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44-696: Following the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in the Boshin War , Tosa Domain 's 6th Division under the command of Miura Inokichi Motoaki was sent by the new Meiji government to garrison the port of Sakai in Izumi Province , which had until that time been under the control of the Tokugawa shogunate 's Osaka machi-bugyō . Miura was aware of the events of the recent "Kōbe Incident" involving two French sailors and samurai of Bizen Domain , which had resulted in

88-524: A Buddhist monk at the monzeki temple of Ninna-ji was named nominal commander in chief of the army. Although the Prince had no military experience, this nomination effectively transformed the Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance forces into an Imperial army ( kangun ), which proved to be a powerful tool of psychological warfare , sending shogunal forces into confusion and disarray, since anyone who fired on

132-538: A Satsuma fleet, but was insignificant to the unfolding of the land battle. The forces which had been to Fushimi, consisting in Aizu troops, Shinsengumi and Yūgekitai ( 遊撃隊 ) guerilla troops were again attacked at Takasegawa ( 高瀬川 ) and Ujigawa ( 宇治川 ) on the morning of the 28th by the troops of Satsuma and Chōshū, and were forced to retreat in the direction of Yodo Castle after a bitter fight. The Shogunal forces which had regrouped at Tominomori ( 富の森 ) were attacked by

176-608: A Satsuma-manned barrier post at the Koeda Bridge (小枝橋), Toba (located in what is now part of Minami-ku, Kyoto ). They were followed by two infantry battalions (歩兵), rifles empty as they did not expect a fight, under Tokuyama Kōtarō, and further south by eight companies from Kuwana with four cannons. Some Matsuyama and Takamatsu troops and a few others were also participating, but Bakufu cavalry and artillery seem to have been absent. In front of them were about 900 entrenched troops from Satsuma, with four cannons. After denying

220-610: A Tosa samurai, which was considered a grave insult. He was chased and beaten, with the Tōsa samurai recovering the banner, but this resulted an all-out melee. It was reported the French opened fire first, and then the Japanese returned fire in retaliation. As a result, nine sailors and a midshipman named Guillou were killed, with two more sailors dying of their injuries the following day. All were in their 20s. The French casualties were buried at

264-854: A feeling of humanity, stayed the execution, declaring that he considered the reparation sufficient, and that he proposed to ask the Minister of France to intercede for a commutation of punishment in favour of the other condemned. This incident was dramatised in a short story, "Sakai Jiken", by Mori Ōgai . On March 17, Prince Yamashina Akira , together with Date Munenari , went aboard the French flagship "Venice", formally apologized to Roches and extended an invitation to an audience with Emperor Meiji . The following day, on March 18, Yamauchi Toyonori also boarded "Venice" and apologized to Roches and others. The nine Tōsa samurai who escaped execution were sent to Kumamoto Domain or Hiroshima Domain and were later pardoned. The eleven men who were executed were buried at

308-594: A fleet lying at anchor in Osaka harbour, a factor of uncertainty which led to the shogunate maintaining the garrison at Osaka with a significant part of its army in reserve rather than commit them to the offensive in Kyōto. This foreign naval presence was related to the protection orders for the foreign settlements at Hyōgo (modern Kobe ), and the very recent opening of the ports of Hyōgo and Ōsaka by decree to foreign trade three weeks earlier on 1 January 1868. Tokugawa Yoshinobu

352-687: A larger paper, the Gazette Nationale ou Le Moniteur Universel . On December 2, 1799 Le Moniteur was declared an official newspaper. Napoleon controlled it via Hugues-Bernard Maret and Jean Jacques Régis de Cambacérès , who were responsible for its content. Due to Napoleon's strict controls of the press, the Moniteur's reports of legislative debates were replaced by bulletins of the Grand Army and polemical articles directed against England. The words Gazette Nationale were dropped from

396-543: The Denshūtai , had received training from French military advisers. Some of the men deployed in the front lines were armed in archaic fashion, with pikes and swords . For example, the troops of Aizu had a combination of modern soldiers and samurai, as did the troops of Satsuma to a lesser degree. The Bakufu had almost fully equipped troops and Chōshū troops were the most modern and organized of all. According to historian Conrad Totman: "In terms of army organization and weaponry,

440-722: The Fujiyama . Enomoto brought with him various documents and a treasure of 180,000 ryō . They arrived in Edo on 14 January. The effects of the Battle of Toba–Fushimi were out of proportion to its small scale. The prestige and morale of the Tokugawa bakufu was seriously weakened, and many daimyōs who had remained neutral now declared in favor of the Emperor and offered military support to prove their new loyalties. Even more significantly,

484-463: The Boshin War in Japan . The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō , first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shogunate and the allied forces of Chōshū , Satsuma and Tosa Domains clashed near Fushimi, Kyoto . The battle lasted for four days, ending in a decisive defeat for the shogunate. On 4 January 1868, the restoration of imperial rule

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528-807: The Napoleonic regime. Le Moniteur had a large circulation in France and Europe, and also in America during the French Revolution. The interest aroused by the debates of the first National Assembly suggested to Hugues-Bernard Maret the idea of publishing them in the Bulletin de l'Assemblée . Charles-Joseph Panckoucke (1736-1798), owner of the Mercure de France and publisher of the famous Encyclopédie of 1785, persuaded him to merge this into

572-547: The shōgun had abandoned them, they departed Osaka Castle, which was later surrendered to Imperial forces without resistance. Yoshinobu later claimed that he had been disturbed by the Imperial approval given to the actions of Satsuma and Chōshū, and, once the brocade banner had appeared, he had lost all will to fight. French advisors Jules Brunet and Cazeneuve , who were present at the battle, left Osaka and returned to Edo on 12 January, together with Enomoto Takeaki on board

616-525: The Dupleix, landed at Sakai to witness the execution of two officers, a subaltern, and 17 Japanese soldiers, condemned to death as the principal authors of the aggression. The two chiefs were the first put to death, after which nine others perished successively. Captain du Petit-Thouars then seeing that the Japanese Government was decided on carrying out its engagements to the end, and ceding to

660-688: The French and to reassure them that the persons responsible would be punished. However, due to strong protests by the French captain Abel-Nicolas Bergasse du Petit-Thouars , Roches made a strong ultimatum to the Japanese government with five demands: At that time, the Western powers had numerous warships in Osaka Bay in connection with the unsettled political condition in Japan and the recent opening of Hyōgo port to foreign commerce, whereas

704-847: The Kobe Foreign Settlement, with Roches, British consul Harry Parkes and the Dutch minister in Osaka in attendance, and a monument was later erected to their memory near the Sannomiya Shirine in Kobe. Word of the incident quickly reached Kyoto , where the retired daimyō of Tosa, Yamauchi Toyoshige asked the British minister, Algernon Mitford (who happened to be staying at the Tosa clan's residence in Kyoto) to mediate with

748-493: The action at Toba–Fushimi. The overall commander ( rikugun bugyō ) of the operation was Takenaka Shigekata . The shogunate forces move in the direction of Toba under the command of Vice-Commander Ōkubo Tadayuki , making a total of 2,000 to 2,500 troops. At around 17:00, the shogunate vanguard, made up largely of about 400 men of the Mimawarigumi , armed with pikes and some firearms, under Sasaki Tadasaburo , approached

792-538: The afternoon, the Shogunal forces had once again to retreat to the area of Nōsho ( 納所 ), in the direction of the Yodo Castle . Shogunal forces attempted to regroup at Yodo Castle, but were refused admission, as the daimyō of Yodo Domain had decided to defect to the Imperial side on the appearance of the Imperial banner and defeat of the Shogunal forces. The daimyō of Yodo maintained his gates closed despite

836-409: The army would automatically become a traitor to the emperor. The Bakufu forces that had been to Toba retreated and regrouped with other Bakufu troops at Tominomori ( 富の森 ), where they set up their command base. Meanwhile, the Battle of Awa took place that same day on the nearby Inland Sea . It was the first naval battle between modern fleets in Japan, and ended with a small shogunal victory over

880-543: The arrival of the Emperor in the Tuileries . Immediately after the July Revolution of 1830, one of the first steps of the provisional government was to seize control of Le Moniteur and the government of Louis Philippe put it under the control of the ministerial departments. Le Moniteur ceased the publication of the official part after a conflict with Napoleon III on December 31, 1868, being superseded as

924-470: The city of Osaka. Afterwards, the 20 skiffs dispatched from the Dupleix landed at Sakai, discharging some 100 sailors for shore leave . Complaints soon reached the ears of the Tōsa samurai responsible for security that the sailors had become unruly, intruding into temples and homes without invitation, harassing women, and frightening the merchants. One of the French sailors stole a regimental banner from

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968-618: The court's demands, on 17 January 1868, Yoshinobu declared "that he would not be bound by the proclamation of the restoration and called on the court to rescind it." On 24 January, after considerable provocation by Satsuma's rōnin in Edo , Yoshinobu, from his base at Osaka Castle decided to prepare an attack on Kyōto , ostensibly to dislodge the Satsuma and Chōshū elements dominating the court and "freeing" young Emperor Meiji from their influence. The battle started when shogunate forces moved in

1012-525: The court, authorizing their suppression by military force, and granting use of the Imperial brocade banners. These brocade banners were prepared beforehand, having been made by Ōkubo Toshimichi a few months previously, and stored in Chōshū domain and in the Satsuma Kyoto residence until an appropriate opportunity presented itself. In addition, Imperial Prince Yoshiaki , a young man of 22, who had lived as

1056-548: The direction of Kyoto to deliver a letter from Yoshinobu, warning the Emperor of the intrigues plotted by Satsuma and the court nobles who supported it, such as Iwakura Tomomi . The 15,000-strong shogunal army outnumbered the Satsuma–Chōshū army by three to one, and consisted mostly of men from the Kuwana and Aizu Domains , reinforced by Shinsengumi irregulars. Although some of its members were mercenaries, others, such as

1100-466: The evolving political order, a prospect hard-liners from Satsuma and Chōshū found intolerable. Although the majority of fifteen-year-old Emperor Meiji 's consultative assembly was happy with the formal declaration of direct rule by the court and tended to support a continued collaboration with the Tokugawa, Saigō Takamori physically threatened members of the assembly into ordering the confiscation of Yoshinobu's lands. Although he initially agreed to

1144-573: The execution of the local Japanese commander. He was also aware of French diplomatic and military support for the former Tokugawa shogunate . The commander of the French Far-Eastern Fleet Commodore Gustave Ohier was ordered by French consul general Léon Roches to survey the shallows of Osaka Bay , as in January 1868 American admiral Henry H. Bell had drowned when his launch capsized en route to

1188-490: The field as commander of bakufu forces. That evening however, he slipped away from Osaka Castle accompanied by the daimyōs of Aizu and Kuwana to escape back to Edo on the shogunate warship Kaiyō Maru . As Kaiyō Maru had not arrived, he took refuge for the night on an American warship, USS  Iroquois , anchored in Osaka Bay . Kaiyō Maru arrived the following day. When the remnants of his forces learned that

1232-627: The fledgling Meiji government had the bulk of its military forces hundreds of kilometers away in the Kantō region due to the ongoing Boshin War . The Meiji government turned to Parkes hoping that he could help mediate the French demands, but Parkes was not sympathetic. On March 16, Miura, his deputy Nishimura Sahei and 28 men were sentenced to death by seppuku . However, fearing that executing all troop members would further inflame anti-foreign sentiment Iwakura Tomomi , Sanjō Sanetomi and others instructed

1276-655: The forces of Chōshū and Satsuma were outnumbered, they were fully modernized with Armstrong howitzers , Minié rifles and one Gatling gun . The shogunate forces had been slightly lagging in term of equipment, although a core elite force had been recently trained by the French military mission to Japan (1867–68) . The Shogun also relied on troops supplied by allied domains, which were not necessarily as advanced in terms of military equipment and methods, making up an army that had both modern and outdated elements. The Royal Navy , generally supportive of Satsuma and Chōshū, maintained

1320-472: The forces of Satsuma in the morning. Around noon, the Imperial brocade banner appeared from behind the Satsuma–Chōshū lines. At first, neither side recognized the strange banner. Messengers had to be sent to both sides to explain what it was. Shogunal forces were thrown into confusion and Satsuma-Chōshū forces, their morale boosted, drew swords and charged the shogunal lines. The shogunal forces attempted to counter-attack, but were forced to retreat in disarray. In

1364-434: The foreign secretariat judge, Godai Tomoatsu to negotiate with the French to reduce the number to the four senior commanders and 16 ordinary troops. The French agreed, and the 16 ordinary troops were selected by drawing lots. The grounds of the temple of Myōkoku-ji was selected as the location, and in front of a French delegation the samurai cut open their abdomens and allowed their intestines to flow , one after another, to

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1408-415: The four main protagonists probably rank in this order: Chōshū was best; Bakufu infantry was next; Satsuma was next; and Aizu and most liege vassal forces were last." There was no clearly defined intent to fight on the part of the shogunate troops, attested by the many empty rifles of the men in the vanguard. Motivation and leadership on the part of the shogunate also seems to have been lacking. Although

1452-420: The ill-conceived attempt by Tokugawa Yoshinobu to regain control silenced elements within the new imperial government who favored a peaceful resolution to the conflict. Osaka Castle , an important symbol of Tokugawa hegemony over western Japan, fell to Imperial forces. The victory set a course for a military settlement rather than a political compromise. Le Moniteur Universel Le Moniteur Universel

1496-431: The newspaper's name on January 1, 1811, when it became Le Moniteur Universel . The newspaper also became less exclusively political, articles on literature, science, and art occupying a considerable portion of its columns. Napoleon's return from exile on Elba on March 20, 1815 confirmed Le Moniteur in its position as official journal; Le Moniteur announced in the same edition both the departure of King Louis XVIII and

1540-471: The night, as troops from Kuwana arrived in reinforcement. The Toba battlefield has been transformed into a public park, Tobarikyūato-kōen (鳥羽離宮跡公園), which contains a monument to the battle. It is located just between the Koeda Bridge, where the Satsuma forces were stationed, and the Jōnangū Temple (城南宮), where the Imperial forces had their headquarters. On the same day, Satsuma–Chōshū forces further to

1584-580: The shock of the French who were observing. After 11 men performed their own execution, (which matched the number of French killed), the French captain announced that he was satisfied. Quoting the Moniteur , the London Morning Post described the executions: On the 15th [a Japanese] high functionary brought a written reply from his Government conceding all the satisfaction required. On the following day Captain du Petit-Thouars, commander of

1628-417: The shogunate force permission to pass peacefully, the Satsuma force opened fire from the flank, the first shots of the Boshin War . A Satsuma shell exploded on a gun carriage next to the horse of shogunal commander Takigawa Tomotaka , causing the horse to throw Takigawa and bolt. The startled horse ran wild, throwing the shogunate column into panic and disarray. The Satsuma attack was forceful and quickly sent

1672-591: The shogunate troops in disarray and retreat. Sasaki ordered his men to charge the Satsuma gunners, but since the Mimawarigumi was armed only with spears and swords, his men were killed en masse. However, the Kuwana forces and a unit under Kubota Shigeaki held their ground, making the skirmish rage on inconclusively. The Shogunate troops set fire to various houses as they retreated, but that allowed Satsuma snipers to aim more easily. The situation stabilized during

1716-544: The southeast at Fushimi also inconclusively engaged Shogunal forces in their area. The Satsuma–Chōshū forces started firing on the Shogunal forces when they heard the firing of cannons from the area of Toba. The Shogunal forces were composed of Bakufu troops, Shinsengumi and Aizu troops. A violent encounter took place for the control of Bungo Bridge (豊後橋). On 28 January, Iwakura Tomomi gave Saigō Takamori and Ōkubo Toshimichi orders obtained from Emperor Meiji proclaiming Tokugawa Yoshinobu and his followers to be enemies of

1760-449: The supplication of the retreating army, thus denying them a major means of defense, forcing them to flee as far as Osaka castle. The daimyō of strategically located Tsu Domain followed two days later. The retreating shogunal troops were progressively streaming into Osaka Castle . At Osaka Castle, Tokugawa Yoshinobu gathered his advisors and military leaders to plan strategy and, to boost morale, advised that he would personally take to

1804-595: The temple of Hōshū-in, just north of Myōkoku-ji and Yamauchi Toyoshige had a cenotaph erected in their memory. In 1938, the site was designated as a National Historic Site by the Japanese government. It is located about a 15-minute walk from Sakai Station on the Nankai Electric Railway Nankai Main Line . Battle of Toba-Fushimi The Battle of Toba–Fushimi ( 鳥羽・伏見の戦い , Toba-Fushimi no Tatakai ) occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during

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1848-520: Was a French newspaper founded in Paris on November 24, 1789 under the title Gazette Nationale ou Le Moniteur Universel by Charles-Joseph Panckoucke , and which ceased publication on December 31, 1868. It was the main French newspaper during the French Revolution and was for a long time the official journal of the French government and at times a propaganda publication, especially under

1892-414: Was formally proclaimed. Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu had earlier resigned his authority to the emperor, agreeing to "be the instrument for carrying out" imperial orders. The Tokugawa shogunate had ended. However, while Yoshinobu's resignation created a nominal void at the highest level of government, his apparatus of state continued to exist. Moreover, the Tokugawa family remained a prominent force in

1936-527: Was in bed with a severe chill, and could not participate directly in the operations. On 27 January 1868 Tokugawa Yoshinobu, based at Osaka Castle , south of Kyoto, started to move his troops north to Kyoto, through two main roads, one being the Toba road (鳥羽街道), and the other the Fushimi road (伏見街道). Altogether about 13,000 troops were moving forward, although they were widely spread out, leaving about 8,500 for

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