1
Bakumatsu
The Fall of The Tokugawa Shogunate1853-1867
2
The Arrival of Cmdr Perry

• July 1853
• Designed to Intimidate
• Black Ships
• Western Technology
• Curiosity on both sides
• Delivered president Fillmores Letter

3
Return of Cmdr Perry

• Signed Treaty of Kanagawa
• Trade
• Diplomacy
• Aid to Victims of Shipwreck
• Treaties with the Dutch, French and Britain
  followed

4
Yoshida Shoin

• Famous Teacher
• Tried to learn the secrets of Western Superiority
• Mentor to Ito Hirobumi
• Led Choshu rebellion
• Executed by the Bakufu in 1859
• Revered as one of the fathers of Modern Japan

5
Sonno Joi!

• Many Japanese were Xenophobic and resented
  Western Presence
• Many Clans began to lose faith in the Bakufu and
  its ability to stand up to the more powerful West
• Extra-Territoriality
• They instead put their faith in the Emperor
• Began a new movement- Revere The Emperor, Expel
  The Barbarian Sonno Joi

Emperor Komei
6
Extra-Territoriality

• Extra-territoriality was a problem for many
  Japanese
• Extra-territoriality meant that Foreigners could
  not be tried under Japanese law.
• Many Clans such as the Satsuma and Choshu Clans
  ignored extra-territoriality to their Peril.

7
Rebellions

• In 1863 the Emperor issued an Order to expel the
  Barbarians
• Many Disgruntled Samurai began killing westerners
• They also began to defy the authority of the
  Shogunate

8
The Richardson Affair/Namagumi Incident

• Charles Lennox Richardson was a British Trader
• In September 1862 he refused to bow to a local
  Satsuma Daimyo
• Samurai attacked and killed him
• Led to the bombardment of Kagoshima

9
The Bombardment of Shimonoseki

• June 1863 Choshu fired on US ships
• Closed the narrow Shimonoseki Strait for over a
  year
• September 1864 British, French and Dutch Warships
  and Ground forces retaliated and Decimated the
  Town of Shimonoseki

10
Choshu/Satsuma Alliance

• 1864 clashes with westerners convinced Choshu and
  Satsuma clans of the need to modernise.
• 1866, Satcho Alliance
• Between two staunch imperial loyalist Clans
• At first, secret.
• Later, Overt.

11
Intelligence gathering

• The Bakufu sent abroad many representatives to
  learn the ways of the west.
• Many representatives of Choshu and Satsuma also
  travelled to Europe and America.
• They studied western systems of Government,
  Military, Law and Education.

12
Pressure on Shogun

• 1860-1865 the Bakufu struggled to control the
  Daimyo
• In 1866 it launched a military campaign to crush
  resistance
• It was denied success by the Satcho Alliance
• The shogunate became increasingly impotent

• In December 1867, Emporer Komei died and was
  succeeded by his 16 year old son (Meiji)
• The new Emperor was heavily influenced by the
  Satcho alliance

13
1867 Shogun Cedes Power

• In 1867 the Satcho alliance began to attack the
  Shogunate Forces in Edo
• Satcho also moved on Kyoto and directly pressured
  the Emperor to strip the Tokugawa Shogunate of
  power
• In late 1867 the Tokugawa gave up power for the
  sake of Stability

14
Main Points to Remember

• Bakumatsu is the name given to the period
  1853-1867
• The arrival of westerners in 1853 brought
  instability
• Sonno Joi - Revere the Emperor, Expel the
  Barbarian became a catchcry for those who
  resented Tokugawa rule
• Violence aimed at westerners (Richardson Affair)
  led to severe consequences such as the
  bombardments of Kagoshima and Shimonoseki

• Such defeats led to the realisation of the need
  to modernise
• Intelligence gathering missions were sent to
  western countries
• Satsuma and Choshu clans formed the Satcho
  alliance
• Satcho alliance forced the Tokugawa shogunate to
  cede power in late 1867

15
Bibliography

• Fewster, Stuart Gorton, Tony. Japan From
  Shogun to Superstate Brooks Waterloo,
  Victoria,1988.
• www.wikipedia.org
• http//www.jref.com/
• http//ocw.mit.edu/ans7870/21f/21f.027j/menu/index
  .html

16
Questions for Test

• What is the name given to the period 1853-1867?
• What does Sonno Joi mean?
• Name some of the catalysts for the Bombardments
  of Shimonoseki and Kagoshima.
• What was the Satcho Alliance?
• Why were missions sent to western countries?
• When did the Tokugawa Shogunate cede power and to
  whom?

17
Subjects to cover

• Boshin War
• Military Reforms
• Education Reforms
• Genro
• Satsuma Rebellion
• Sino-Japanese War 1894
• Zaibatsu

• Russo-Japanese War
• WW1
• Taisho Democracy
• Tokyo Earthquake 1923