Detailed Chronology of "Bakumatsu" Era 1854-1868
I. Perry arrives in Uraga July 8, 1853 with letter
from President Fillmore to the Emperor of Japan:
"Great and Good Friend. . ."
He heads a modest fleet of 4 ships:
2 steam frigates, the Susquehanna and the Mississippi; and
2 sailing vessels, the Plymouth and the Saratoga.
Officials try to tell him he must go to Nagasaki but he threatens to go
onshore with sufficent force and deliver his letter in person. His letter,
accompanying the President's said:
1. He "hoped that the Japanese government will see the necessity
of averting an unfriendly collision between the two nations." And
2. "The undersigned, as evidence of of his friendly intentions, has
brought but four of the smaller ships of war, designing, should it become
necessary, to return to Yedo in the spring with a much larger force."
July 11, Perry steams into Edo Bay, takes soundings; tensions high. Bakufu
offers Governor of Uraga to accept Perry's letters.
II. A debate is now launched in Japan: what should the government do?
Two Poles: Jo-i v. Kaikoku
III. Abe Masahiro's Gamble: Circulate Letters to Daimyo and seek Opinions.
Why was this a break with precedent?
61 replies remain out of 200+
19 seemed willing to accept trade and Kaikoku or the opening of Japan
19 urged outright rejection
14 expressed primary concern of avoiding disastrous conflict with west
7 urged ultimate rejection but felt short run strategy of acceptance unavoidable
2 just bowed to bakufu's orders
So, most Daimyo urged Bakufu to reject American demands for trade in principle...
But also implored bakufu to avoid a war at all costs!--so it was a mixed message; no real consensus emerged
IV. Treaty of Kanagawa March 1854 --a typical "wood and water" treaty
Port of Shimoda, at tip of Izu Peninsula, opened; Hakodate on Hokkaido
to follow
Consular Official from US to reside in Japan (this would be Townsend harris)
Provisioning of Ships, Repatriation of shipwrecked sailors
No Roju or Senior Councilors actually had to sign the Treaty
V. Townsend Harris comes to Japan 1856 to negotiate a Commercial Treaty
Harris stresses trade will benefit Japan
Dealing with nice US better than mean UK
1858 Hotta Masayoshi accepts draft of Harris Treaty
Hotta's vieews had come full circle. He wrote:
military power always springs from national wealth, and means of enriching the country are principally to be found in trade and commerce....
8 Treaty Ports Opened
Customs tariffs fixed by treaty at 5%
So National Sovereignty surrendered by these "Unequal Treaties"
VI. Succession Issue: who will succeed ailing Iesada--who is sick, with no heir?
Tokugawa Yoshinobu (aka Keiki), able Daimyo of Hitostubashi (shimpan
domain), 7th son of Nariaki, educated under Aizawa Seishisai
v.
12 yr old Daimyo of Kii, a Fudai daimyo
Hotta's Gamble: He goes to Kyoto to secure Emperor’s support for Treaty
and for naming Keiki as next Shogun--but his plan backfires as Emperor Komei
--expresses disapproval of the treaties
--wouldn't support daimyo of Kii
So Hotta, who broke precedent traveling to Kyoto to seek Emperor's
approval, is humiliated
VII. Ii Naosuke, leader of Fudai, replaces beleagured Hotta, assumes title of
TAIRO
In April 1858, Ii Naosuke was appointed Tokugawa Regent, making him head
of the
Shogun’s council and arbitrary ruler of the military government.
In June,
Ii signed a commercial treaty with the United States without Imperial
sanction, and pandemonium ensued.
Ii Launches Ansei Purge:
House arrest of Able Daimyo who backed Keiki's candidacy and arrest of shishi hotheads
Signed treaties himself
Declared Daimyo of Kii as Shogunal heir
Ii was perceived as arrogant and high-handed, so he is dramatically Assassinated by Mito
shishi March 1860
Who were the shishi?
They were the “men of spirit,” or "men of high purpose;" they were also “angry young men” who represented a segment of the samurai within the clan domains. Frustrated by their powerlessness in an era of crisis, they came from lower ranks of the samurai class usually, so were excluded from high office. They were aggressive and more than willing to use force as a means toward their objectives. They engaged in attacks on foreigners, assassinations, and plots against the government. The joined forces with young nobles from Kyoto and talked about "restoring" the emperor to his rightful role in the Japanese polity. They were sometimes also called "Loyalists" in the sense of being loyal to the emperor, people who embraced the slogan sonno-joi = "revere the emperor, expel the barbarians;" many were followers of Yoshida Shoin (see below) who preached that the times called for "grass roots heroes" to come forward, patriots who were willing to act no matter what theur class background was.
VIII. Trade was yielding surpluses but inflationary pressures as well
Prices in 1866 = 4x prior to 1858
Uchikowashi or urban uprisings against wealthy local moneylenders and businessmen
IX. Yoshida Shoin (1830-1859) and Loyalism
Yoshida Shoin was born the second son of a lower ranking samurai in the village of Matsumoto, amidst the verdant foothills of the castle town of Hagi, center of the great domain of Choshu, by the aquamarine Sea of Japan, in the eighth month of the first year of the Era of Heaven's Protection -- or more simply put, August 1830.
Perry concluded Japan's first treaty with the United States in March 1854. Shortly after, his squadron lay in the harbor at Shimoda, one of two ports opened under the terms of the treaty, from which it would soon depart.
Shoin prepared a letter for Perry, which he and a fellow Choshu samurai delivered to American officers on land, under the cover of night. Perry described the incident: [They] "were observed to be men of some position and rank, as each wore the two swords characteristic of distinction, and were dressed in the wide but short trowsers of rich silk brocade. Their manner showed the usual courtly refinement of the better classes, but they exhibited the embarrassment of men who evidently were not perfectly at their ease, and were about doing something of dubious propriety. They cast their eyes stealthily about as if to assure themselves that none of their countrymen were at hand to observe their proceedings, and then approaching one of the officers and pretending to admire his watch-chain, slipped within the breast of his coat a folded paper."
The "folded paper," written in "the mandarin Chinese with fluency and apparent elegance," and translated by Perry's interpreter, was as moving in its humble tone as it was compelling. "Two scholars from Yedo, in Japan, present this letter for the inspection of 'the high officers and those who manage affairs.' Our attainments are few and trifling, as we ourselves are small and unimportant, so that we are abashed in coming before you; we are neither skilled in the use of arms, nor are we able to discourse upon the rules of strategy and military discipline...we have been for many years desirous of going over the 'five great continents,' but the laws of our country in all maritime points are very strict; for foreigners to come into the country, and for natives to go abroad, are both immutably forbidden.
"...we now secretly send you this private request, that you will take us on board your ships as they go out to sea."
Refused by Perry, the two samurai were apprehended by the Japanese authorities, and confined to a cage. They nevertheless managed to relay a message to the Americans, "a remarkable specimen of philosophical resignation under circumstances which would have tried the stoicism of Cato..." The message begins: "When a hero fails in his purpose, his acts are then regarded as those of a villain and robber. In public have we been seized and pinioned and caged for many days...Therefore, looking up while yet we have nothing wherewith to reproach ourselves, it must now be seen whether a hero will prove himself to be one indeed." Shoin's heroics would become self-evident soon enough, but first he would be transported to the jail in Edo, and returned as a prisoner to Hagi.
After spending over a year in prison, Shoin was placed under house confinement.
In November 1857, he established his progressive Sho-ka-son-juku – Village
School Under the Pines – and thereby secured his place in Japanese history.
As samurai throughout Japan ranted and raved and vowed to kill
the “traitors” who had opened the country to the “barbarians,”
Yoshida Shoin preached Imperial Loyalism to young men of the lower rungs of
Choshu society at his academy in Hagi. He professed that the Emperor was the
true sovereign of Japan. He opened his pupils’ eyes to the dangerous situation
of the world outside. But Master Shoin nevertheless supported Tokugawa rule,
and favored Opening the Country to enrich the nation and develop a strong military.
He advocated a union between Kyoto and Edo to protect Japan from the threat
of foreign subjugation. These ideas he instilled in the minds of his young disciples.
And he was only twenty-seven years old. And he was very successful, for among
his disciples were future leaders of the revolution which was the Meiji Restoration,
including two prime ministers.
No sooner had Shoin heard the news of Ii’s “blasphemy,” than
he made a complete turnabout in his political stance, and became the most radical
of zealots who preached Imperial Reverence and Expelling the Barbarians. He
would now “correct” the lese majesty committed by the evil regent.
He would take part in a plot among radicals from other clans to assassinate
him, but first, in November 1858, he planned to assassinate a Tokugawa councilor
whom Ii had unsuccessfully sent to Kyoto to obtain Imperial sanction for the
commercial treaty.
Shoin’s plan was never realized, for it was determined by the Choshu authorities
that his radicalism threatened the well-being of their daimyo. In December Shoin
was again imprisoned in Hagi. But he would not compromise his ideals, and from
his cell became more and more defiant. “I am sorry to say,” he wrote
to a friend, “but I have no use for the Imperial Court, the shogunate,
or our clan. The only thing I need is…my own meager body.” Yoshida was also famous for talking about "grass roots heroes," people fromm any walk of life:
As things stand now the feudal lords are content to look on while the shogunate carries on in a highhanded manner. Neither the lords nor the shogun can be depended upon, and so our only hope lies in grass-roots heroes.
When I consider the state of things in our fief, I find that those who hold positions and receive official stipends are incapable of the utmost in loyalty and patriotic service. Loyalty of the usual sort-perhaps, but if it is true loyalty and service you seek, then you must abandon this fief and plan a grass-roots uprising.
- If Heaven does not completely abandon this land of the Gods, there must be an uprising of grass-roots heroes.
- If the plan [to intercept the shogunate emissary to the Kyoto court] is to be carried out, it can only be done with men from the grass roots.
If neither
Edo, Kyoto or Choshu would take the appropriate measures, then this archetype
of Japanese revolutionaries would. The revolution he envisioned would be accomplished
through the cooperation of lower ranking samurai and men from the peasant and
merchant classes. The notion was preposterous in 1858, but more prophetic perhaps
than even Shoin imagined.
Wave of Assassinations:
1861 Henry Heuskens, translator for Townsend Harris, was assassinated
1862 Richardson assassinated when his riding party rode accross the roadway when the Daimly of Satuma was processing
1863 explusion order------> June Choshu fires on American ship in Shimonoseki Straits; later on Dutch and French warships
X. Western powers respond w/
September 1863 bombardment of Kagoshima in retaliation for Richardson's assassination;
Fall 1863 17 ship joint attack on Choshu; shore batteries taken out;
These two incidents critical lessons for some Sat-Cho shishi on need for military reforms and pragmatic reminder that it would take a great deal more to make them competitive with the west.
1864 Kyoto Battle Choshu v. Satsuma and Aizu---->Loyalist Movement Dead
1864 1st bakufu Punitive Expedition v. Choshu
--large force dispatched but Saigo Takamori of Satsuma intercedes to
negotiate a settlement
XI. Kobu-gattai=Union of Court and Military=promising movement for Able
Daimyo--->Iemochi and Princess Kazunomiya to marry
--->got restrictions on shipbuilding lifted, sankin-kotai requirements
eased
So resources can go to buy guns and ships abroad, build up coastal defenses
XII. Fukoku-kyohei = national wealth and strength = technology + Nati’l
Unification
1866 Sakamoto Ryoma brokers an illegal pact between Satsuma and Choshu
So summer 1866 call for 2nd Punitive Expedition fails
XIII. 1867 Yoshinobu succeeds Iemochi puts reform plan into motion:
--Cabinet replacing Council of Elders
--New ministries
--New Taxes, promotion of industry, opening mines
--Professional standing army = Transformation of baku-han polity into
modern, centralized state
--Gets advice/assistance from French Minister Leon Roches
XIV. Younger samurai from Sat-Cho-To-Hi + Court members fear "rebirth of
Ieyasu"
1867 Sakamoto puts forth his 8 Point Plan
Tosa Proposal consisted of:
--abolition of shogunate
--establishment of bicameral legislature
-- return soverign power to imperial court.
Keiki accepts this proposal
XV. Dec. 1867 the Sat-Cho-To-Hi coalition launches a military assault on bakufu
anyway
Jan. 3, 1868 Edo Castle surrenders, Meiji ishin or Resoration is declared
Brief Civil War ensues
April 1868, Charter Oath issued by new Meiji Goverment