The Second Chōshū expedition (), also called the Summer War, was a
punitive expedition
A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a political entity or any group of people outside the borders of the punishing state or union. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong beha ...
led by the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.
The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
against the
Chōshū Domain. It followed the
First Chōshū expedition of 1864.
Campaign
The Second Chōshū expedition was announced on 6 March 1865.
[Medzini, Meron. ] The operation started on 7 June 1866 with the bombardment of
Suō-Ōshima in
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). ...
by the Navy of the Bakufu.
The expedition ended in military disaster for the
shogunate
, officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...
troops, as Chōshū forces were modernized and organised effectively. By contrast, the shogunate army was composed of antiquated feudal forces from the
Bakufu
, officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...
and numerous neighboring domains, with only small elements of modernised units.
[Jansen, Marius B. (2000). ] Many domains put up only half-hearted efforts, and several outright refused shogunate orders to attack, notably Satsuma who had by this point entered into an alliance with Chōshū.
Aftermath
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Kazoku, Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned his position as shogun in late 1867, while ai ...
, the new ''
shōgun
, officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...
'', managed to negotiate a ceasefire after the death of the previous ''shōgun'', but the defeat fatally weakened the shogunate's prestige.
Tokugawa military prowess was revealed to be a paper tiger, and it became apparent that the shogunate could no longer impose its will upon the domains. The disastrous campaign is often seen to have sealed the fate of the Tokugawa shogunate.
The defeat stimulated the Bakufu to make numerous reforms to modernize its administration and army. Yoshinobu's younger brother Ashitake was sent to the
1867 Paris Exposition, Western dress replaced Japanese dress at the shogunal court, and collaboration with the French was reinforced leading to the 1867–1868
French military mission to Japan.
Gallery
File:Modern Costumes of Japanese Officers Shogunate Army 1866.png, ''Shogunate modernized troops in 1866''
File:Modernized troops of the Second Choshu Expedition 1865.jpg, Modernized shogunal troops in the Second Chōshū Expedition
File:Takadahan warriors Second Choshu Expedition.jpg, Troops of the Takada Domain in the Second Chōshū Expedition
File:Keiheitai.jpg, The Chōshū Kiheitai fought against the Bakufu
, officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...
in the Second Chōshū expedition
See also
*
First Chōshū expedition
*
Bakumatsu
were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate Meiji Restoration, ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a Feudali ...
Notes
References
*
Jansen, Marius B. (2000). ''The Making of Modern Japan''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 44090600* Totman, Conrad. (1980). ''The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu, 1862–1868''. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press
OCLC 5495030
Conflicts in 1866
Wars involving Japan
Punitive expeditions of Japan
June 1866
1866 in Japan
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