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While the Shogun Still Breathed ―― On the Fifth Day of the Seventh Month of Ansei 5 (1858), Ii Naosuke’s Disposition of Owari, Mito, and Echizen
Ii Naosuke entered the castle at his usual hour, and his departure that day extended to nine-half at night, 1 a.m. The reason was that the beriberi of the shogun Tokugawa Iesada had worsened. "The… -
The Person at Umoregi no ya Was Waiting ―― In the Fourth Month of Ansei 5 (1858), Hotta Masayoshi’s Return to Edo and Two Difficult Problems
There, an envoy of Matsudaira Yoshinaga, the leader of the Hitotsubashi faction, caught up with him. Tokutomi Sohō writes that Yoshinaga, unable to wait for Hotta's return to Edo, had deliberately… -
The Chancellor of the Spring Breeze ―― Abe Masahiro and the Forecast of the Eleventh Month of Kaei 5
The second day of the eleventh month of Kaei 5 (1852). At the Satsuma domain residence in Edo, Shimazu Nariakira took up his brush. The letter was addressed to his younger brother Hisamitsu, who was… -
The Wound Called Ryūkyū ―― How Did Shimazu Nariakira Inherit Satsuma?
Two reports from Satsuma reached Shimazu Nariakira in Edo. One was addressed from Shimazu Shōsō to Shimazu Iwami. Its content was that Ryūkyū was peaceful and there was nothing to worry about. The… -
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. -
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. -
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. -
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…
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