Kinmon incident

{{Short description|1864 Japanese rebellion}}

{{More citations needed|auto=yes|date=September 2013}}

{{Infobox military conflict

|conflict=Kinmon incident
禁門の変・蛤御門の変

|partof=Bakumatsu conflicts

|image=Hamaguri rebellion.jpg

|image_size=300px

|caption=An 1893 woodblock print by Yūzan Mori, depicting the Hamaguri rebellion.

|date=20 August 1864

|place=Kyoto

| coordinates = {{coord|35|01|23|N|135|45|35|E|region:JP_type:event|display=title}}

| map_type = Japan

|casus=Sonnō Jōi Imperial Order

|territory=

|result=Tokugawa shogunate victory

|combatant1={{plainlist |

}}

|combatant2={{plainlist |

}}

|combatant3=

|commander1= Fukuhara Echigo

|commander2=Tokugawa Yoshinobu

|commander3=

|strength1=3,000 men (1,400 Chōshū army + 1,600 rōnin force)

|strength2=50,000 men

|strength3=

|casualties1=400 killed or wounded

|casualties2=60 killed or wounded,
28,000 houses burnt down

|casualties3=

|notes=

}}

{{Late Tokugawa conflicts}}

The {{nihongo|Kinmon incident|禁門の変|Kinmon no Hen|"Forbidden Gate Incident" or "Imperial Palace Gate Incident"}}, also known as the {{nihongo|Hamaguri Gate Rebellion|蛤御門の変|Hamaguri Gomon no Hen|"Hamaguri Imperial Gate Incident"}}, was a rebellion against the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan that took place on 20 August [lunar calendar: 19th day, 7th month], 1864, near the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.

History

Starting with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, within a few years foreign powers forced the shogun dynasty to abandon its isolationist policy sakoku. The rebellion reflected the widespread discontent felt among both pro-imperial/anti-shogunate and anti-foreigner groups, who rebelled under the sonnō jōi ("revere the emperor, expel the barbarians") slogan. Emperor Kōmei had issued an "Order to expel barbarians". Thus, in March 1863, the shishi rebels sought to take control of the Emperor to restore the Imperial household to its position of political supremacy.

During what was a bloody crushing of the rebellion, the leading Chōshū clan was held responsible for its instigation. To counter the rebels' kidnapping attempt, armies of the Aizu and Satsuma domains (the latter led by Saigo TakamoriNagasawa Takaaki, [https://www.nippon.com/en/views/b07204/ The Life of Japan’s “Last Samurai”: Saigō Takamori)] at Nippon.com, accessed 18 June 2020) led the defense of the Imperial palace. However, during the attempt, the rebels set Kyoto on fire, starting with the residence of the Takatsukasa family, and that of a Chōshū official. It is unknown if the rebels set fire to Kyoto as soon as they began to lose, or if their doing so was part of their original strategy, and done as a diversionary tactic.{{citation needed|date=April 2015}} Among the shishi who died in the incident was Kusaka Genzui.

Various courtiers, including Nakayama Tadayasu, the Emperor's Special Consultant for National Affairs, were banished from Court as a result of their involvement in this incident.Takeda Hideaki, [http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=521 Nakayama Tadayasu (1809–88)] at kokugakuin.ac, accessed 24 September 2013 Sanjō Sanetomi, due to his association with many of the shishi that were captured, executed or identified during the rebellion, was forced to flee. The shogunate followed the incident with a retaliatory armed expedition, the First Chōshū expedition, in September 1864.

References