In Kyoto the Emperor had become the center of an active and
determined political movement. Its platform--anti-foreign and
anti-Tokugawa--called for the restoration of the Imperial power. The
court nobles and a growing number of the _samurai_ and feudal lords
supported it. Wealthy merchant-banker families, such as the Mitsui
house, provided it with cash. Above all, the movement was eventually
backed by a coalition of the western clans, notably those of Choshu and
Satsuma. The part these clans played, both in the Restoration movement
and in the later Imperial government, was decisive.