Subject: [KFFDisc] Bakumatsu.... Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 20:56:23 PST From: "Serizawa Kamo" Reply-To: kenshinfanfics@egroups.com To: kenshinfanfics@egroups.com Well, this is NOT any prequel for my fic (and thanks for all the feedback! ^_^ Doumo arigatou! I'm working right now on it), but I think it would be interesting... I wrote this while I was having a break from my endless DICOM programming... oh, never mind. Anyway, as it looks like there are people who doesn't know much about what happened in Kenshin/Battousai times ^_^, I'll attempt a crude and a short tale of what happened then in the Bakumatsu (although you can learn much in the Ruroken, of course... ^_^) Prepare yourself for a lot of boring text... sorry -_-# This is just a kind of a timeline, just the important facts, so I don't figure it as being that interesting... I sent this before to some people (I think it was to Sakka-chan, if my memory is still working). I edited it and added some other info as well. Just a Note: "Shishi" means "Man" (or "Knight", but that sounds a little bit strange... ^_^) in Japanese. -- A Short (?) Tale on Bakumatsu by Serizawa Kamo First of all, a general image of what was Japan in those times: imagine a country virtually isolated from the world, dwelling in peace for 200 years. The country was shut for foreigners (in what was called "Sakoku" -- Closed Country)and its inhabitants didn't miss them, to tell you the truth ^_^. And after Tokugawa Ieyasu, the government was the Bakufu (Shogunate), and the Emperor was nothing but a decorative figure in politics. It's like today's Japan, but now you have prime ministers instead of Shoguns. ^_^ The political power was centralized in the hands of the Shogun and there were no provinces, but "Han", that is, a fief. Yes, they were still in the Feudalism ^_^. As you know, all that chaos named Bakumatsu -- the "End of the Shogunate" in a VERY corny translation -- began when Commodore Perry went with four black ships to Japan, where he arrived on June, 1853 (6th year of Kaei era), in the port of Uraga, in Sagaminokuni (now province of Kanagawa). Perry carried a letter of the President Philmore (the 13rd president of USA, isn't he?) to the Bakufu. The letter was a request to open diplomatic relations with Japan and begin trade between those two countries. Not only that, USA was asking Japan to act as a kind of an advanced post for the American ships, providing coal, food and water to them. And they left, saying that they would be back again after a year. Now you can imagine: a country completely "out of this world" ^_^ for two centuries, now having some nice blue-eyed visitors from an unheard country (in volume 7 chapter 99, there's a poem showing how deep was people's fear then with the Black ship). As you can imagine, there was much a mess going on, and for the first time, the Bakufu asked for advice to the Choutei (Emperor) and the daimyos. And they engaged in a lengthy discussion, because although they agreed that they should not accept America's demands/requests, they weren't sure if they could impose themselves (talk about lack of modern weaponry and firepower!). And so a year passed. In 1854 (First Year of the Ansei Era), Perry came again, now with a fleet of seven ships. And so, in March of 1854, a treaty (called "Nichibei Washin Jyouyaku") was firmed between Japan and USA, after a lot of discussion. Its articles favored USA clearly, as a result of the American pressure upon the Bakufu. And in the following year, Bakufu signed treaties also with England, France, Russia and Netherlands. In 1856, a man called Harris was the first ambassador of the USA for Japan. His goal was to deepen the treaty and try to open trade between the two countries. Bakufu tried to fight against this, but they were overwhelmed by Harris (this man knew how to talk! ^_^) and had to accept. And so, Bakufu started to think that it might be good that they accepted trade with foreign countries, bringing new technology, ideas and crafts in order to improve the country (hey, you can call it globalization if you like ^_^) But among the Japanese, used to 200 years of "Sakoku", many developed xenophobia. Their thought were something like, "Hey, what the hell is Bakufu doing with those yankee bastards? The people from the west deserve no respect, let's get rid of them! To hell with the trade with them!" It was the beginning of the so-called "Jou-i", the "Expulsion of the Foreigners". Not only that, there were men who tried to oppose the Bakufu, starting armed movements to depose the Shogun and to return the political power to the Emperor ("Tennou Heika"). This movement was called "Sonnou" ("Reverence to the Emperor"). Joining them together, you get the so-called "Sonnou Jou-i". ^_^ The center of the movement was the Mito Han (now province of Ibaragi), with supporters in many provinces, who tried to make lobbies against the Bakufu in the Choutei (Emperor's Palace - may refer to the Emperor himself as well). The Bakufu, worried about Harris's demand for a more abrangent treaty, tried to send Hotsuta Masayoshi (Chief of Shimousa Sakura Han -- now province of Chiba) to Kyoto, in a try to convince the Emperor and get his approval to the treaty, but the attempt was in vain. To overcome those turbulent moments, in April 1858 (fifth year of the Ansei Era), a man from Hikone Han (now province of Shiga), called Ii Naosuke, assumed the power. The 13th Shogun, Tokugawa Iesada, was ill and Naosuke had to choose the next shogun. There were two choiced: either Tokugawa Yoshitomi (chief of the Kii Han, now province of Mie/Wakayama), supported by the daimyo, feudal lords, or Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, supported by the Mito, Satsuma, Echizen and Tosa fiefs. Furthermore, he had to cope with the "Sonnou Joui" movement. He was swift: he decided Tokugawa Yoshitomi should be the next shogun (instead of Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu, who would be the 15th shogun as Tokugawa Yoshinobu) and he started trade not only with the USA, but with four more countries. To accomplish this, he started a kind of dictatorship, persecuting, arresting and/or killing those who opposed him. This period was called "Ansei no Taigoku" ("The great hell of Ansei Era"). Yoshida Shouin, master of Katsura Kogorou and of Takasugi Shinsaku, was killed at this time. But this terror would end with the murder of Ii Naosuke (the "Sakuradamongai no Hen" -- the "Outside of the Sakurada Gate Affair" - the Sakurada Gate is located in the Chiyoda district of Edo, now Tokyo), which happened on March, 3rd, 1860, First Year of Man-en Era. The killers were identified as roushis (wandering samurais ^_^) from the Mito Han, as a retaliation for the terror Naosuke inflicted upon people with the "Ansei no Taigoku" and for Naosuke letting foreigners in. Ii's successor, Andou Nobumasa (Chief of the Mutsu Iwakitaira Han, now province of Miyagi), started the "Koubu Gattai", which was shaking hands with the Emperor in order to strengthen the power of Bakufu. To do that, they married the 14th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, with the Emperor's sister, Kazunomiya Chikako, in the beginning of 1862, second year of the Bunkyuu era. Nevertheless, the activists from the "Sonnou Joui" were enraged because they thought the marriage was the same as offering the Emperor's sister as a hostage for the Bakufu. As a result of the "Koubu Gattai", the "Sonnou-Joui" Shishis ambushed and wounded Andou Nobumasa, in the "Sakashitamongai no Hen" - the "Outside of the Sakashita Gate Affair". The "Sonnou Joui" supporters were short of allies and influence. So, their hopes were quite heightened when Shimazu Hisamitsu, the chief of Satsuma Han (now province of Kagoshima) came to Kyoto. Although not a significant influence then, since the early moments the Satsuma fief prached the "Sonnou Joui", together with the Mito fief. Taking advantage of this, the "Sonnou Joui" men planned to gather all their forces and lead a decisive attack to depose the Bakufu. But Shimazu's thoughts were quite different: he supported the "Koubu Gattai", thus his aim was making Bakufu adopting the "Sonnou" attitude in order to strengthen the Bakufu(shogunate). So, when he knew that "Sonnou Joui" extremists from Satsuma, led by Arima Shinshichi, were laying such plans, he attacked the Terada Inn and killed them, in an episode known as "Teradaya no Hen", the "Terada Inn Affair". And Shimazu went to Edo (Tokyo) under orders of the Emperor and made the Bakufu comply with the "Koubu Gattai" measures. As a result, Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu and Matsudaira Yoshinaga(Shungaku), this one from Echizen fief (now province of Fukui), got key roles inside the Bakufu and the "Sonnou" Party became much more influent. In the same time, the Kyoto Shugoshoku was created to keep order in Kyoto, a powerful organization whose head was the chief of Aizu han (now Fukushima), Matsudaira Katamori. This man has a LOT of importance to the Shinsengumi and Shougitai. But I digress... ^_^ Then many things happened: some Satsuma men killed three English (the "Namamugi jiken", the "Raw Wheat Affair") in the Namamugi village near Yokohama, and the English government demanded nothing shorter than 100,000 pounds as indenization. Bakufu paid that huge amount of money, but the Satsuma men kept their arrogance, arguing they'd done nothing wrong. In the following year, the English navy attacked Satsuma (Kagoshima) - the "Satsuei Sensou", or the "Satsuma-England War" (see below). But while Satsuma was focused on Edo and on the Bakufu, the Choushuu fief (now province of Yamaguchi) was gaining much power in Kyoto and the "Sonnou Joui" was getting very strong in the city - meaning that the Emperor could be more easily persuaded to claim the political power Bakufu held then. So there were two main parties now: the ones supporting the aid of Emperor to the Bakufu, the "Koubu Gattai", leaded by Satsuma and Mito, and the "Sonnou Joui", where the Emperor would be the supreme ruler and Bakufu should be extinguished, leaded by Choushuu. Obviously (?) you could have another classification, as "Sabaku" and "Kinnou", meaning supporters of the Bakufu and of the Emperor, respectively. In 1863, the Emperor (imagine the aides from Choushuu working behind the scene^_^) ordered the Shogun to begin the "Jou-i". The Choushuu men wanted to make the Bakufu break the treaty and attack the foreigners, in order to push the Bakufu into a bad position, allowing the "Sonnou Joui" to take place. So the "Satsuei Sensou" ("War between Satsuma and England") began, with an easy victory for the British. Much of Satsuma was destroyed and they had to pay 25,000 pounds (the Satsuma fief borrowed the money from Bakufu but didn't pay back). With this battle, the Satsuma men realized the foolishness of the "Joui" and made an alliance with England to strengthen Satsuma's war power. Also the Choushuu Han attacked ships from USA, France and Netherlands that passed the Shimonoseki Strait, but the Han striked alone and in June the foreign countries striked back, an episode called as "Shimonoseki Jiken", the "Shimonoseki Affair". Again, the foreign countries were the winners. So the Satsuma fief, seeing that Choushuu wasn't successful, allied with the Aizu fief and they carried out a "coup d'etat", the "Kimmon no Seihen" or "Hachigatsu Juuhachinichi no Seihen"(see that in my homepage). Now the Choushuu men were taken away from Kyoto and considered as the enemies of the Emperor. But the Choushuu Shishi were still plotting in Kyoto, laying plans against the Bakufu. So, on June 5th, 1864, some kick-ass bad guys ^_^ from a group called Shinsengumi (led by Kondou Isami) invaded the inn where the Choushuu Shishis were holding a meeting -- the famous "Ikeda Inn Affair". This enraged the Choushuu fief, who invaded Kyoto in July, 1864. It was the "Kimmon no Hen" or "Hamagurigomon no Hen". Choushuu lost the war and the Bakufu striked back, invading Choushuu, in what was called the "Dai Ichiji Choushuu Seibatsu". But in the end there was no war, because Choushuu surrendered. The surrender of Choushuu didn't cause any surprise, since it was fighting not only 21 fiefs, but also England, USA, France and Netherlands Navy in Shimonoseki. But although the Choushuu fief was now fully complying with the Bakufu, the Choushuu Shishis weren't quiet and the idea of "Sonnou Joui" was quickly spreading among the younger samurais, who believed that Japan would be ruined by the foreign countries if they let such inocuous measures like "Koubu Gattai" took place. In the center of such movement, stood two outstanding figures: Katsura Kogorou and Takasugi Shinsaku, disciples of Yoshida Shouin. They didn't count with the support of the fief, but they had the support of the farmers and townsfolk. Takasugi Shinsaku formed the "Kiheitai" (see volume 19 of the manga), along with political maneuvers by Katsura Kogorou and they entered the castle in Hagi, getting hold of the power in Choushuu fief. Apparently, they kept obeying the Bakufu, but they were spending quite an effort to strengthen its military power, buying new weapons from England through Satsuma. The man who stood as a crucial link to such trade was Sakamoto Ryouma, a man of Tosa Han ( now province of Kouchi). Ryouma had opened a trade agency called Kaientai and worked towards an approximation between Satsuma and Choushuu, because he saw that the Bakufu didn't have enough power to face the foreign countries and thus it was a must to depose the Bakufu and return the political power to the Emperor. To accomplish such task, he had to befriend those two fiefs, in order to have the badly needed élan and weaponry. In September,1865 (First year of Keiou Era), a fleet of four countries (USA, England, France and Netherlands) docked in Osaka bay, demanding the opening of the Osaka port, the recognition by the Emperor of the trade treaty signed with the Bakufu and lower custom taxes. Bakufu officers could do nothing but comply with these demands, and in 1866 the taxes went from 20% to 5%. This rate, the same England obliged China to accept after the Opium War(1842), was very interesting to selling Western products in Japan. And this deepened the concern that Japan would also become another colony of the Western countries. Sakamoto Ryouma, who was the man who acted as a bridge between Satsuma and Choushuu, thought about a further cooperation between the two fiefs. By then, Katsura Kogorou (Kido Takayoshi) and Takasugi Shinsaku were the head of Choushuu, while in Satsuma, Saigou Kichinosuke (Takamori) and Ookubo Ichizou (Toshimichi), held the power. In January 1866, Ryouma finally managed to schedule a meeting between Katsura and Saigou. But they still couldn't trust each other (remember that they fought one against the other in the Kinmon no Hen! ^_^), so Ryouma had to talk to them again, arguing that "in order to build a new Japan to face the Western countries, we can't abide by the narrow stardards like having a fief's point of view. The only way to save Japan is the mutual cooperation." So he finally managed to make an alliance between Choushuu e Satsuma, in 1866, the so-called "Sacchou Douei". This decided the end of the Bakufu. Now, the Bakufu didn't know about the "Sacchou Douei". They only knew that Choushuu was purchasing great amounts of firearms from foreign countries and so they decided to end the Choushuu for good. A great battle, called "Dai Niji Choushuu Seibatsu" took place, but this time Choushuu men had morale and firepower, so although outnumbered, they won the Bakufu armies. The defeat was not complete because Tokugawa Iemochi died of illness and the next Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, retreated and ended the war. After that, on October 14th, 1867, the 15th shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, influenced by Sakamoto Ryouma, decided to return the power to the Emperor (of course, this time was much more tense than that... ^_^). That was the so-called "Taisei Houkan" and in the Third Year of the Keiou Era (1867) began a new government based on the Meiji Emperor, in what was called "Ousei Fukko" on December 9th, 1867. 1868 marks the beginning of this new era, and it is the First Year of the Meiji era. But Tokugawa Yoshinobu still had much political influence, and Satsuma and Choushuu didn't like that. Their ultimate goal was to end, once and for all, the shadows of the Bakufu. So Tokugawa was restless. Many fiefs, knowing that, was angry with the Satsuma and Choushuu and supported Tokugawa. So, in 1868 the fiefs of Aizu and Kuwana, along with many other minor fiefs and the Shinsengumi, went to fight in Kyoto against the armies of Satsuma and Choushuu. It was the last clash between Bakufu and the Emperor, and the war waged was called "Boshin Sensou", the "Boshin War". The first battle was called the "Battle of Toba and Fushimi" (the last battle of Battousai ^_^). The battle was a complete loss for the Bakufu side, for many reasons. But the main one was that Tokugawa Yoshinobu fled from his castle in Osaka to his castle in Edo, along with a few men of his. This was a severe blow in the morale of Bakufu troops, who started retreating. So, the army led by Satsuma and Choushuu began to plan the invasion of the city that was Tokugawa's headquarters, namely Edo (Tokyo). So a cruel battle was about to begin, when Katsu Kaishuu sent Yamaoka Tetsutarou to meet Saigou Takamori, asking to avoid a battle in Edo, because in doing so, it would wreak havoc in the whole country, since Tokugawa still had some power. So Saigou accepted the peaceful surrender of Tokugawa Yoshinobu and the Edo castle was handed to Satsuma and Choushuu. The "Boshin War" kept going: after Toba and Fushimi, the next was the Ueno War, where the Shougitai (Yahiko! ^_^) was defeated, in May. The third battle was the fight in Nagaoka Castle, which lasted until September. The fourth, the Aizu War (Megumi! ^_^), in which Saitou Hajime stayed with his Shinsengumi unit and fought until the end, together with many military units from the Bakufu, including the Byakkotai, the army formed by young boys and girls, one of the most tragic and moving chapters of the Meiji Restoration/Bakumatsu (November 1868). And in 1869 the War finally ended with the "Hakodate War", in Hokkaido, where the last remnants of the Shinsengumi were defeated, including Hijikata Toshizou (;_;) -------- Phew! ^_^ Quite a lengthy mail... sorry ^_^;;; And obviouly, it's nothing but a highlight of what happened in Bakumatsu. If you get to read some books about this period of time, please do! ^_^ It's wonderful! Stories about the people like Sakamoto Ryouma, Saigou Takamori, Katsura Kogorou and Shinsengumi from the Bakumatsu simply rocks! ^_^ Hope that helps a bit...and hope the mail wasn't THAT boring, ne... Any doubts, flames, etc., please e-mail me... Serizawa Kamo "Coming (in this world) ahead of the beautiful flowers in the snow and mist, And still giving off its scent after the scattering of the petals; such plum is the perfume." (Serizawa Kamo) Serizawa Kamo's Translation Index: http://direct.at/ruroken_honyaku _______________________________________________________ Get your free, private email at http://mail.excite.com/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Internet FileZone: Always FREE! Instantly store & access your valuable PC files on the net, from any Web browser. SIGN UP NOW - http://offers.egroups.com/click/235/0 eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/kenshinfanfics Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com