence was stout, and the thunder of the artillery resounded on all sides, enough to crumble heaven and earth into ruins. As night had come on, the loyal army withdrew to a secure position outside the castle, intending to renew the attack on the following day, but about twelve o'clock in the night flames burst out in the keep with great violence, and when the loyal forces hastened together to the spot, they could not find a single rebel soldier. During the fight of the previous day the rebels had resisted to the utmost of their strength, and had exhausted nearly all their powder ; but before their resistance had lasted twelve hours the loyal forces had assembled on the outside of the castle. They recognized the consequent uselessness of trying to continue the defence, and therefore fled eastwards along the seashore- road, after setting fire to the castle. The loyal forces thus obtained command of the whole neighbourhood. Iwaki- daira is famed for having a stronger position than any other place in Oshiu or Dewa ; it is convenient to defend but difficult to attack. To this cause was ascribed the fact that the loyal forces lost more than the rebels in killed and wounded. At this moment Ninnaji no Miya, accompanied by the two Court nobles Saionji and Mibu, was in Echigo at the head of the forces, having been appointed commander-in- Chief of the Expedition for the chastisement of Aidzu. The army occupied Nagaoka, and was engaged in throw- ing up earth works in the vicinity. On the side of the rebels also great activity was desplayed in the construc- tion of fortifications close opposite, which were manned by runaway Tokugawa soldiers, and by the troops of the 114 Aidzu, Yonezawa, Nagaoka and other clans, and they completely blocked up the roads. Cannonading went on every day without any decisive result. A council of war was held by the loyal forces on the 10th of September, at which it was decided to break through the rebel lines and to march on Aidzu. The points at which each divis- ion was to attack were duly laid down, and as it had been reported that another division of the loyal forces had landed from a large war vessel somewhere in the territory of Shibata, the whole army lay down to take a slight sleep, with the intention of taking the field on the morrow at day-break. The rebels were however perfect- ly acquainted with this plan, and in the middle of the night they sent a body of picked troops to attack the most exposed earthworks. Profiting by the disorder created amongst the loyal troops by their vigorous musketry and artillery fire they advanced upon Nagaoka, the garrison of which, on hearing the sound of firing, supposed it to be a signal that their own side was attacking the rebels, and made ready to march. Soon fires burst out in all directions and the sound of firing gradually approached ; and they were astounded when the scouts reported, say- ing : ' the rebel troops have advanced to the attack.' The rebels arrived immediately afterwards, and falling violent- ly on the loyal troops, inflicted a severe defeat on them. Following up their advantage, they pursued the fugitives and hurled them into the river. A large number of the loyal troops were thus killed. Shortly afterwards the day broke, and the rebel troops succeeded in recovering Nagaoka. From the moment of the capture of this town by the loyal army the towns-people had been in constant communication with the rebel forces, and kept them daily informed of what went on in the loyal army, and on the occasion of this battle they had been particularly useful in this way, which was believed to be the cause of the mark- ed success of the rebels. 115 On the 12th, one part of the loyal army collected at the Enoki pass and at Mi6kenzaka, while the other occu- pied the left bank of the Shinano gawa. They busied themselves in constructing batteries on the edge of the river, and in fighting the rebels. The latter prepared to cross the river in great force and to come to close quarters, and the loyal army had great difficulty in maintaining its ground. Some proposed to retreat over the Mikuni pass in order to elude the rebels while they were fresh, and attack them when they became exhausted, but the mili- tary adviser Yamagata replied : " To retreat a single step " at the present junction would be simply encouraging " the rebels, while every step we take in advance dis- " concerts their plans. Why need we consider that " our strategy has failed because of a single reverse ? " I am informed that tbe Shirakawa army has already "taken possession of the surrounding country and is daily " forcing its way further into Mutsu and Devva. I am of " opinion that these slaves must look to their rear, and " that they cannot long hold out. Do you gentlemen "strive your hardest." A plan for renewing the attack was then determined on, while the rebels, rendered com- placent by their victory of the previous day, were gradually relaxing their vigilance. At day-break on the morning of the 15th tbe loyal forces profited by a dense fog to reconnoitre the rebel camp from Mioken, and ascertained that the rebels were still asleep. Upon this they drew their swords, and rushed in, hacking about them on all sides, and killing several tens of the rebels. They then poured in a vigorous fire with their muskets, and the blood of the defeated rebels dyed the earth. The loyal forces then appeared on all sides, and advanced on Nagaoka with shouts, throwing the rebels into complete confusion. Having fired the town in every quarter, they opened fire with the artillery, and the dis- mayed rebels fled out of the place, which the loyal army \ 116 succeeded in occupying. Those of the inhabitants who had been in communication with the rebels were arrested without exception, and condemned to death. The town of Nagaoka had been so frequently fired by the soldiery since the fifth month (June 20 July 19) that the castle and streets had been almost entirely destroyed, leaving nothing but a wide and desolate waste. During this month the name of Yedo was changed to T6ki6. 65 A short time before these events three commanders of the Aidzu expedition, namely the Court nobles Kujo, Sawa and Daigo, had proceeded by different roads into Mutsu and Dewa, accompanied by eighty Satsuma and Ch6shiu soldiers, to assume the direction of the clans in those provinces, but most of the clans mistrusted them, and they were unable to enforce their orders. The troops of Akita, Tsugaru and Ikoma alone obeyed them. When the Aidzu clan first withdrew to its territory, it commenced making preparations for war, and the prince of Shonai also gave orders to his clan to give secret moral support to Aidzu. The Akita and Ikoma troops consequently had several encounters with Shonai, in which they were usually defeated. Shortly afterward the runaway Tokugawa soldiers, in combination with ^deserters from Sendai and the Shonai troops, invaded the territory of Akita, which complained to Kuj6, who, with Daigo, was at this moment at Sendai. The Sendai and Yonegawa clans, on receiving orders to join the expedition against Aidzu, had despatched troops to the frontier, where they received letters from Aidzu imploring their pity. They consequently withdrew their troops, and having assembled (65) Or Tokei, another pronunciation. It is possible that this change, apparently so unnecessary, was made in order to facilitate the Mikado's removal from Kioto, by familiarizing the people with the idea of two capitals, an eastern and a western one. Though the name Kioto has been retained as the official designation of the ancient residence of the sovereign, it is more often called Saikio, or Western capital, by all classes, in contradistinction to Tokio, thus proving that the object, if ther6 was one, has been attained. 11? a conference at Shiraishi of Nauibu, Niwa, Miharu and seven other clans, entered into a league, the object of which was to obtain the pardon of Aidzu, as set forth in a joint petition which they addressed to Kuj6. The Mili- tary Counsellors replied : u If Aidzu sincerely wished to " beg pardon for his Offence, he would give material proof " of submissiveness by surrendering his castle and hand- " ing over his arms. But instead of acting thus, he has " detached troops to the castles in the neighbourhood, and " is straining even now to strengthen his defences, thus " offering resistance to the Loyal Army. At the same " time he sends in letters, palliating his errors and im- " ploring pity. Is" this the proper way to ask pardon for "offences'? And do the clans consider this right? We " have also heard that samurai of the Sendai and other " clans have secretly joined the rebel army in large numbers." They therefore rejected the letter without tnking any notice of it, and gave orders to march the troops against Aidzu. Sendai, Yonezawa and the other clans were decidedly unwilling to obey, and the seditious clans- men grew angry, saying : "The generals were willing to " grant our request, but the Military advisers have inter- " fered and prevented their doing so. They make use of " the Imperial Court as a tool for the execution of their " own schemes, and their treasonable practices will be " punished as they deserve." They then assassinated the Military adviser Serata, and published a list of the crimes of which they accused him, in order to stir up Nambu and the other clans to resistance. Great excitement was the result, and the clans took counsel together to aid Aidzu in concert. The commotion spread far and wide. Kujo and his com- panions thereupon quitted Sendai and came to Morioka, but as this clan had joined the league, the soldiers carried off Kujo and Daigo, and took refuge in Akita, where they found Sawa. Having consulted together they despatched a secret messenger to Yedo with information of the alarm- 118 ing state of affairs. The Imperial Court was profoundly alarmed. All the daimios of Mutsu and Dewa were deprived of their titles, and orders having 1 been issued to chastise them, troops were moved forward in increasing numbers. Rinnoji no Miya and Gakuo-In, who had absconded some time before, were in the north, and they now entered Sendai, where they were acknowledged by the clan. The confederated clans became more confident, J *and breaking off all relations with the loyal army, at last advanced upon Akita. This clan, left entirely to itself, was in imminent danger of being defeated and crushed, but the troops of Satsuma, Tosa, Hizen, Shimabara and Hirado arrived shortly afterwards, and the loyal army recovered its strength in a great measure. Kujo and the others, finding themselves surrounded by enemies anil obliged to wander about and undergo all sorts of hardships, had been in a very uncomfortable position, so that they now felt as -if they had been restored to life. The loyal army in Akita, being now recruited, daily made excursions into the neighbourhood, which conse- quently had to submit. The other divisions also daily advanced further into the enemy's territory, and captured both Nihommatsu and Miharu. The troops of Sendai, Nambu, Yonezawa and Shonai made an obstinate resist- ance, but the loyal army, after some hard fighting, suc- ceeded in taking Komagamine in the Sendai territory. At the same time detachments were sent by the different divisions to attack Nambu, Yonezawa and Sh6nai, but the rebels resisted so sturdily that the loyal army met with frequent reverses. But not long afterwards the rebels began to feel dishearted at the defeats which they had sustained in Echigo and at Shirakawa, while the loyal army was everywhere triumphant, and began to close in upon Sendai and the other three clans. In the eighth month (September 16 October 15) Kayo no Miya was deprived of his patent of nobility. This 119 Prince, who harboured schemes of his own, had been in communication with the Kuant6 from the time of Toku- gawa Keiki's flight to the east, and had sent secret mes- sengers to him. Keiki, however, rejected his overtures, and returned no answer. When the Prince's intrigues were discovered, he was banished to Geishiu. Kay6 no Miya is the same person as the In no Miya. During- Keiki's residence in Mito fighting continued to go on in the immediate vicinity, and it was falsely rumoured that the seditious intended to seize his person; so that he had reason to fear new complications. The retainers of the Tukugawa family being now settled on the - fief in Suruga, Keiki sent in a memorial, praying for leave ^ to remove to Sumpu, and the Imperial Court granted his I request. He at once removed thither, and remained there in strict seclusion. During this month Enomoto Kamajir6, Matsudaira Taro and Arai Ikunoske, with Nagai Gemba at their head, carried off the Kaijo, Kaiten, Banriu, Shinsoku, Chokei, Oye and H6g6, seven vessels in all, from the Shinngawa anchorage. The Imperial Court had at first intended to take possession of all the war-vessels .belonging to the Tokugawa family, but Enomoto and his friends petitioned to be allowed to keep them, so that the Court was obliged to be content with the Fujiyama and three others, be- stowing the Kaiyo Maru and the rest upon the Tokugawa family. Enomoto was a skilled navigator, and the officers under his command were also experienced in their pro- fession. The Kaiyo Maru, of which he was captain, car- ried twenty- six guns, and the engines were of 400 horse- power; she was solidly constructed and well-equipped, and had the reputation of being the finest vessel in Japan. Presuming on the possession of such a ship, the naval men had constantly found fault with the submissiveness of the chief of the clan. When the Drilled Troops deserted from Yedo, Enomoto, who happened to be lying off Shinagawa, 120 secretly entered into combination with them, anil they promised to assist each other when the opportunity should arrive. When he and his co/npanions heard of the rising of the confederated clans in Mutsu and Dewa they took counsel tog-ether, saying: "Who in the empire can resist " us, being in command of such powerful war- vessel ? It " will be perfectly easy for us to roarn at will over the " sea, and lend aid to the land forces." So they sent in a letter to the Court, in which the necessity of pacifying the crews was given as the pretext for leaving, and then departed. The Tokugawa family sent a despatch-vessel in pursuit, but being unable to overtake them, handed in the letter to the Imperial Court. The Court was violently angry, and severely censured the Tokugawa family for the haughty and insolent language of the document. The Tokugawa family was at its wit's end. The Court then declared Enomoto and his companions to be pirates, and in communicating this to the representatives of foreign countries, desired them to hold no communication with the ships. A proclamation was also issued to the people, interdicting them from furnishing supplies to the runaway vessels. By this time the loyal army, having occupied Nihom- matsu, was attacking Sendai and the other clans with separate detachments. It advanced every day further into the enemy's territory, but without taking any notice of Aidzu. The Aidzu clan and the runaway soldiers held all the roads in that district, and continued strengthening their position. The Military advisers Ijichi and Itagaki took counsel together, saying : " Aidzu is the root of the " rebellion, while Sendai and the other clans are but the "leaves and branches. If we pursue the leaves and " branches, and neglect the root, they will spring up again " as often as we destroy them. The best plan would be " to disturb the root, for if that once moves, the leaves " and branches will wither of themselves. Besides, thirty 1-J1 " days from this the castle of Wakarnatsu will be deep in " snow, and the cold will be so intense that the array will " be unable to advance. We must lose no time." So leaving the other clans to act against Sendai and its confederates, they started from Nihommatsu on the 7th of October at the head of the Satstima, Choshiu, Tosa, Ogaki'and Omura troops, and marched in the direction of the Katanari pass, which forms the boundary between the fiefs of Aidzu and Nihommatsu. The rebels had previously constructed a battery on the summit of the pass, and as the troops advanced they opened fire. The loyal forces put them to flight in the first engagement, and captured Inawashiro on the same day. Having- constructed a temporary bridge in place of the bridge at the side of the lake, which the rebels had destroyed in order to stop the way, they crossed the river, and routed the troops which were stationed on the Takizawa pass. On the 8th, they entered pell-mell into the town of Waka- matsu, and straightway took the outer ring of the castle. The rebels were taken by surprise, and said: " Has " the loyal army flown here ? " and retired within the castle in a body. The Aidzu clan had stationed large bodies of troops at Aidzugawa, Shonai, Fujiwara, Sando- goya and other passes to meet the attack of the loyal army, and trusting to the precipitous character of the Inawashiro pass had only detached a few tens to that place, so that the loyal army, profiting by their weakness at this point, quite took the rebels aback. Advancing upon the town, it bombarded the castle day after day, so as to crush the spirit of the rebels, and give time for the remaining divisions to come up. When the rebel detachments who were scattered about to hold the other passes heard that the loyal army had entered the town of Wakamatsu they abandoned their posts and fled to the castle. Earlv on the morning of the 10th the garrison sallied forth in great numbers and attacked the loyal forces, defeating 1 them completely and killing many. The mili- tary advisers therefore dispersed their troops for a while, and the rebels, not venturing to follow them up, retired into the castle. The loyal army then reassembled, but was a second time routed by the garrison, who attacked it about noon. At the same moment, however, a detachment of the loyal army fell upon the rear of the rebels and created great confusion. This enabled it to rally and inflict a severe defeat on the garrison, which retreated into the castle. On the same day the troops of Owari, Kishiu, Hizen, etcetera, advancing from Shirakawa, and those of Geishiu, Utsunomiya, Otawara, etcetera advancing from Fujiwara, attacked the rebel troops whom they encountered on their line of march, and entered the town of Wakamatsu by dusk. At twelve o'clock at night the garrison stealthily assaulted the camp of the loyal army, which repulsed them after some hard fighting. These nocturnal sorties became henceforth matters of frequent occurrence, and the loyal army had hard work to defend itself. At this moment the loyal army in Echigo advanced upon Aidzugawa with the object of entering- Wakamatsu. The rebels had constructed a line of posts twenty miles in length on the opposite side of the river, which the loyal forces, after some desperate fighting, succeeded in turning. But the rebels put forth all their strength, and fought so hard that they managed to keep the road effectually barred. Shortly afterwards the loyal army which was at Wakamatsu advanced upon the rebels at Aidzu-gawa, and drew off their attention, thus giving the loyal army of Echigo an opportunity, of which it availed itself to defeat the rebels. The latter therefore abandoned their posi- tions and reached the castle of Wakamatsu by bve-roads. On the 25th October the whole of the loyal army of Echigo entered the town of W T akamatsu, and effected a junction with the other divisions. The loyal array was therefore in great force. That division of it which had advanced from Nihommatsu had captured Tenneiji yama, close to the castle in a commanding- position. Field pieces were at once placed in position and a cannonade directed upon the interior of the fortress. The garrison defended them- selves stoutly, and replied to the fire, so that the loyal forces found it necessary to construct another battery over against the southeast corner of the castle, from which they kept up a vigorous bombardment. On the night of the 28th the garrison made a sortie in force to the east of the castle and surprised the loyal army, which, owing to its ignorance of the locality, was defeat- ed and dispersed, with great loss both in killed and wounded. On the following morning the loyal army bombarded the -castle with shell, hitting the towers and keep with destructive effect. A large number of the garrison were killed by the fragments, and the inmates of the castle were aghast. Nevertheless the garrison flew . kites over the castle, in order to convey the idea that they had plenty of leisure for amusement. Not long- afterwards the division which lay on the west of the cas- tle pressed up and cannonaded it, but the garrison replied with such effect as to lay many of the loyal troops low. On the 30th the whole army made a combined advance on the castle, thus preventing the garrison from making any more sorties. The Military Advisers Ijichi, Yama- gata and Itagaki took counsel together, saying : " When " an army advances far from its base into a mountainous '.' country, and continues this long, calamities are not un- " likely to befall it. The best plan would be to assault " the castle boldly, scaling 1 in it a body, and so settle the