Boshin War
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The Boshin War (戊辰戦争 Boshin Sensō, literally "War of the Year of the Dragon") was fought in 1868–1869 between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the pro-Imperial forces in Japan. The defeat of the shogunate led directly to the Meiji Restoration.
Political background
Rivalry between the Shogun and the Emperor
Discontent between the Shogunate on one side, and the Imperialist and xenophobic sonnō jōi (lit. "Revere the Emperor, expel the Barbarians") movement on the other side, had been brewing for years. The Emperor Komei's 1863 "Order to expel barbarians" triggered a series of attacks against the Bakufu and against foreigners in Japan (most famously the killing of the English trader Charles Lennox Richardson, and the shelling of foreign shipping in Shimonoseki). These actions were countered by armed retaliations by foreign powers, such as the Bombardment of Shimonoseki and the Bombardment of Kagoshima, and by punitive expeditions by the Bakufu, such as when the Shogun Tokugawa Keiki successfully defeated Choshu forces in their attempt to capture the Imperial gates in Hamaguri in 1864.A secret alliance against the shogunate was again formed in 1866 between Chōshū and Satsuma. In November 1867, Emperor Meiji had given the rebellious provinces of Satsuma and Choshu the right to overthrow the shogunate; however, reigning Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu deftly sidestepped this by resigning his post (but not his power) the next day, committing to call a general assembly of Daimyos to create a new government.
Seizure of the Imperial palace
Events came to a head on January 3, 1868 when the forces of Chōshū and Satsuma, unhappy with the turn of events, seized the imperial palace in Kyoto, and had the 15-year old Emperor declare his own restoration to full power.
Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu declared the declaration "illegal" and decided to prepare an attack on Kyoto, occupied by Satsuma and Choshu forces, and the seat of the emperor.
On January 19th, 1868, the Shogunate forces attacked the palace of the fief of Satsuma, located in Edo, where many opponents to the Bakufu had been hiding and creating trouble in the capital at the request of Saigo Takamori. The palace was burnt down, and all opponents killed or later excecuted, thus starting the Boshin War.
Battle of Toba-Fushimi
On January 27, 1868, the shogunate forces and the forces of Chōshū and Satsuma clashed near Toba and Fushimi. Some parts of the 15,000-strong shogunate forces had been trained by French military advisors, but the majority remained medieval samurai forces. Meanwhile the forces of Chōshū and Satsuma were numerically inferior by 3:1 but fully modernized. The Battle of Toba-Fushimi was one-sided, and Yoshinobu was forced to flee to Edo.
Naval battle of Awa
The following day, January 28th 1868, saw the Naval Battle of Awa between the Bakufu and elements of the Satsuma Navy, and became Japan's first engagement between two modern navies. The battle, although small in scale, ended in favour of the Bakufu.Surrender of Edo
Saigo Takamori led the victorious imperial forces north and east through Japan, eventually leading to the unconditional surrender of Edo in May 1868, by the Minister of the Shogun's army, Katsu Kaishu.
Some groups continued to resist after the surrender. They regrouped in the area of Ueno, where they were again defeated in the Battle of Ueno.
In a final chapter to the war, the Commander-in-Chief of the Shogun's Navy Enomoto Takeaki refused to remit his ships and escaped north with the remnants of the navy (Eight steam warships: Kaiten, Banryū, Chiyodagata, Chōgei, Kaiyō Maru, Kanrin Maru, Mikaho and Shinsoku), 2,000 members of the Navy, and a handful of faithful French military advisors (notably Jules Brunet), in the hope of staging a counter-attack.
Last fighting in Northern Japan and Hokkaido
After Yoshinobu's surrender, most of Japan accepted the emperor's rule, but a core of shogunate supporters in the North, led by the Aizu clan, continued the resistance.Northern coalition
In May several northern daimyos formed an Alliance to fight Imperial troops, the Northern Coalition (奥羽越列藩同盟) composed of the fiefs of Sendai, Yonezawa, Aizu, Shonai and Nagaoka, with a total of 50,000 troops. The Bakufu fleet under the orders Enomoto Takeaki reached Sendai harbour on August 26.
Imperial troops nevertheless continued to progress north, taking the castle of Wakamatsu, and making the position in Sendai untenable. The coalition crumbled, and on October 12th, 1868, the fleet left Sendai for Hokkaido, after having acquired two more ships (the Oe-大江 and the Hou-Ou, previously borrowed by the Sendai fief from the Bakufu), and about 1,000 more troops: Bakufu troops under Otori Keisuke, Shinsengumi troops under Hijikata Toshizo, Yugekitai under Katsutaro Hitomi, as well as several more French advisors (Fortant, Garde, Marlin, Bouffier).
After a protracted month-long battle, Aizu finally admitted defeat on November 6, leading to the mass suicide of the Byakkotai (White Tiger Corps) young warriors. A month later, Edo was renamed Tokyo, and the Meiji Era started.
Creation of the Ezo Republic
In a final chapter to the war, the Commander-in-Chief of the Shogun's Navy Enomoto Takeaki fled to Hokkaido with the remnants of the navy and a handful of faithful French military advisors (notably Jules Brunet), and established the Republic of Ezo there on the American model on December 25.
During the winter they fortified their defences around the southern peninsula of Hakodate, with the new fortress of Goryokaku at the center. The troops were organized under a Franco-Japanese commandment, the commander-in-chief Otori Keisuke being seconded by the French captain Jules Brunet, and divided between four brigades, each commanded by a French officer (Fortant, Le Marlin, Cazeneuve, Bouffier), themselves divided into eight half-brigades, each under Japanese command.
Naval battle of Miyako
The Imperial navy reached the harbour of Miyako on March 20th. Anticipating the arrival of the Imperial ships, the rebels organized a daring plan to seize the powerful new warship Kotetsu. Three warships were dispatched for a surprise attack, in what is known as the Naval Battle of Miyako.
Battle of Hakodate
Imperial forces soon consolidated their hold on mainland Japan, and in April 1869 dispatched a fleet and an infantry force of 7,000 to Ezo, starting the Battle of Hakodate. The Imperial forces progressed swiftly and won the Naval Battle of Hakodate, Japan's first large-scale naval battle between modern navies, until the fortress of Goryokaku was surrounded with 800 remaining men. Enomoto decided to surrender on May 18, 1869, and accepted the Meiji Emperor's rule – the Republic ceased to exist on 27 June 1869.
Boshin War |
| Battle of Toba-Fushimi | Naval Battle of Awa | Battle of Koshu-Katsunuma | Battle of Utsunomiya | Battle of Ueno | Northern Coalition | Battle of the North | Battle of Aizu | Naval Battle of Miyako | Battle of Hakodate | Naval Battle of Hakodate |
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