Japanese history– category –
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“The tyranny truly caused lamentation” ―― In the fifth month of Ansei 6 (1859), the imperial letter and gifts bestowed after the four lords’ tonsure
A cut sheet of formal paper, wrapped in Mino paper. A note states that it conveys a private command. -
The Whale-Sea Drunken Lord Enters the Capital ―― Yamauchi Toyoshige and the Small Bridge over the Takase River, First Month of Bunkyū 3
The tenth day of the first month of Bunkyū 3 (1863). A steamship lay at anchor off Shinagawa. The Taihō-maru. -
Shimazu Nariakira’s Patience ―― The Takasaki Collapse and the Blood-Stained Undergarment
The eighteenth day of the twelfth month of Kaei 1 (1848). Zusho Shōzaemon, who had for many years held sole control over the finances of the Satsuma domain, coughed up blood and died. -
Yuuki Toraju’s Sixteen Years ―― The Mito Factional Strife and the Downfall of Tokugawa Nariaki
Fujita Tōko was living in quiet retirement at Takekuma in Mito. -
Tokugawa Nariaki’s Campaign to Remove the Corrupt ―― Eight Years of Mito Domain Politics, from Kōka 1 to Kaei 5
A single letter arrived at the residence of the senior councilor Abe Masahiro from the Mito domain's secondary residence. -
Disordered Brushstrokes of a Sleepless Night ―― A Letter from Tokugawa Nariaki to Ōoku Senior Lady-in-Waiting Anekōji
The first day of the eighth month of Kōka 3 (1846). Even as the night grew late, the lamp did not go out. The addressee was Anekōji, a senior lady-in-waiting of the Ōoku. A phrase was appended at the… -
Tokugawa Nariaki’s Revival ―― From a Telescope to a Boat at Kōrakuen
The seventh month of Kōka 2 (1845). The matter was a request to borrow the telescope that Abe owned. -
Three Months in Nagasaki ―― The Russian Envoy Putyatin and the Shogunate’s Delaying Tactics
The inspector Ōi Saburōsuke went out to sea. His destination was the Russian ship moored inside the harbor. There was only one thing he had to convey. It was the death of the shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi. -
The Treaty Returned to Shimoda ―― Adams and the Exchange of Ratifications
Off the coast of Shimoda in Izu, beyond Mikomotojima, a single dark ship's silhouette appeared. -
Footsteps in an Empty Valley ―― In Kaei 6, the Daimyo’s Opinions on America and Takashima Kihei’s Argument for Opening the Country
The tenth month of Kaei 6 (1853). Takashima Kihei. He had once called himself Shirōdayū Shūhan, and was the man who introduced Western artillery techniques to Japan. -
The Character for Peace, Sealed Away ―― The Seventh Month of Kaei 6, and the Trump Card Named Tokugawa Nariaki
On the third day of the seventh month of Kaei 6 (1853), a notice came down to the Mito residence. Since there was business concerning coastal defense, he was to attend the castle roughly every other… -
The riverbed of the Karasu River, two swords ―― How Ninagawa Arata accused the death of Oguri Tadamasa
The first day of the fourth month of Keiō 4 (1868). Tōzenji, at the foot of Mount Haruna, in Gonda, Jōshū. About eight hundred troops from the three domains of Takasaki, Annaka, and Obata approached…
