January 3, 1868 In Toba-Fushimi, a suburb of Kyoto, the new government army and the old shogunate army, which are composed of Sat-Chō's clan soldiers, enter into battle.
This battle is Battle of Toba-Fushimi is.
There were many former Shogunate troops in number, but they are eliminated due to a defect in the chain of command.
The next day, the Satsuma army was given the Nishiki no mihata by the imperial court and was officially recognized as a government army . , The Tosa domain will also join the new government army.
Edo Castle Bloodless Kaijo
On the other hand, the former shogunate army that became a thief Will collapse internally.
Then, on the night of the 6th, Yoshinobu abandoned his army and escaped from Osaka Castle and pulled it up to Edo by sea, and the former Shogunate army that lost the purpose of the war was dissolved.
After that, the new government army gave an example of subduing Yoshinobu and marched toward Edo with Prince Arisugawa Taruhito as General Dongyi. During the march to Edo, the feudal lords of the Tokai region read the times and resigned to the new government forces one after another, and the road to Edo marched with little resistance.
The new government forces arriving in Edo March 15th is the day of the Edo Castle total attack To decide.
In response, Yoshinobu Tokugawa Katsu Kaishu In response to the suggestion of, I told Ueno / Kaneiji Temple that I would refuse French assistance. And Meiji Restoration Expresses the intention of. And Katsu Kaishu Was acquainted with New Government Army Staff Takamori Saigo And start peace negotiations. Katsu Kaishu Saigo Takamori in consideration of the exhaustion of national power Is the bloodless opening of Edo Castle And delivery of weapons and warships We will decide on a generous disposition to Yoshinobu on the condition that.
The town of Edo, called the eight hundred eight towns, was spared from the war by this bloodless fall of Edo.
At this time, Shogitai by hard-line bakushin and samurai scholars However, he stood in Kaneiji Temple and fought a thorough fight, but was wiped out in just one day in front of the modern weapons of the new government army.
Boshin War
Next, the new government army is Battle of Toba-Fushimi Aizu / Shonai Domain who participated in We will advance to the Tohoku region with the aim of subduing. On the other hand, representatives of 25 clan such as Mutsu, Dewa, Echigo Gathered in Shiraishi of the Sendai Domain in May and canceled the subjugation of Aizu and Shonai To plead with the new government. If the petition was not granted, the Tohoku feudal clan also signed a pact at that time to fight a thorough fight.
The petition of the Tohoku feudal clan was not accepted by the new government forces, and the new government decided to launch a total attack on Tohoku.
The Tohoku region also introduced the latest firearms Echigo Nagaoka Castle Aizu's Wakamatsu Castle burning in the righteousness of Saku Then it was a fierce battle, but I surrendered without resistance. The Tohoku front ended in September as the other clan surrendered to the new government forces with almost no fighting.
However, Navy Vice President Takeaki Enomoto escaped with the Shogunate warship at the time of the opening of Edo Castle. Is a Shinsengumi Deputy Director, Toshizo Hijikata who has escaped from Aizu. Meet with. Enomoto et al. Were planning to establish a republican independent nation in Ezo at Goryokaku, a fortress in Hakodate, in order to rescue the former Bakushin.
Goryokaku was a star-shaped bastion fort built to strengthen national defense with the opening of Hakodate by the conclusion of the Convention of Kanagawa. However, it is said that it is a Western-style castle that is far from the traditional Japanese castle because it was not devoted to pure military facilities such as setting up the Hakodate Magistrate's Office inside. During the actual Battle of Hakodate, the tower of the magistrate's building will be the target of naval gunfire and will lose its function as a fortress.
On the other hand, the new government forces that controlled the Tohoku feudal clan landed in Ezo (Hokkaido), and after a fierce battle, succeeded in dropping Goryokaku. As a result, national control by the new government has been virtually completed.
These series of civil wars are Boshin War Called the biggest civil war in Japanese history It has been with.
As its feature, new government army Many soldiers from farmers participate And it is showing remarkable work. The opposition of the people to the old lords caused the collapse of the feudal rule system of the shogunate and various clan, and made a great contribution to the victory of the new government army.
Also, as you can see from the chronology below, it can be said that Japan is very fortunate that there was no military intervention by Britain or France because the war ended in less than a year.
Timeline of the Boshin War
1868
- January Battle of Toba-Fushimi … The former Shogunate army and the Satcho Alliance clash at Toba-Fushimi
- April Edo Castle Bloodless Opening … Bakushin ・ Katsu Kaishu And the new government army staff, Saigo Takamori Talked and established
- May Ueno War … The new government forces defeat the Shogitai corps in Kaneiji Ueno
- May-July Battle of Nagaoka Castle … Echigo's Nagaoka clan resists the new government forces but falls in July
- August-September Aizu War … Kyoto Shugoshoku ・ Matsudaira Katamori Is a thorough fight. Byakkotai Tragedy Is famous for.
- September Sendai Domain surrender … The feudal lords are defeated one after another, and the Sendai feudal lord of the Tohoku feudal lord alliance surrenders.
- October- Battle of Hakodate … The onslaught of the new government forces surrendered in May of the following year, ending a series of Boshin Wars.