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Icarus Affair
The was an incident involving the murder of two Royal Navy sailors in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1867, leading to increased diplomatic tensions between the United Kingdom and the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate. On 5 August Robert Ford and John Hutchings, from the British screw sloop HMS ''Icarus'', were killed by an unknown swordsman in the Marayuma entertainment precinct of Nagasaki, which had been opened to trade and port calls by British ships since the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce of 1858. The men, both aged 23, had been drinking, and were sleeping near the entrance to a "tea house". The British Consul in Nagasaki, Marcus Flowers, blamed the Tokugawa shogunate for failing to protect the men and believed that the '' Kaientai'' led by Sakamoto Ryōma was behind the killings. This belief was based on rumours that the men had been seen in the area, combined with the departure of Tosa steamers ''Yokobue'' and ''Wakamurasaki'' from Nagasaki soon after the incident ...
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Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early Middle Ages, medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Kingdom of France, France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the English Navy of the early 16th century; the oldest of the British Armed Forces, UK's armed services, it is consequently known as the Senior Service. From the early 18th century until the World War II, Second World War, it was the world's most powerful navy. The Royal Navy played a key part in establishing and defending the British Empire, and four Imperial fortress colonies and a string of imperial bases and coaling stations secured the Royal Navy's ability to assert naval superior ...
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Han (administrative Division)
Han may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Han", a fifth season episode of ''The West Wing'' * Han (musician), born Han Ji-sung, a South Korean singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer, member of Stray Kids * Han Lue, a character in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise * Han Solo, a character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise Education * Han school, Japan, Edo period * HAN University of Applied Sciences, in the Netherlands People Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han people (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese people who are fully or partially of Han Chinese descent * Han Minjok, or Han people (): the Korean native name referring to Koreans * Hän: one of the First Nations peoples of Canada Names * Han (name), a given name and surname ** Han (Chinese surname), also Haan, Hahn or Hann, the Romanized spelling of many Chinese fam ...
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Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ruling emperors before the Meiji Restoration, the events restored practical power to, and consolidated the political system under, the Emperor of Japan. The Restoration led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure and spanned both the late Edo period (often called the Bakumatsu) and the beginning of the Meiji era, during which time Japan rapidly Industrialization, industrialised and adopted Western culture, Western ideas and production methods. The origins of the Restoration lay in economic and political difficulties faced by the Tokugawa shogunate. These problems were compounded by the encroachment of foreign powers in the region which challenged the Tokugawa policy of , specifically the arrival of the Pe ...
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Boshin War
The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperial Court in Kyoto, Imperial Court. The war stemmed from dissatisfaction among many Kazoku, nobles and young samurai with the shogunate's handling of foreigners following the opening of Japan during the prior decade. Increasing Unequal treaties, Western influence in the economy led to a decline similar to that of other Asian countries at the time. An alliance of western samurai, particularly the domains of Chōshū Domain, Chōshū, Satsuma Domain, Satsuma, and Tosa Domain, Tosa, and court officials secured control of the Imperial Court and influenced the young Emperor Meiji. Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the sitting ''shōgun'', realizing the futility of his situation, abdicated and handed over political power to the emperor. Yoshinobu had hoped t ...
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Satchō Alliance
The , or was a powerful military alliance between the southwestern feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū formed in 1866 to combine their efforts to restore Imperial rule and overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. History The name ''Satchō'' () is an abbreviation combining the names of the provinces Satsuma (present day Kagoshima Prefecture) and Chōshū (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture), two of the strongest Imperialist '' tozama'' domains in Edo-period Japan. In the 1860s, Satsuma tended to take a moderate position towards maintenance of the status quo, whereas Chōshū had become the center of an uprising aimed at overthrowing the government. Through the mediation of Sakamoto Ryōma of Tosa Domain (present day Kōchi Prefecture), Satsuma military leaders Saigō Takamori and Ōkubo Toshimichi were brought together with Katsura Kogorō of Chōshū Domain. Although the two domains were traditionally fierce enemies, their leaders agreed that the time was righ ...
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Kyūshū
is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands. Kyushu has a land area of and a population of 14,311,224 in 2018. In ancient times, there is a theory that Kyushu was home to its own independent dynasty, where a unique, southern-influenced culture and tradition distinct from that of Honshu flourished. In the 8th-century Taihō Code reforms, Dazaifu was established as a special administrative term for the region. Geography The island is mountainous, and Japan's most active volcano, Mount Aso at , is on Kyūshū. There are many other signs of tectonic activity, including numerous areas of hot springs. The most famous of these are in Beppu, on the east shore, and around Mt. Aso in central Kyūshū. The island is separated f ...
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Seppuku
, also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near the end of World War II) to restore honor for themselves or for their families. As a samurai practice, ''seppuku'' was used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies (and likely be tortured), as a form of capital punishment for samurai who had committed serious offenses, or performed because they had brought shame to themselves. The ceremonial disembowelment, which is usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators, consists of plunging a short blade, traditionally a '' tantō'', into the belly and drawing the blade from left to right, slicing the belly open. If the cut is deep enough, it can sever the abdominal aorta, causing death by rapid exsanguination. One ...
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Fukuoka Domain
270px, Kuroda Nagamasa, the 1st daimyo of Fukuoka Domain 270px, Kuroda Nagahiro, the 11th next to last daimyo of Fukuoka Domain 270px, Kuroda Nagatomo, final daimyo of Fukuoka Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Chikuzen Province in modern-day Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. The domain was sometimes referred to as "Chikuzen Domain" or "Kuroda Domain", named after the ruling Kuroda clan. With a '' kokudaka'' rating of 473,000 ''koku'', the Fukuoka Domain was the fifth-largest domain in Japan, excluding those held by the Tokugawa- Matsudaira clans. History In 1600, Kobayakawa Hideaki, who had previously controlled a portion of Chikuzen, was relocated to the Okayama Domain in Bizen Province as a reward for his successes in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Kuroda Nagamasa, the ruler of the Nakatsu Domain in Buzen Province, was likewise granted a substantial increase to over 523,000 ''koku'' in Chikuzen Province. The Matsudair ...
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Samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court downsized the national army and delegated the security of the countryside to these privately trained warriors. Eventually the samurai clans grew so powerful that they became the ''de facto'' rulers of the country. In the aftermath of the Gempei War (1180-1185), Japan formally passed into military rule with the founding of the first shogunate. The status of samurai became heredity by the mid-eleventh century. By the start of the Edo period, the shogun had disbanded the warrior-monk orders and peasant conscript system, leaving the samurai as the only men in the country permitted to carry weapons at all times. Because the Edo period was a time of peace, many samurai neglected their warrior training and focused on peacetime activities such as a ...
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Ernest Satow
Sir Ernest Mason Satow (30 June 1843 – 26 August 1929), was a British diplomat, scholar and Japanologist. He is better known in Japan, where he was known as , than in Britain or the other countries in which he served as a diplomat. He was a key figure in late 19th-century Japan–United Kingdom relations, Anglo-Japanese relations. Satow was influential in East Asia and Japan, particularly in the Bakumatsu (1853–1867) and Meiji era, Meiji (1868–1912) eras. He also served in China after the Boxer Rebellion (1900–1906), in Siam, Uruguay, and Morocco, and represented Britain at the Second Hague Peace Conference in 1907. In his retirement, he wrote ''A Guide to Diplomatic Practice''. Now known as 'Satow's Guide to Diplomatic Practice', this manual is still widely used today, and has been updated several times by distinguished diplomats, notably Paul Gore-Booth, Baron Gore-Booth, Lord Gore-Booth. The sixth edition, edited by Sir Ivor Roberts (diplomat), Ivor Roberts, was p ...
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Gotō Shōjirō
Count was a Japanese samurai and politician during the Bakumatsu period, Bakumatsu and early Meiji period of Japanese history.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Gotō Shōjirō" in He was a leader of which would evolve into a political party. Early life Gotō was born in Tosa Domain (present day Kōchi Prefecture). Together with fellow Tosa ''samurai'' Sakamoto Ryōma, he was attracted by the radical pro-Imperial ''Sonnō jōi'' movement. After being promoted, he essentially seized power within the Tosa Domain's politics and exerted influence on Tosa ''daimyō'' Yamauchi Toyoshige to call on ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return power peacefully to the Emperor. Meiji statesman and liberal agitator After the Meiji Restoration, Gotō was appointed to a number of posts, including that of Governor of Osaka, and ''sangi'' (councillor), but later left the Meiji government in 1873 over disagreement with the government's policy of restraint toward Korea (i.e. the ''Seikanr ...
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Yamauchi Yōdō
Yamauchi Toyoshige , also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' in the Shikoku region in the late Edo period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Yamauchi Toyoshige"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 1045. He was usually referred to as Lord Yōdō in Western accounts. Career Yamauchi was the 15th head of the Tosa Domain. He opposed the treaties of the ''Ansei'' era. In 1859, he was forced to retire. In 1862 he was appointed sanyo (参与). After the assassination of his favourite Yoshida Tōyō in 1862, he ordered an investigation into the local anti-foreigner samurai groups, suspecting them of terrorism. These efforts culminated in the arrest and subsequent suicide of political rogue Takechi Hanpeita, who ordered the hitokiri Okada Izō, in 1865. In 1867 he advised Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to carry out '' Taisei Houkan'' (大政奉還), the return of power to the Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female eq ...
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