Matsudaira Yoshinaga, holder of the office of president of political affairs, went to the Imperial Palace for the first time in his life. In the 2nd month of Bunkyū 3 (1863), he left through the gate at 7 in the morning on the 16th, and arrived before noon. Tokutomi Sohō writes that the duties of this day extended through the day and half the night. At Kogosho, besides Yoshinaga, others who received a cup from the emperor lined up, and all withdrew.
At that time in Kyoto, the violence of warriors who had cast off their station was beyond control. Twelve men including the state councilor Ōgimachi Saneatsu submitted a statement dated the 14th day of the 2nd month, saying as follows. Pacifying the city was the duty of the Kyoto Shugoshoku, and if there were failings, Matsudaira Katamori should be relieved of his office. This placed the responsibility on Katamori alone, but the matter was beyond even the Shugoshoku’s control. The proposal to send them back to their own domains was opposed by the Kokujigakari, and the court took the form of conveying its view through the court liaison on the surface, so the matter settled as it stood.
On this day, the various daimyo were informed of the emperor’s intention to expel the foreigners, and were asked for their views on the defense of the Jingū, Oki, and Tsushima. Tokutomi Sohō regards this summoning as having come from the petitions of the state councilors and yorinin. That petition, dated the 14th day of the 2nd month, called for summoning domains large and small without distinction and hearing the views of the many. It was conveyed that the emperor grieved that if the national polity were disgraced, it would be due to his own lack of virtue, and that they should swiftly achieve the merit of expelling the foreigners.
Hachijō Takasuke recorded in his own notes a story said to have been told by Hachisuka Narihiro. If the order meant that the imperial country might become a wasteland, there was nothing to be done, but if later, with no means of defense, they were defeated and had to cede territory, would there not be regret. Takasuke was troubled that these four characters appeared also in the written opinion of Matsudaira Kakudō and in the writings of rōnin. Tokutomi Sohō regards it that few had the courage to say aloud what they privately admitted was impossible. Eventually, the written opinions even came to include words that the emperor himself would take the field.
Yoshinaga went to the residence of the shoshidai Makino Tadayuki, and gathered there with Yoshinobu and others. Even when pressed with a deadline, it could not be carried out at once, and since the court secretly shielded the violence, there was nothing to do but withdraw from dealing with it. The cause of the disorder lay in the fact that orders came from both the court and the shogunate, and the discussion converged on the view that it should be settled one way or the other—either returning great authority to the court or having it all entrusted to the shogunate. Before setting out, Yoshinaga told his senior retainers that he would probably not return safely today. That day, though an immediate meeting was requested, it was not held, and everyone withdrew at night.
On the 21st day of the 2nd month, the court councilor Sanjō Sanetomi submitted his resignation, which was rejected, but it was accepted on the 23rd. On the same 23rd, Ōhara Shigetomi, who had gone east as the emperor’s envoy, was ordered to resign his office, shave his head, and remain in confinement. This was over the matter of his having rewritten the wording of the order on his own judgment. Yoshinaga recalled in later years that neither the regent nor Nakagawa no Miya had truly wished to expel the foreigners. Tokutomi Sohō called this course of events a momentum like riding a tiger from which one could not get down.
The movements in Kyoto from the day the various daimyo were summoned to the end of the month can be followed through the petition of Ōgimachi Saneatsu and others, the notes kept by Hachijō Takasuke, the memorial of Ōhara Shigetomi, and the commentary of Tokutomi Sohō.
The Sixteenth Day of the Second Month: Departure at the Hour of Six-Half in the Morning
On the sixteenth day of the second month of Bunkyū 3 (1863), at the hour of six-half in the morning (seven o’clock).Original
Matsudaira Yoshinaga, holder of the office of chief of state affairs, went out through the gate.Original
It was his first visit to the court.OriginalOriginal
He put on court dress at Seyakuin, and entered the court before nine o’clock (noon).Original
Tokutomi Sohō writes that Yoshinaga’s court visit was “work that took almost a day and a half, day and night.”OriginalOriginal
On this day, Yoshinaga was not the only one granted an imperial cup at the Kogosho.Original
Each of them took their seats in Tsuruma, and after the emperor’s appearance ended, they withdrew.OriginalOriginal
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Open the original page at the National Diet LibraryRōnin Beyond Control
In that Kyoto, the violence of the rōnin was “in a state utterly beyond control.”OriginalOriginal
Twelve men including the councilor Ōgimachi Saneatsu submitted, under date of the fourteenth day of the second month, that suppressing disorder in the city was the duty of the Kyoto Protector’s office, and that if there were any failing, it would mean Matsudaira Katamori’s dismissal from office.Original
This placed the responsibility on Katamori alone.Original
But the rōnin were beyond the control even of the Protector’s office.OriginalOriginal
A proposal also arose to send them each back to their home domains.Original
To this the officials in charge of state affairs, the councilors, and the attendants raised objections.Original
The petition dated the fifteenth day of the second month said this.OriginalOriginal
It said that great pains were being taken over just that point.Original
Tokutomi Sohō considers that court deliberations were being swayed by the councilors and attendants.OriginalOriginal
Since it was difficult for the court itself to issue the order, could not Yoshinobu and his side arrange the matter, while outwardly it would be conveyed through the court liaison?Original
The answer was that it would be handled through a proper course.Original
The matter of the rōnin was for the time being settled by maintaining the status quo.OriginalOriginal
夫以前は後見(一橋)、惣裁職(春嶽)に於て、萬端の處置ありて然る可しと仰聞けられ
Open the original page at the National Diet LibraryImperial Concern over Expelling the Barbarians and Consultation on Defense
They were informed of the emperor’s concern over expelling the barbarians, and were consulted on plans for the defense of Jingū and places such as Oki and Tsushima.OriginalOriginal
Tokutomi Sohō surmises that this summons was based on a petition from the councilors and attendants.Original
The petition dated the fourteenth day of the second month requested that on the coming sixteenth all the domains, great and small alike, be summoned to have their collective views heard; that the arguments of men of resolve among the commoners be received at Gakushūin by the officials in charge of state affairs and then reported upward; and that those officials be exempted from their minor duties and made to gather daily at Gakushūin.Original
In another document it was stated that an isolated strategic point such as Tsushima could not be sustained by its own strength alone if it refused the barbarians, that troops and provisions were a matter of utmost urgency, and that they wished to hear of measures for support regardless of neighboring domains.OriginalOriginal
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Open the original page at the National Diet LibraryGiven the grave situation in which the barbarians threatened the imperial realm, should there ever occur, in the words of the document, an act that “sullies the national polity and loses the sacred regalia,” this would be deeply grieved before the spirits of the imperial ancestors as being due solely to the sovereign’s own lack of virtue — meaning that the emperor was troubled in his heart that such a disgrace to the national polity and loss of the sacred regalia must never happen, and that it would be the fault of his own thin virtue.Original
Let each of you receive the imperial will, rouse your loyal courage, and swiftly achieve the merit of sweeping out the barbarians.OriginalOriginal
For places separated from the main territory of the imperial realm, such as Oki and Tsushima, they wished to hear of arrangements for defense in which the neighboring domains, naturally, and others as well, would join forces.OriginalOriginal
Hachijō Takasuke left a record in his own hand of the mood of that day.Original
It was a story that Hachisuka Narihiro was said to have told at the house of the middle counselor Daigo Tadaosa.Original
“Even if the imperial realm becomes bare wilderness and red earth, it does not matter” — if this were an imperial command meaning that the barbarians should be expelled even at the cost of turning the land into wasteland and bare earth, then there was nothing to be done about it.Original
But if afterward, having no means of defense, they were defeated, it would become necessary to cede territory and settle the matter, and would this not become a matter of regret?
Takasuke surmised that the four characters “bare wilderness and red earth” appeared either in a petition from Matsudaira Kakudō of Tsuyama, or in a document in which rōnin had represented them as the imperial will, and that, being deep within the palace, the emperor might not have been aware of this.OriginalOriginal
Tokutomi Sohō surmises that, while in their hearts they recognized the impossibility of expelling the barbarians, there was almost no one with the courage to say so aloud.OriginalOriginal
A Petition for the Emperor’s Personal Expedition
It was humbly surmised that, by an extraordinary imperial decision, in order to sweep away the “great brigands across the sea” and make the martial glory of the imperial realm shine forth, “in the end, unless His Majesty himself undertakes a personal expedition, the times will not permit it.”Original
In short, it was said that the times were such that nothing could be accomplished without the emperor’s personal expedition.Original
The words “the emperor’s personal expedition” had at last made their appearance.Original
Tokutomi Sohō writes, “These are truly no light words.”OriginalOriginal
This was not the sort of thing like an imperial excursion to Ōi or Arashiyama, but was meant to wipe away an unprecedented great disgrace.Original
A visit to Kamo and Sennyūji would also serve as “the foundation for the imperial tour accompanying a personal expedition.”Original
Mōri Sadahiro continued, saying how deeply moved the men of resolve among the commoners who sought to expel the barbarians would be if they could look up at even the reflected glow of the imperial palanquin.OriginalOriginal
Tokutomi Sohō states that it would not be an exaggeration to say this petition represented the views of the party advocating the expulsion of the barbarians then in Kyoto, and considers that, mindful of the irresolute advocates of union between court and shogunate who were latent from the court above down to the shogunate and the domains below, it was probably a scheme meant to leave such men no opening to voice their views and no room to act.Original
The Satsuma side, in order to check the reckless actions of the radicals, was stirring up Yoshinobu and Yoshinaga and engaging in countermeasures.Original
The Namamugi Incident also came to the fore.Original
Tokutomi Sohō records that the conflict between Chōshū and Satsuma “had, with time, with events, and with circumstance, become ever more blatant.”OriginalOriginal
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Open the original page at the National Diet LibraryA proclamation was also issued under the name of Matsudaira Katamori.Original
It stated that private killings and the like occurring beneath the imperial carriage were due to the fact that the feelings of high and low did not reach one another and the channels of speech were blocked, and that “without the slightest hesitation, one should promptly report through the proper channels” — meaning that one should report promptly to the proper offices without any hesitation at all, and that if one feared to speak of forbidden matters, one should submit a sealed letter directly.Original
Tokutomi Sohō reads that, though from different angles, both were measures meant to allow the free expression of opinion.OriginalOriginal
Return of Governing Authority, or Delegation of Governing Authority?
While the court was stirring up popular sentiment, the shogunate side harbored anxiety.OriginalOriginal
Yoshinaga went out through the gate and proceeded to the residence of the Kyoto deputy, Makino Tadayuki.Original
Yoshinobu and the other usual figures also gathered there.Original
Even though they were strongly urged to set a deadline for expelling the barbarians, it could not be carried out quickly.Original
Even though they wished to deal with the violence of the rōnin, since the court covertly shielded their deeds, they had no choice but to abandon the effort.Original
The cause of the disorder lay in the fact that the source from which laws and decrees issued was split into two paths, the court and the shogunate.Original
Then, unless they resolved decisively either to return great authority to the court, or else to have great authority entrusted anew to the shogunate, there could be no hope for peace and order in the realm — the discussion of that day gathered around this point.OriginalOriginal
强て攘夷の期限を促され、幕府其急速に實行し得べからざるを知れども
Open the original page at the National Diet LibraryTokutomi Sohō points out that, while this was a reasonable view, if things proceeded this way, the union of court and shogunate would in effect become unworkable.Original
If governing authority were returned, there would be no need for union; and if it were entrusted entirely to the shogunate, there would likewise be no need for it.OriginalOriginal
Before leaving his residence, Yoshinaga told his senior retainers, “I may not return safely today.”Original
The four lords dispersed in vain.OriginalOriginal
At the hour of the Sheep (two in the afternoon), he went to the Konoe residence together with Yoshinobu, Katamori, and Toyoshige.Original
Depending on circumstances they might go to the court as well, and had even prepared court dress.Original
It was a confession that although the office of regent existed, it was as good as vacant.OriginalOriginal
Yoshinaga proposed an immediate council in the imperial presence.Original
No such council was held, and as night fell everyone withdrew.OriginalOriginal
Resignation and Tonsure
On the twenty-first day of the second month, the court councilor Sanjō Sanetomi submitted a letter of resignation to the court liaison to the shogunate.Original
He cited chronic illness that had sapped his vigor, saying “my mind is often dazed and I frequently forget things” — that is, he was often forgetful and his mind was unclear.Original
However, he added “I harbor no private wish to seek ease and flee,” he had no intention of fleeing in search of comfort, and that he would be grateful if appointed even to some post for consultation on government affairs.OriginalOriginal
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Open the original page at the National Diet LibraryThe resignation was rejected.Original
This was conveyed through Hirohata Tadaaya, and on the twenty-third, Sanetomi, humbled at having troubled the imperial mind, respectfully accepted.OriginalOriginal
On that same twenty-third day of the second month, a ruling came down on Ōhara Shigetomi, who had gone down to the east as an imperial envoy.Original
It was held that at the time of his journey the previous year “there had been an inexcusable matter, and his offense was not light,” and he was ordered to resign his office, take the tonsure, and remain under house confinement.Original
He was also removed from the ranks of attendants and guards on duty.Original
This was the matter of the falsification of the imperial rescript.OriginalOriginal
Ōhara’s memorial states as follows.Original
Of the imperial edict of general pardon that Mōri Sadahiro had brought from Kyoto, the clause concerning Fushimi was removed.Original
The shishi of the Fushimi Teradaya incident were a matter for Satsuma alone, men who had been struck down by order of their domain lord.Original
Sadahiro was in a hurry, and there was no time to inquire further.Original
“Acting on my own judgment and decision, I altered the text” — that is, he claims he decided alone and rewrote it himself.OriginalOriginal
Tokutomi Sohō writes that what drove Ōhara to this was his wish not to provoke open hostility between the Satsuma and Chōshū domains, bearing in mind the caution Iwakura Tomomi had given him when he went down to the east, but that since this was an inner matter, Ōhara deliberately omitted the crucial point.Original
He claims he read of this intent while on the road.Original
After returning to Kyoto, he had informed Nakayama Tadayasu, Ōgimachisanjō Sanenaru, and Nonomiya Sadaisa as well, and had obtained their consent.OriginalOriginal
The Momentum of Riding a Tiger
Tokutomi Sohō says that to expose now, at this late date, an affair from the turn of summer to autumn the previous year was like “blowing on the fur to find a flaw.”Original
Even so, in this Kyoto where the radical faction and the moderate faction were opposed, it was a trend that could not be avoided.OriginalOriginal
Yoshinaga later recalled it this way.Original
The regent did not himself seem inclined toward expelling the barbarians; he merely appeared pained, pressed as he was by court nobles, domain retainers of various domains, and masterless samurai.Original
Nakagawa no Miya too spoke of expelling the barbarians only in name, not out of true preference, and would say every time that so long as court and shogunate were united, it did not matter whether it was expulsion of the barbarians or diplomacy.OriginalOriginal
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Open the original page at the National Diet LibraryAgainst their own wishes, they were pressed by the surrounding atmosphere and gradually pushed toward an extreme position.Original
Tokutomi Sohō called this “the momentum of riding a tiger.”Original
One who has mounted a tiger cannot dismount.Original
At the Kogosho, twenty-one men lined up and listened to the stated deadline being delivered, and at that gathering not one person raised objection to the words that it would not matter even if the imperial land became bare red earth.Original
It may also be read that objection could not be raised.
The regent was as good as vacant in office, the former regent shed tears, and it was said that control over hidden armed men could only be entrusted to the shogunate.Original
Then, from the back of that tiger, who would be the first to let go?Original
| Source text | Kinsei Nihon kokuminshi, vol. 49: Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians (1940). National Diet Library Digital Collections (PDM). PID 1228673 |
| Checked against | Ishin shiryō kōyō, vol. 4. PID 1046672 |
| Dates and names | All 6 dates in the text exist in the calendar for their year, and the Western years given alongside them agree. Of the 13 people named in the text, 13 also appear in Ishin shiryō kōyō, vol. 4. |
| English gates | 98 of 98 sentences passed the checks on the English text. |
This article is a reading of Kinsei Nihon kokuminshi, vol. 49: Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians. Tokutomi Sohō’s views are those of the 1920s and 1930s and may differ from current scholarship. The source text is a century old and may differ from current scholarship.
