The First Chōshū expedition ( ja, 第一次長州征討) was a punitive military expedition by the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

against the

Chōshū Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81 The Chōshū Domain was based ...

in September–November 1864. The expedition was in retaliation for Chōshū's role in the attack on the

Kyoto Imperial Palace The is the former palace of the Emperor of Japan. Since the Meiji Restoration in 1869, the Emperors have resided at the Tokyo Imperial Palace, while the preservation of the Kyoto Imperial Palace was ordered in 1877. Today, the grounds are open t ...

during the

Kinmon incident The , also known as the , was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on August 20 unar calendar: 19th day, 7th month 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. History Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1 ...

in August 1864. The expedition ended in a nominal victory for the shogunate after a deal negotiated by

Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Sats ...

allowed Chōshū to hand over the ringleaders of the Kinmon incident.

Background

The First Chōshū expedition was launched on 1 September 1864.
French policy in Japan during the closing years of the Tokugawa regime
' by Meron Medzini, p.85 The conflict finally led to a compromise brokered by the

Satsuma Domain The , briefly known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province, the core of the modern city of Kagoshima, l ...

at the end of 1864. Although Satsuma initially jumped on the opportunity to weaken its traditional Chōshū enemy, it soon realized that the intention of the

Bakufu , officially , was the title of the military dictators 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, though during part of the Kamakura ...

was first to neutralize Chōshū, and then to neutralize Satsuma. For this reason,

, who was one of the Commanders of the shogunate forces, proposed to avoid fighting and instead obtain the leaders responsible for the rebellion. Chōshū was relieved to accept, as were the shogunate forces, who were not much interested in battle. Thus ended the First Chōshū expedition without a fight, as a nominal victory for the Bakufu.

Notes

Conflicts in 1864 Wars involving Japan Choshu 1864 in Japan September 1864 events October 1864 events November 1864 events {{Japan-mil-hist-stub

Background

See also

Notes