The First Chōshū expedition () was a punitive military expedition 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 in September–November 1864. The expedition was in retaliation for Chōshū's role in the attack on the
Kyoto Imperial Palace during the
Kinmon incident in August 1864. The expedition ended in a nominal victory for the shogunate after a deal negotiated by
Saigō Takamori 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 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 was first to neutralize Chōshū, and then to neutralize Satsuma. For this reason,
Saigō Takamori, who was one of the Commanders of the shogunate forces, proposed to avoid fighting and instead obtain the leaders responsible for the Kinmon incident. 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.
See also
*
Second 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
Conflicts in 1864
Wars involving Japan
Choshu
1864 in Japan
September 1864
October 1864
November 1864
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