DOWNFALL OF THE SHOGUNATE
BEFORE leaving Yedo I had taken a lease of a house known as
_Taka-yashiki_ (high mansion) on a bluff overlooking the bay, at a
monthly rental of 100 _ichibus_, equal to £6 13s. 4. It was the retired
home of a Japanese gentleman of rank, who had abdicated his position in
favour of his eldest son, and had bought a piece of ground to build
himself a residence after his own taste. Consequently it was one of the
oddest houses imaginable, consisting of a number of small rooms of
varying sizes, and the garden was laid out in little hills and
grass-plots, planted with trees and shrubs. The only flowers were those
of the camellia and St John's wort bushes (Hypericum Chinense), for
herbaceous borders are almost impossible to manage in Japan, owing to
the heavy summer rains, which beat down all plants that have not woody
stems. The whole covered about two-thirds of an acre. There was an upper
storey, where I had my bedroom and apartments for the entertainment of
Japanese guests, and three staircases provided means of escape in case
of attack from the midnight murderer. Downstairs was a room for the
reception of European visitors, and two waiting rooms for callers, one
more for the accommodation of my head man and my own study. This was
nine feet square, with a circular window commanding a view of the sea,
and a square one at the side overlooking the garden. It was fitted up
with numerous small cupboards and shelves for the accommodation of books
and papers. It held a writing desk, a small table, a chair for myself
and one for my Japanese teacher, and a stool for the Chinese teacher
attached to the legation. There were also a large bathroom, a kitchen,
and a two-storeyed building beyond where my head man lived, and where
the young Japanese to whom I intended to teach English were to be
lodged. My food was entirely in the Japanese style, sent in from the
well-known house called Mansei, but I continued to drink English beer.
The household consisted of my head man (the Aidzu _samurai_, Noguchi,
who has been already mentioned), whose function was to superintend
everything, pay my bills, arrange for necessary repairs, and receive
persons who came on business which did not require a personal interview
with myself. Next to him came a small boy of fourteen who waited at
table and acted as valet. He was of the _samurai_ class, and so entitled
to wear sword and dagger when he went abroad. Then there was a woman of
about thirty years of age, whose duty it was to sweep the floors, open
the sliding shutters in the morning and close them at night, and sew on
my buttons. As there was hardly any furniture, she had very little
dusting to do. I was to engage a man to go, not run, on errands, perhaps
cook the rice for the whole family, and make himself generally useful.
Lastly came a gatekeeper, who had also the duty of sweeping the garden,
and a groom or running footman. When I went out walking or on horseback,
I was accompanied by a couple of the mounted escort that had been
attached to me by the Tycoon's government since my journey overland from
Ozaka in the earlier part of the year.
Thus established as a householder after my own liking, able to devote
myself to Japanese studies and to live intimately with Japanese and thus
become acquainted with their thoughts and views, I was perfectly happy.
In my journal I find noted down a dinner on November 6 with Nakamura
Matazô at the Sanku-tei near Shimbashi, with _geisha_ of course to pour
out the _saké_ and entertain us with music and bright conversation, and
on the 7th a dinner of broiled eels and rice at the Daikokuya,
Reiganbashi, with Yanagawa Shunsan, a teacher at the foreign language
school (_kaiseijo_). The political ferment threw a great deal of work on
me in interpreting for Sir Harry in his talks with government people,
and in translating official papers from and into Japanese, and these
duties often occupied me from nine o'clock in the morning till nine in
the evening, with only short intervals for meals.
In the dead of night on November 16 Ishikawa Kawachi no Kami, one of the
commissioners for foreign affairs, came to impart to Sir Harry the
momentous news that the Tycoon had resigned the direction of government
into the hands of the Mikado, and in future would simply be the
instrument for carrying out His Majesty's orders. We had heard from
other sources that he had abdicated, and that the office of Shôgun would
cease to exist. Already on the 14th Ogasawara Iki no Kami had told us
confidentially that the programme of the future consisted of a council
of the great _daimiôs_, decision by the Tycoon subject to the approval
of the Mikado.[4] The actual date of Keiki's resignation was November 8.
[4] For the detailed circumstances of this event I must refer
the reader to Chapter V. of my friend Mr. J. H. Gubbins'
valuable volume "The Progress of Japan, 1853-1871."
At an interview with Sir Harry two days afterwards, Iki no Kami read out
a long paper explaining the causes which had led to the Tycoon's
decision to surrender the government into the hands of the Mikado. He
went into a long retrospect of affairs from the commencement of the
renewed intercourse with foreign nations. The blame was, of course,
thrown on the agitators for political change. Keiki, it said, had not
resigned the chieftainship of the Tokugawa clan, but had simply
abolished the office of Shôgun. The new arrangement would not involve
any change in the previous agreements about the opening of the new ports
which had been entered into earlier in the year. Two of the Council of
State, Nui no Kami and Hiôbu Taiyu, were off to Kiôto.
Katsu Awa no Kami told us that he was afraid that the Tycoon's party
would precipitate events, and cause the outbreak of civil war. Kanéko
Taisuké, a retainer of Sakai Hida no Kami, told us that the _daimiôs_
were collecting troops at Ozaka. Satsuma had 5000 men, and Chôshiû and
Tosa men, under the command of Môri Nagato, were also encamped there, so
that we should find ourselves in a hornets' nest when we went down to
superintend the opening of the ports. The Tycoon had ordered 4000 or
5000 men to be despatched thither. The Council of State had informed his
chief and Matsudaira Hôki no Kami that in future they might be Tycoon's
or Mikado's men as they liked. A secret circular had been sent round
among the _hatamoto_ (retainers of the Tokugawa chief holding fiefs
assessed at less than 10,000 _koku_ of rice) inciting them against
Keiki, by accusing him of having poisoned the previous Shôgun Iyémochi,
and calling upon the faithful to assemble at Mukôjima, a suburb of Yedo.
The _sampei_ or drilled troops were clamouring for their pay. Civil war
at Kiôto was inevitable.
Truly it seemed as if the end of the old régime had come.
A week later Iki no Kami circulated another paper to be substituted for
the first, in which he had vented a little too much abuse of the
anti-Tycoon party. Matters had quieted down very much in the interval.
Kanéko also came to us and confessed that there was no foundation for
the rumours he had previously reported. Last night there arrived a
letter from Gotô Shôjirô, brought by Gotô Kiûjirô, one of the aliases of
him whom we afterwards knew so well as Nakai Kôzô, and a companion. They
produced a copy of the Tosa memorial of last month, advising the Tycoon
to take the step he had since adopted, and proposing various reforms. Of
these the most important were the establishment of an assembly composed
of two houses, the erection of schools of science and literature in the
principal cities, and the negotiation of new treaties with foreign
powers. They asked me for detailed information about parliamentary
practice, which I did not possess, so I put them off by promising that
they should get it from Mitford when we went to Ozaka for the opening of
the ports. They were succeeded the following day by a messenger from
Yoshii Kôsuké of Satsuma, to report that all was going on well, and that
they hoped to be "favoured with a call" as soon as we reached Ozaka.
Saigô and Komatsu had gone down to Kagoshima to fetch either Osumi no
Kami or Shiuri no Taiyu.
We had now become acquainted with the Satsuma agents in Yedo; the
_rusui_ (as the principal representative of a _daimiô_ was called)
Shinosaki Hikojirô scoffed at the notion that the Tycoon had given up
the reins of government because he thought it would be better for the
country at large to be ruled by an assembly; the fact was that he could
not help himself. Messages arrived by post from Tosa and Satsuma, the
"two or three clans acquainted with the dispositions of foreigners"
mentioned in the Mikado's most recent edict respecting foreign affairs.
This seemed to indicate a pretty strong desire to gain our support. We
now prepared to start for Ozaka. On the 27th November I went down to
Yokohama with my little pupil, Tetsu, dressed like a drummer-boy.
Mitford and I sailed on the 30th at daylight in H.M.S. "Rattler,"
Captain Swann. On December 2, as we were steaming up the Kii channel, we
encountered a strong northwest breeze, against which the ship could only
do two knots, so deficient in boiler-power were the British men-of-war
of that period. We anchored off Ozaka in the afternoon, and as no boats
put off from the shore, we had to conclude that the bar was impassable.
However, we managed to get ashore about noon, and proceeded to call on
the governors at their official residence opposite the castle. It is a
remarkable proof of Mitford's linguistic powers that he was able to
carry on the conversation in Japanese entirely unaided, although he had
been in the country no longer than twelve months.
Our mission was to find quarters for the legation, and after
consultation with them we went to inspect a _yashiki_ behind the castle,
which had been occupied in the spring by Iga no Kami, Keiki's principal
minister. We arranged for its repair, and for the construction of a
temporary barrack for the mounted escort and a detachment of fifty men
of the 9th regiment, who were to arrive as a guard. Everything was to be
ready by the 18th if possible. This peaceable and entirely commercial
city was full of two-sworded retainers of _daimiôs_. Finding that Saigô
had not yet returned from Kagoshima, and that Yoshii was in Kiôto, we
wrote to the latter asking him to come down to see us, but he replied
that he was too busy, and recommended us to wait until Saigô came back.
We visited the site of the intended foreign settlement, where we found
bonded warehouses, a custom-house, a guardhouse and a palisade being
erected, the object of the latter being to cut off the foreign residents
from the city. This proceeding was altogether contrary to treaty
stipulations, and we lost no time in lodging a protest with the
governors.
On December 7 we called on two of the Council of State and their
colleagues of the second council (Inaba Hiôbu Taiyu, Matsudaira Nui no
Kami, Nagai Hizen no Kami and Kawakatsu Bingo no Kami), who were on
their way to Yedo, and had orders from the Tycoon to stop at Ozaka to
see us. They gave us no information worth mentioning, but asserted that
he had long ago been intending to take the step of surrendering the
government to the Mikado. This of course we did not believe, our view
being that he was tired of being badgered by Satsuma, Chôshiû, Tosa and
Hizen, and that in order to give unity to his own party, he had resolved
to call a general council, which possibly might reinstate him by a
majority of votes, and thus establish his authority more strongly than
ever.
On December 12, having transacted all our business at Ozaka, we started
in palanquins for Hiôgo. Mitford walked as far as Ama-ga-saki, which he
reached in 3-3/4 hours, and I in a palanquin took half-an-hour more. By
three o'clock in the afternoon, after travelling six hours, we had got
only half-way. So we betook ourselves to Shanks' mare. Mitford's
Japanese teacher Nagazawa and our escort had to trot in order to keep
pace with us, and we got on board the "Rattler" soon after six. Having
dined with Captain Swann, we went ashore again, and took up our quarters
for the night at the municipal office (_sô-kwai-sho_). Next day we
called on the newly appointed governor, Shibata Hiuga no Kami, to
discuss various business details. He told us that there had been a week
of feasting at Kôbé in honour of the anticipated opening of the port,
with processions of people dressed in red silk crape, with carts which
were supposed to be transporting earth to raise the site of the proposed
foreign settlement. Its situation appeared to us entirely satisfactory.
Fêtes at Hiôgo itself were also projected. These we took to be marked
signs of goodwill on the part of both government and people, and to
promise a great extension of friendly intercourse between Japanese and
foreigners.
The same day we returned to Ozaka by boat, accompanied by Noel
(afterwards Admiral Sir Gerard Noel), first lieutenant of the "Rattler."
There we found the whole population occupied with festivities in honour
of the approaching opening of the city to foreign trade. Crowds of
people in holiday garb, dancing and singing "Ii ja nai ka, ii ja nai ka"
(isn't it good), houses decorated with rice-cakes in all colours,
oranges, little bags, straw and flowers. The dresses worn were chiefly
red crape, a few blue and purple. Many of the dancers carried red
lanterns on their heads. The pretext for these rejoicings was a shower
of pieces of paper, bearing the names of the two gods of Isé, alleged to
have taken place recently.
On the 14th we received a visit from our Satsuma friend Yoshii. He told
us that the coalition, which was determined to push matters to the last
extremity in order to gain their points, consisted of Satsuma, Tosa,
Uwajima, Chôshiû and Geishiû. Higo and Arima were inclined to join,
Hizen and Chikuzen indifferent. On the whole, it might safely be said
that all the western clans were pretty much of one mind. Osumi no Kami
(who suffered a good deal from _kakké_, a sort of dropsy of the legs)
was too ill to come to Kiôto, and Shiuri no Taiyu was to take his place,
arriving in a few days. Saedani Umétarô, a Tosa man whose acquaintance I
had made at Nagasaki, had been murdered a few days ago at his lodgings
in Kiôto by three men unknown. The Tycoon had about 10,000 troops at
Kiôto, Satsuma and Tosa about half that number between them, part in
Kiôto, part in Ozaka. Other _daimiôs_, such as Geishiû, would also bring
up troops. The Chôshiû question would be difficult to settle peacefully,
as the Tycoon's party included a large number of men who wished to force
on a renewal of the war in order to effect the complete destruction of
that clan.
I took occasion to say that the murder of our sailors at Nagasaki was by
no means disposed of, and that one of the first demands to be laid by us
before the new government would be for the punishment of the murderers;
that no money compensation would be accepted, and that the Japanese, if
they wished to remain on good terms with foreigners and to avoid a
disaster, had better prevent the occurrence of such incidents. Yoshii
replied that if internal affairs were not placed on a sound footing on
the present occasion, the _daimiôs_ would wreak their wrath upon
foreigners, in order to provoke bad relations between the Tycoon and the
treaty powers. I responded that they would not gain their object, as we
could no longer hold the Tycoon responsible for the acts of persons over
whom he had no real control.
On the 16th I received a visit from two Uwajima men, Sutô Tajima and
Saionji Yukiyé, the former a man of high rank in his clan, the other an
official whom I had met when I was at Uwajima in the spring of the year.
They had come up to Ozaka as precursors of Daté Iyo no Kami, who was
expected to arrive early in January. They represented him as greatly
pleased with the existing prospect of the establishment of a parliament,
regarding which the old prince had talked to me on more than one
occasion. I mentioned the Nagasaki affair in similar terms to those I
had used to Yoshii, and assured them that the question of reparation was
by no means abandoned, but was simply in abeyance for the present, and I
explained that we were on as good terms with Tosa as before.
No sooner had they gone than Nakai came in to say that Gotô had arrived
the previous evening, but was too busy to call on us. We offered to call
on him instead of his coming to us, a proposal which was joyfully
accepted, and meeting Gotô in front of the Tosa _yashiki_ (agency), we
turned in there with him. Our first topic was the murder of our two
sailors. We said that though the particular suspicion against Tosa was
removed by the discovery that there was no foundation for the report of
the "Yokobuyé" and "Nankai" leaving the port together on the night of
the murder, the fact that our men had been killed by Japanese still
remained, and that we should not rest until redress was afforded, not in
the shape of a pecuniary indemnity, which some people appeared to
suppose would satisfy the British Government, but by the punishment of
the criminals, and that we were content to wait until the establishment
of the new constitution gave us an opportunity for presenting our demand
with effect. He replied that the recent murder of two of his own
subordinates inspired him with sympathy for our feelings, and that both
the ex-Prince Yôdô and he himself held that no stone should be left
unturned to discover the criminals. I then asked him to take charge of a
gun which I wished to present to Yôdô as a small return, though not of
any great value or beauty, for his kindness to me. We then discussed the
constitution which he proposed for the new government, and particularly
the senate he desired to see established. The upshot of the conversation
was that he promised to come down from Kiôto to see the chief on his
arrival, and to stay a few days at Ozaka in order to learn more from
Mitford and myself about the English form of government. All we could do
on that occasion was to give him some information about the composition
of the Cabinet, and the method of carrying legislation through
Parliament.
Gotô said he wanted to employ a foreigner, such as myself for instance,
to collect information for him, and with whom he could consult. I
replied that I was content to serve my own government, and could not
take service under that of any other state, but that if the clan wanted
the services of an officer they should apply to the minister for the
loan of one.
The idea of taking _pay_ from a Japanese, however highly placed, did not
suit me, and I was resolved, in case I quitted Her Majesty's service,
not to seek another career in Japan.
That evening we, that is, Mitford, Noel and I, devoted to a _dîner en
ville_ in the Japanese fashion at a sort of "Trois frères" called
Tokaku, and about half-past six we started forth. It was expected that
the streets would be full of merry-makers, and the two men of my escort
who were detailed to accompany us wished that the rest of them should be
summoned to attend us. But I threw the burden of decision on their
shoulders by saying that I thought the two of them would be enough for
anything, and no more was heard of that proposition. So we issued into
the streets, and dived through all sorts of back lanes to find a shorter
cut, for my instinct seemed to show the road, but our escort triumphed
after all, and they brought us to the place of entertainment by what
proved to be a circuitous route.
Some difficulty was experienced in making our way through the crowds of
people in flaming red garments dancing and shouting the refrain _ii ja
nai ka_. They were so much taken up with their dancing and
lantern-carrying that we passed along almost unnoticed, but I was half
afraid the escort (_betté_) would provoke a quarrel by the violent
manner in which they thrust people aside in order to make way for us; on
the contrary, the crowd did not offer any rudeness to us, and let us
pass without hindrance. On reaching Tokaku we found the principal rooms
occupied by festival makers and the rest of the house shut up. Our
messenger had been just that instant turned away with a refusal to
receive us. While we stood there trying to persuade the people of the
house to give us a room, a herd of young men and boys trooped in,
shouting and dancing, and tossing about in their midst a palanquin
occupied by a fat doll clad in the most gorgeous robes. All the feasters
in the house came out to meet them, one cannot say at the doors, for in
Japan there are no doors, but on the thresholds in which the sliding
screens run that divide the different parts of a house. After a violent
united dance executed by all present, the troop disappeared again. The
number of pretty girls who appeared as dancers was much larger than
previous experience had led us to suppose Ozaka could possibly contain.
We could not prevail on the Tokaku people to take us in, but they gave
us a guide to a house about "five minutes" walk distant. There we found
the doors locked, the explanation being that all the inmates had gone to
the dance. We began to despair of success, and contemplate the
possibility of having to return to our quarters and sup on whatever cold
food "the philosopher" (Mitford's Chinese servant Lin-fu) could give us.
Luckily however the guide, a little man on sturdy legs, said he knew of
a house called Shô-ô-tei (Hall of the Old Man of the Pine Tree), where
we might as well call, since it lay on our road home. So we went there,
and after waiting a few minutes were shown into a very good room, where
we had our meal, waited on by the women of the house, who carried on the
conversation and passed the wine cup, offices usually discharged on such
occasions by _geishas_. The entire absence of fear or dislike on the
part of the Ozaka women was very remarkable when compared with the cold
and often hostile reception we were accustomed to meet with in Yedo.
Curiosity apparently triumphed over every other feeling; and besides,
the attendants mostly had their teeth dyed black, a sign of mature age,
instead of wearing them as they are naturally, and probably felt immune
from attempts at flirtation. We got home early, very pleased with our
adventure.
Noel returned next day to his ship, and we moved over from our lodgings
in Tera-machi to the quarters prepared for the whole legation behind the
castle. The main building was large enough to accommodate the minister
and three or four members of what he delighted to call "the staff," a
military term picked up during his campaigns in China. The outbuildings
were given up to Mitford, the officers of the detachment from the 2/ix
regiment shared a second, guests were to be put up in a third, the
mounted escort in a fourth, and the fifth I reserved for myself; a
temporary shed was provided for the infantry guard.
After settling in, we went to call on Saigô, with whom we found Iwashita
Sajiémon, just back from Europe, accompanied by his friend the Comte de
Montblanc. The conversation turned on the murder of the two bluejackets
of H.M.S. "Icarus." Saigô paid me the compliment of saying that I gave
little hits, but hard ones. Opinion seemed to be divided as to the
probability of more such murders being committed. I used to find that
men who desired the progress of Japan, and were actuated by friendly
feeling towards its people, maintained that the attacks on foreigners
would cease, but that unprejudiced observers did not give one much
encouragement to leave off the practice of carrying revolvers. We gave
them clearly to understand that the "Icarus" affair could not be
disposed of by the payment of a sum of money by way of "indemnity." They
were anxious to disprove the possibility of there having been a plot on
the part of Tosa and Satsuma men to murder Mitford and myself when we
passed through Fushimi in the previous August. (Fortunately we changed
our route for other reasons.) But I had no doubt myself of the fact.
Noguchi had told me when we reached Ozaka that he had overheard some
men, whom he believed to be Tosa _samurai_, expressing their regret at
having failed to carry out their project, and when I told Gotô at Susaki
that I had heard this story, he replied that being in Kiôto at the time
he too had heard such a report, and took measures to prevent the scheme,
if there were one, from being carried out. Saigô tried to show that it
could not have been true, and asserted that Gotô was not then in Kiôto.
We assured him that we did not think it probable that men of either
Satsuma or Tosa would desire to take the lives of foreigners, but that
the clans contained ruffians who sometimes took such ideas into their
heads quite independently of their chiefs.
Ishikawa Kawachi no Kami, a commissioner of foreign affairs, came to see
us on the 18th. He told us that no date had been fixed for the
assembling of the _daimiôs_, and no one of them could be blamed if he
arrived at Kiôto later than the others. Even supposing that the few who
were already there, or were about to arrive, should discuss matters and
come to a decision, how could they enforce it? Objections would surely
be raised. We came to the conclusion from this conversation that civil
war was after all not unlikely to break out, and that the omission to
fix a date for the assembly was part of the Tycoon's plan for
embarrassing his opponents.
Letters which arrived overland from Yedo on the 20th reported the
general impression to be that there was no more a Tycoon, and that Keiki
was nobody. So much did distance and report by word of mouth change the
look of the situation. Itô Shunsuké's opinion was that war would begin
almost immediately, with the object of depriving the Tycoon of a part of
his domains, which were far too large for the peace of the country. He
had only seven battalions of infantry in Kiôto, all reinforcements
having been countermanded in the belief that no cause for war existed.
Of course Hiôgo and Ozaka would not be the most peaceful places of
residence for foreigners if war did break out, and our Legation,
situated just at the back of the Ozaka castle, would be endangered, as
that fortress was certain to be the centre of a severe conflict in arms.
He wanted to know whether Sir Harry's arrival and the opening of Hiôgo
and Ozaka to foreign trade could not be deferred, and whether Saigô had
written to the chief to make this proposal. I said "No, of course"
(though I did not know). Then, said he, their object must be to open
these two places, and so content foreigners, while the Japanese went on
with their plans for the reformation of the government. Some one however
must be appointed to represent Japan at Ozaka and Hiôgo. I suggested the
present governors, but he replied that they would immediately be
expelled when the crisis arrived. I rejoined that as long as the
insurgent forces did not attack the residences of foreigners, they might
do as they liked with the Tycoon, but that if they interfered with us
they would have a couple of English regiments and all the foreign
men-of-war to fight against, as well as the Tokugawa troops. Itô did not
think they would wish to do this, and promised to let me know beforehand
when the actual day for taking action became imminent. A body of Chôshiû
men was coming up under the command of Môri Heirokurô and Fukumoto
Shima, Katsura (_i.e._ Kido) and Kikkawa Kemmotsu being obliged to
remain at home to carry on the administration of the province.
Sir Harry arrived on December 24, took a look at the legation quarters,
and then went back to the ship that had brought him down. There was a
fine confusion all day. I received a letter from Shinosaki Yatarô
comparing the present condition of the country to an eggshell held in
the hand, and begging me to persuade Komatsu and Saigô to keep the
peace. On Christmas Day Kasuya Chikugo no Kami, a commissioner of
foreign affairs, called. He said that the _daimiôs_ of Hikoné, Bizen and
Geishiû, all three men of importance, were in Kiôto, and he appeared to
be doubtful what was going to happen. My old friend Hayashi Kenzô, who
had made the cruise in H.M.S. "Argus" with me in January, called on the
28th, and reported that 1500 Chôshiû men had disembarked at Nishinomiya
on the 23rd, under the command of Môri Takumi. He also seemed uncertain
whether there would be any fighting, but he thought that Saigô and Gotô
were trying to keep the peace. My protégé Endo naturally went off to
Nishinomiya to see his clansmen, and doubtless to report what he had
learned in Yedo to Môri Takumi. The latter had the reputation of being a
man of capacity, which was perhaps the reason why he had retired into a
private position (_in-kio_) early in life. On the 29th Iga no Kami came
to see the chief, accompanied by Nagai Gemba no Kami, who had the credit
of being almost the only adviser of the Tycoon at the moment, though of
course Iga no Kami was admitted into their secrets. All the governors of
Ozaka and Hiôgo were present, and the only subjects of discussion
related to the arrangement for opening these places to trade on January
1. "All the governors" is the phrase, because the practice in those days
was to duplicate nearly every administrative office.
Next day the two great men came again, and the Nagasaki murders were the
topic of conversation. It appeared unlikely that we should obtain any
satisfaction. It was however agreed that old Hirayama should again go to
Nagasaki, in spite of Gemba's efforts to get him let off this
disagreeable errand. The Foreign Office had written approving Sir
Harry's action, and he seemed inclined to keep this question hanging
over the Tycoon's government as a perpetual nightmare. He told them in
the strongest language that we would never desist from pressing the
matter until the murderers were seized and punished. Our callers asked a
great number of questions about the English constitution, just as Gotô
had done, so that it appeared as if both parties were desirous of
getting our advice. Then Sir Harry told them that unless they got all
troops away from Ozaka, where they might come into collision with
foreigners, he would send for a couple of regiments. I could not help
feeling that it was unfair of him to meddle in this way in Japanese
domestic affairs and thus add to the Tycoon's embarrassments, for as the
_daimiôs_' forces had taken Ozaka merely as a stage towards advancing on
Kiôto, where else could they go except to the capital? Following on this
move, he sent me the following day to Koba Dennai, the Satsuma agent, to
explain why he wished their troops to be removed. Koba replied that
there were only two hundred and fifty, but doubtless they could be sent
elsewhere, and he would write to Saigô on this point. From there I went
on to see a Chôshiû man named Nagamatsu Bunsuké, who had come over from
Nishinomiya, and was stopping with the Geishiû people. A proclamation
was out announcing that the Chôshiû forces, having been ordered to come
up to the neighbourhood of the capital, were allowed to borrow the use
of the Geishiû _yashiki_, and to be quartered also at the Nishi
Hongwanji temple. Nevertheless, they had no wish to come to Ozaka, and
thought it a great piece of luck that the English Minister had proposed
to the Tycoon's people what they themselves happened to desire most
particularly. I found it impossible to get any explanation from
Nagamatsu of the real reason for their coming.
Iga no Kami had told us that by a messenger who left Geishiû on the
15th, instructions were sent ordering them not to come, but he went by
sea, thus missing a Chôshiû messenger who arrived there by land to
report that they were starting in compliance with the orders previously
given. (This was evidently a mere fiction.) He also said that on the
20th three Chôshiû steamers full of troops put in at Mitarai in Geishiû,
and asked for Geishiû officers to accompany them. This request was
refused, and they were advised to return home, which they declined to
do, alleging their prince's orders; without a recall from him they
were unable to go back to Chôshiû. This was the Geishiû story, which
it was impossible to believe. I felt certain that it had been
concocted between the two clans, and was simply in accordance with the
general plan of campaign. That the Tycoon should have sent orders to
countermand the movements of Chôshiû troops was pretty clear proof
that when the original instructions were given (if they really were
given), the present change of policy on the part of the government was
not contemplated--as Iki no Kami had pretended to us--but in reality had
recently been forced on them by the confederate daimiôs. It had been
intended by the chief that I should go down to Nishinomiya to ascertain
how the land lay, but having learnt all that the Chôshiû man was willing
to tell me, I was relieved from the necessity of undertaking a toilsome
journey.
That day, the last of the year 1867, despatches arrived from the Foreign
Office sanctioning my appointment as Japanese Secretary, with a salary
of £700 a year, in succession to Eusden, transferred to Hakodaté as
consul.