Documents in History: 1862 London Protocol

With rising unpopularity of foreigners in Japan, causing violence, the Tokugawa Shogunate and the British government agreed in 1862 to postpone of the opening of the designated ports of the 1858 Anglo-Japanese Commercial Treaty. Explore the contents of the agreement bellow.

Document in History: 1858 Regulations under which American Trade is to be conducted in Japan

In 1858, the Harris Treaty opened Japan further to Americans. Alongside the treaty came regulations for the expanding Japan-US trade. Explore the attached regulations to the Harris Treaty bellow.

Documents in History: 1858 Harris Treaty

In 1858, First American Consul to Japan, Townsend Harris negotiated a treaty of amity and commerce with the Japanese Bakufu. Months of intense negotiations resulted to what became known as the Harris Treaty signed on July 29, 1858. Explore its contents bellow.

Documents in History: Supplementary Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Russia and Japan

The Treaty of Shimoda opened Japan for Russia, but in 1857, the Russians expanded their relations with the Japanese with a supplementary treaty.

Documents in History: 1857 Additional Articles to the Treaty of Commerce between the Netherlands and Japan

The Dutch, after Perry's departure, negotiated and signed a treaty in 1856 with the Japanese expanding its activities beyond Dejima and into the whole of Nagasaki. In 1857, Donker Curtius, head of the Dutch enclave negotiated additional articles that expanded further Dutch influence, including the addition of the status of most favored state. Explore the contents of this 1857 treaty bellow.

The Bakumatsu (Part 13): Summing Up

With the end of the Boshin War and the Shogunate, Japan moved forward with the Emperor as the sole symbol of the new nation of Japan. Explore the effects of the Bakumatsu and the Boshin War to the history of the Land of the Rising Sun.

The Bakumatsu (Part 12): End of Boshin War

With the Battle of Toba-Fushimi and the fall of Osaka, the Boshin War was on its climax. Explore the following battles and events in this short but momentous segment in Japanese modern history.

The Bakumatsu (Part 11): Early Boshin War

The Boshin War was a short dramatic chapter in Japanese history where the ancient old Tokugawa Shogunate, or at least, its clan and allies, fought for its dignity against imperial restoration and abolition of their privileges and wealth. Explore this conflict that decided Japan’s destiny.

The Bakumatsu (Part 10): Shogunate of Yoshinobu

Hitotsubashi Keiki or Yoshinobu ascended as the 15th Tokugawa Shogun in 1867 in the midst of declining power and prestige of the Bakufu after centuries of domination. Explore Yoshinobu’s Shogunate before it ended with a civil war that changed Japan’s history.

The Bakumatsu (Part 9): Satsuma-Choshu Alliance

Tokugawa Shogunate’s second expedition failed due to lack of support from other Domains in addition to a secret alliance unknown to Edo. Explore the creation of this secret alliance between Choshu and Satsuma that led the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

The Bakumatsu (Part 8): Diplomatic Developments

While the Bakufu prepared for its war against Choshu, they suddenly faced a diplomatic crisis, which freed them from the payment of a huge indemnity but in return of another batch of painful concessions. Explore these developments that virtually ended the Jo-i.

The Bakumatsu (Part 7): Choshu Expeditions

After their failed coup in Kyoto, Choshu leaders faced a punitive expedition from the Shogunate, mandated by Emperor Komei. Explore the Choshu Expeditions meant to weaken the rebellious Daimiate instead further weakened the Bakufu.

The Bakumatsu (Part 6): Choshu Domain

Choshu Domain violently closed the vital Shimonoseki Strait as a result of the Order to Expel the Barbarians. The Bakufu in Edo, meanwhile, took the order more cautiously by choosing diplomacy to close the treaty ports. The order resulted to friction between the Sakoku and the Kaikoku parties in the country. Explore these shock waves that hit Japan.

The Bakumatsu (Part 5): Order to Expel the Barbarians

As Japan closed near the brink of war over the Namamugi Incident, the Court and the Shogunate held meetings on chasing out foreigners, which brought further complication to an already messy situation. Explore what came out of the imperial order to expel the barbarians.

The Bakumatsu (Part 4): On the Brink

Attacks on foreigners and Bakufu officials illustrated the propensity of the unpopularity of opening Japan to the world. Edo attempted to alleviate the situation. But as it progressed, conditions continued to sour. Explore developments in foreign relations that placed Japan on the brink.

The Bakumatsu (Part 3): Unity of Court and Shogunate

Ii Naosuke and Tokugawa Nariaki’s demise signaled the start of a rocky relationship between the Bakufu, the Imperial Court, and the Daimyos. Explore the attempt to unite the Shogunate and the Emperor.

The Bakumatsu (Part 2): Divided Japan

Divide and tensions followed the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa. Historical antipathies further widened the polarization as a result of different opinions on the country’s faith. Explore the developments within Japan after 1854, when the Bakufu signed the Treaty of Kanagawa.

The Bakumatsu (Part 1): Opening of Japan

After Perry and the Bakufu signed the Treaty of Kanagawa in March 1854, floodgates opened to Japan for foreign countries to demand treaties giving Japanese a semi-colonial status. Explore the following events after the Treaty of Kanagawa and rise in interaction with the so-called foreign “barbarians.”

The Bakumatsu (Introduction): The Fall and Decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate

The Bakumatsu ended about a millennium history of shoguns that fascinated and led Japan. Explore Japan’s dissent during the period of the fall of the Tokugawa Shoguante.

Documents in History: July 1853 Memorial of Tokugawa Nariaki

On July 15, 1853, right after Commodore Perry left the Edo Bay, Tokugawa Nariaki, a known nationalist, Daimyo of Mito, sent a memorial to Edo giving 10 reasons for waging war against the Americans or other foreigners. Explore the document bellow.