There is no strict definition of the period at the end of the Edo period, but in general, Kurofune's arrival in 1853-after the bloodless opening of Edo Castle Is it common? The definition of the period at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate varies depending on the viewpoint, but here the definition at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate is until 1871, when the abolition of the feudal clan was completely terminated.
Speaking of the era name, it will be a little in the Meiji era, but the flow of history is opening the country-abandoned feudal clan I also want to write a series of flows from the end of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji era.
Chronology from the arrival of Kurofune to the Sat-Chō Alliance
First, let's check the flow based on the chronological table.
- June 1853 Perry arrives in Uraga
- March 1854 Concluded the Convention of Kanagawa
- August 1856 Harris arrives in Shimoda as the first Consul General of the United States
- April 1858, appointed as Elder Ii Naosuke
- June Japan-US Trade Treaty Concluded
- September Ansei Purge started by Naosuke Ii
- March 1860, Sakuradamon Incident
- October 1861 Princess Wamiya's wife
- January 1862:Change outside Sakashitamon
- April Teradaya Incident
- August Namamugi Incident
- July 1864 Kinmon Incident
- January 1866 Sat-Chō Alliance
In this article, I would like to write the flow so far.
In just over a dozen years, such a rich event will occur ( more if you write it in detail . ) You can see that it was there.
Perry's Black Ships visit
1853 Perry arrives at Uraga on a black ship and urges the Edo Shogunate to open the country.
For more information about this area, please read the article about the arrival of Kurofune.
The shogunate postponed the reply to the opening of the country to the following year and surpassed the situation for the time being.
And as promised 1854 Perry will come again. Due to the negotiations at this time, March 31, 1854, Convention of Kanagawa Will be tied, and the isolation system of the Shogunate will end.
Under the Convention of Kanagawa,
- Release the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate
- Allow the consular officer to stay
- Most favored nation treatment for the United States
- Refueling and feeding ships
Was included.
After that, similar treaties will be signed with the United Kingdom, Russia, the Netherlands, etc.
This Convention of Kanagawa Based on 1856 In addition, Harris, the first Consul General in Japan Comes to Shimoda. Harris embarks on a trade treaty aimed at free trade and further port openings. The shogunate side thought that it was unavoidable to conclude a treaty, but the imperial court opposed it. However, Naosuke Ii became the elder. Without court permission in 1858 Japan-US Trade Treaty Sign.
The content is
- Grant consular court to the United States
- No tariff autonomy in Japan
- Opening of Kanagawa / Nagasaki / Niigata / Hyogo
Unequal content was.
After that, the Shogunate signed similar treaties with the Netherlands, Russia, Great Britain, and France. ] Is called.
This unequal treaty will later be revised by the Meiji government.
Ansei Purge and Sakuradamon Incident
As I wrote earlier, the Hikone feudal lord who was inaugurated as the elder [ Naosuke Ii ] Is Japan-US Trade Treaty without a royal charter Sign.
Also, in the case of the Shogun family, the 13th generation Iesada has no children, and the Shogun succession problem Was happening. Faction that promotes Yoshinobu of the Hitotsubashi family to the successor of this shogun And the faction that promotes Tokugawa Iemochi of the Kii domain Conflict.
Naosuke Ii of the Keifuku faction overwhelms the Hitotsubashi faction and decides Keifuku as the successor to the shogun.
Hitotsubashi faction daimyo and scholars who advocate Sonnojoi Made a strong criticism. Naosuke cracked down on those officials and daimyo and punished many of them.
A series of these crackdowns [ Ansei Purge 】Is called.
The priests who escaped from the Mito domain, which had been subjected to particularly severe crackdowns, planned to assassinate Naosuke Ii in 1860 . I attacked Naosuke on the way to Edo Castle outside Sakurada Gate and assassinated him.
This is [ Sakuradamon Incident 】is.
The assassination of the shogunate's most powerful person was enough to undermine the authority of the shogunate.
Kobu Gattai and Sonno Joi Movement
After the change outside Sakuradamon, the shogunate will promote the Kobu Gattai to restore its authority.
The shogunate is the Tokugawa Iemochi of Princess Kazumiya. He requested the imperial court to marry him, but the emperor refused because of his engagement with another royal family. With repeated wishes Iwakura Tomomi Through this, the shogunate had a time limit of "78 to 10 years", but the emperor accepted the marriage, and Kazumiya entered Edo Castle.
* Sonno Joi is the idea of honoring the Emperor and repelling foreign invasion.
In this marriage of convenience, Sonno Joi Being criticized by Nobumasa Ando Is 1862 In the outside of Sakashitamon, Edo Castle, he was attacked by the Mito clan and retired from the old age. [ Sakashitamon's strange ]
In this situation, Satsuma domain lord Hisamitsu Shimazu Requests the Shogunate reforms. The Shogunate accepted the request and made Matsudaira Yoshinaga the political governor . In addition, Yoshinobu Tokugawa is a general guardian , Matsudaira Katamori for Kyoto Shugoshoku Was appointed and the shogunate government was changed.
Also, relaxation of change of attendance, introduction of Western-style army, release of punishers of Ansei Purge Bunkyu Reform to hold.
Satsuma's Hisamitsu Shimazu Is Kobu Gattai Policy On the other hand, in Kyoto, the Choshu clan, whose clan theory is the Sonno Joi theory claimed by the lower clan. The movement of is active. He teamed up with a radical official and moved the imperial court to raise the shogun and urged the shogunate to carry out an order to expel barbar. The shogunate was forced to 1863 I ordered the feudal lords to make a concession.
This was a moment that clearly showed the weakening of the shogunate.
That same day, the Choshu clan bombarded a foreign ship passing through the Shimonoseki Strait and began to carry out an order to expel barbar.
Seeing such a Choshu clan, Satsuma, Aizu clan Exile Choshu forces To do.
The Choshu power will attack Kyoto starting with the Ikedaya incident in order to recover the power, but will be defeated by the Aizu, Satsuma, and Kuwana domains. [ Kinmon Incident ]
Satsucho Alliance
The shogunate mobilizes soldiers to subdue Choshu.
However, the upper ranks of the Choshu clan suppressed the revered factions in the clan and took an attitude of obedience to the shogunate, so the shogunate army pulled up soldiers without engaging in battle.
Foreigners who were bombarded by Choshu were in full swing in retaliation and occupied the battery in Shimonoseki. Shinsaku Takasugi to the overwhelming force of this foreigner Is impossible Thinking that, he rebelled against the upper ranks of the pro-curtain faction and took the initiative of the clan.
And the Choshu clan is again an anti-Bakufu faction I will turn to.
On the other hand, in the Satsuma domain, the Namamugi Incident was cut by the hanshi who accompanied the British who broke into the procession of Hisamitsu Shimazu. And this incident becomes a big international problem.
Satsuma War by Britain and Satsuma in retaliation for this incident Will occur, and Satsuma will be bombarded by Britain. Witnessing the strength of Britain, Takamori Saigo and Toshimichi Okubo Will change the idea of the clan. As a result, the Satsuma domain will change from Sonno to the opening of the country.
Thus Satsuma Domain and Choshu Domain Witnessed foreign military power at the same time and came to have the same idea. It was Ryoma Sakamoto who took charge of the two feudal lords who were hostile to each other. is.
Takamori Saigo and Yoshitaka Kido who were thinking of a debate together It was an event that decided the flow at the end of the Tokugawa shogunate at once by persuading him to dodge the secret agreement of the Sat-Chō Alliance.
* Updated on June 2, 2017 (added chronological table)