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31 - Story of Japan by Robert van Bergen · Story of Japan

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  Speaker 1: Section thirty one of the Story of Japan. This is
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  Speaker 1: a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.
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  Speaker 1: For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org.
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  Speaker 1: Recording by Larry Wilson. The Story of Japan by Robert
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  Speaker 1: van Bergen. Japan opened. The first treaty with Japan was signed.
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  Speaker 1: It did not grant many privileges, but our government saw
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  Speaker 1: that an opening had been effected and seized the opportunity
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  Speaker 1: to improve it. In those days, hundreds of American ships
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  Speaker 1: were trading on the coast of China, and many of
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  Speaker 1: our merchants went there themselves, so that they obtained considerable
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  Speaker 1: experience in dealing with Oriental people. One of these merchants,
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  Speaker 1: Townsend Harris, of the State of New York, was appointed
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  Speaker 1: the first United States consul in Japan. When the British
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  Speaker 1: and Russians saw that the United States had succeeded in
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  Speaker 1: making a treaty, they wanted to obtain the same privileges.
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  Speaker 1: England sent an embassy under Lord Elgin. And now what
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  Speaker 1: could the government at yetto do. The foreigners were not wanted,
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  Speaker 1: but the visitors would take no refusal, and Japan was
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  Speaker 1: not in condition to defend itself. Should it call a
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  Speaker 1: samurai to arms, you may be sure that all would
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  Speaker 1: have responded eagerly. But the regent's ministers knew that the
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  Speaker 1: utmost courage was no match for the modern cannon, and
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  Speaker 1: that the soldiers with armor and bow and arrow could
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  Speaker 1: not defeat the forces that would be sent against them. No,
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  Speaker 1: the foreigners must be allowed to come. That was inevitable.
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  Speaker 1: But the government could try to keep these barbarians apart
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  Speaker 1: from the Japanese, and then if the trade did not
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  Speaker 1: prove profitable, they would perhaps go away of their own accord.
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  Speaker 1: But these foreigners, now they had once entered, were not
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  Speaker 1: satisfied to remain cooped up. They did not obey the
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  Speaker 1: officers appointed to watch them, but would claim that they
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  Speaker 1: had rights which they would uphold even if the government
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  Speaker 1: did not wish them to do so. And then there
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  Speaker 1: was trouble at home. The regent was dead and had
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  Speaker 1: left no son. The Daimio of Mito, a descendant of Ieyasu,
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  Speaker 1: wanted one of his sons appointed, but that did not
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  Speaker 1: suit the Daimo of Hikone, who was prime minister and
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  Speaker 1: a very able but unscrupulous man. If Mito's son were appointed,
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  Speaker 1: his father would be the real regent, and e Naosuke,
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  Speaker 1: the lord of Hikone, wished to retain his power. E
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  Speaker 1: gained the day, and his candidate I Yamochi succeeded as regent.
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  Speaker 1: But now the foreigners were no longer satisfied with the
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  Speaker 1: port of Shimota. There had been a tidal wave and
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  Speaker 1: the Diana, a Russian man of war, had been wrecked
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  Speaker 1: in Shimota, so that port was considered unsafe. At last,
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  Speaker 1: the regent's government was compelled to allow them to come
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  Speaker 1: and live in Kanagawa. And what do you think the
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  Speaker 1: Japanese samurai thought of all this? They had no idea
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  Speaker 1: at all of the strength and power of these foreigners.
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  Speaker 1: All they did know was that Japan, the land of
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  Speaker 1: the Gods, had been invaded by them, and that they
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  Speaker 1: had forced the Tokugawa regents to give them a part
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  Speaker 1: in the sacred soil of their country. It is true
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  Speaker 1: that there were only a few of these barbarians now,
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  Speaker 1: but in the eyes of the Japanese theirs was such
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  Speaker 1: a desirable country that they feared these uninvited guests would
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  Speaker 1: be only the forerunners of the host that was to follow,
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  Speaker 1: and these Tokugawa had admitted them. They had submitted to
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  Speaker 1: the demands of the tojin, that is, foreign imps under threats,
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  Speaker 1: And thus a vague dread changed into hatred, and down
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  Speaker 1: with the Tokugawa expelled the barbarian became the rallying cry
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  Speaker 1: of Japan's warriors. The foreign ministers knew nothing of the
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  Speaker 1: excitement caused by their admittance to Japan. In the treaty,
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  Speaker 1: the regent had taken the title of dai kun tycoon,
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  Speaker 1: which means great prince. And although they had heard of
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  Speaker 1: a mikado tendo, they were satisfied with the treaty made
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  Speaker 1: by the regent. Not so, however, the samurai. They knew
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  Speaker 1: now that the regent was only a servant of the Teno,
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  Speaker 1: and that he had no authority whatever to give an
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  Speaker 1: inch of Japan's soil to these strangers. Yet he had
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  Speaker 1: done so. And now the Daimo of Mito remonstrated with
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  Speaker 1: him and stated very plainly that all these acts were
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  Speaker 1: unlawful because they had not been sanctioned by the Teno.
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  Speaker 1: And how was it in Quioto. There the governor of
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  Speaker 1: the Edo government kept a strict guard. Yet several great
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  Speaker 1: court nobles, the Kugei, were watching with anxious eyes for
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  Speaker 1: the result of this new disturbance. I must tell you
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  Speaker 1: the names of two of these Kugei, Sanjo and Iwakura,
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  Speaker 1: for they took a leading part in the revolution now
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  Speaker 1: so near at hand. These Kugei, though poor and supported
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  Speaker 1: with the Emperor's household out of the scant allowance paid
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  Speaker 1: by the wealthy regents, were in the eyes of the
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  Speaker 1: Japanese superior in rank to the most powerful daimio and
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  Speaker 1: even to the Regent himself. Another man was to take
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  Speaker 1: a prominent part in the making of new Japan, a
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  Speaker 1: man closely related to the Teno himself, whose title Amiyah
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  Speaker 1: or Temple showed the high rank he held in the
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  Speaker 1: structure of which the heaven Child was the cornerstone. Prince
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  Speaker 1: Arisugawa was there to prompt the Emperor to such action
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  Speaker 1: as his advisers might decide upon. It was evident that
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  Speaker 1: the influence of the Tokugawa was waning, and the kugey
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  Speaker 1: resolved to watch the course of events, and in the
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  Speaker 1: meanwhile to enter into communication with the daimyo of the
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  Speaker 1: Southern clans, for if the Tokugawa were to be overthrown,
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  Speaker 1: it must be done by them. But a feud existed
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  Speaker 1: between the two wealthiest and most warlike of these clans,
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  Speaker 1: Tatsuma and Choshiu, a feud carefully nursed by the government
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  Speaker 1: in Yedo. In both clans, however, there were among the
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  Speaker 1: samurai able men of great power and influence Okubo and Saigo,
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  Speaker 1: Takamori and Kido, the first two Satsuma man the last
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  Speaker 1: belonging to the Choshiu clan, saw that a union was
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  Speaker 1: necessary to overcome the strong power of the Tokugawa, and
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  Speaker 1: that there was only one authority in Japan that could
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  Speaker 1: bring the clans together, and that was the Teno in Kyoto.
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  Speaker 1: They proceeded to that city and placed themselves in communication
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  Speaker 1: with the kugey Sanjo and Iwakura, and it was decided
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  Speaker 1: to raise the cry of Yamato Damasi Spirit of old
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  Speaker 1: Japan expel the barbarians. Their main object was to save
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  Speaker 1: Japan from an invasion by foreigners, and then to punish
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  Speaker 1: the Tokugawa regents for the danger and disgrace they had
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  Speaker 1: brought upon their country. They did not and could not
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  Speaker 1: see any further. But after these purposes were accomplished, they
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  Speaker 1: could decide as to the future. The foreigners now insisted
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  Speaker 1: that certain ports should be opened where they could buy property,
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  Speaker 1: build houses, and trade. But in theory, at least all
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  Speaker 1: the soil of Japan belonged to the Tino, and how
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  Speaker 1: could the regent deed it away. Still the foreigners would
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  Speaker 1: take no refusal, and at last the government at Yedo
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  Speaker 1: promised to set apart some land in Kanagawa where they
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  Speaker 1: could build their houses and live. It was, however, with
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  Speaker 1: great misgivings, that this promise was made. When the time came,
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  Speaker 1: mister Townsend Harris arrived and raised the American flag. But
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  Speaker 1: the merchants did not like Kanagawa, which is on a
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  Speaker 1: high bluff on the bay where it ebb tide, the
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  Speaker 1: water runs out and leaves extensive mud banks. They preferred
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  Speaker 1: the site of a little fishing village on the beach Yokohama,
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  Speaker 1: and when the request for the change was made, the
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  Speaker 1: Yedow government eagerly assented. Or Kanakagawa is on the main
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  Speaker 1: road by which all the southern daimyo with their numerous
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  Speaker 1: escorts of samurai, must pass on their annual journey to
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  Speaker 1: and from Yedo, and the regent's ministers foresaw trouble if
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  Speaker 1: the independent foreign merchants and the haughty samurai should meet.
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  Speaker 1: The new treaty was signed in eighteen fifty eight, and
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  Speaker 1: the foreign settlement of Yokohama was begun. In eighteen fifty nine.
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  Speaker 1: An American doctor Hall, who was with mister Townsend Harris,
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  Speaker 1: bought the first lot and began building a handsome residence
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  Speaker 1: in our style of architecture. Now foreign vessels began to
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  Speaker 1: arrive in Yokohama. For the Japanese people were glad to
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  Speaker 1: buy goods made abroad, But hundreds of samurai saw in
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  Speaker 1: the arrival of peaceful merchants the beginning of an invasion
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  Speaker 1: of their country, and thought that the best thing they
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  Speaker 1: could do was to cut down as many of these
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  Speaker 1: invaders as possible. And murders of foreigners in Yokohama became
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  Speaker 1: very frequent. The government dared not arrest the murderers, for
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  Speaker 1: very often they were prominent samurai of powerful clans. The
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  Speaker 1: foreign ministers demanded money for the men who were assassinated,
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  Speaker 1: or else that their murders should be brought to justice,
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  Speaker 1: and the regent's government paid the money. Amidshipment from the
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  Speaker 1: boat of a Russian man of war, which had come
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  Speaker 1: to the beach for water, was almost cut in two
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  Speaker 1: by the sharp sword of a samurai. The government could
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  Speaker 1: not deliver up the murderer, so the Russian minister demanded
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  Speaker 1: that the northern half of the island of Sagalin should
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  Speaker 1: be given to Russia, and the Yedo government granted the demand.
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  Speaker 1: This looked very much as though the fears of the
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  Speaker 1: samurai that Japan might be divided among the foreigners was
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  Speaker 1: not grandless. The number of ronin increased and it became
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  Speaker 1: dangerous for foreigners in Yokohama even in broad daylight. The
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  Speaker 1: foreign ministers had moved to Yedo, where each was given
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  Speaker 1: a temple to reside in with a strong guard of
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  Speaker 1: Tokugawa samurai. But a the government did all it could
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  Speaker 1: to protect them, the residences were set on fire, and
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  Speaker 1: frequently they were attacked in the night. They were puzzled
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  Speaker 1: to know the reason of this hatred. The Japanese people,
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  Speaker 1: that is, the farmers, the merchants and mechanics were polite
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  Speaker 1: and civil and showed no dislike for the foreigners. We
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  Speaker 1: know now however, that the Samurai thought that their country
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  Speaker 1: was in danger and they were willing to sacrifice their
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  Speaker 1: lives to drive the invaders away. The ministers and the
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  Speaker 1: members of the legations were warned against going out, but
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  Speaker 1: one day mister Houskin, the secretary of the American minister,
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  Speaker 1: while on his way home, was cut down and killed.
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  Speaker 1: The Japanese government paid for this murder, but the assassin
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  Speaker 1: was never discovered. The other minister decided to move to Yokohama,
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  Speaker 1: but mister Harris thought it best to remain in Yeto.
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  Speaker 1: The government now committed a serious blunder, thinking that it
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  Speaker 1: could appease the great clans by making some concessions, it
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  Speaker 1: abolished the law requiring the daimio to reside every other
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  Speaker 1: half year in Yerro. The samurai saw that the regent
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  Speaker 1: or his prime minister was afraid of them, and it
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  Speaker 1: only made them the bolder. The Prime Minister, Iye Naosuki,
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  Speaker 1: was the special object of their hatred, for he was
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  Speaker 1: considered the author of the treaties and the cause of
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  Speaker 1: the admission to Japan of the detested foreigners. The Daimio
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  Speaker 1: of Mito had not forgiven him for preventing his son
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  Speaker 1: from succeeding as regent, and he openly blamed the Prime Minister.
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  Speaker 1: While he praised the samurai who attacked defenseless foreigners, he
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  Speaker 1: punished him by banishing him to his seat in Mito.
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  Speaker 1: This was an insult to the clan, which, according to
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  Speaker 1: the samurai cold of honor, could only be wiped out
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  Speaker 1: in blood. E's life had been in constant danger and
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  Speaker 1: he had taken precautions, but now his death was only
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  Speaker 1: a question of time. On March twenty third, eighteen sixty,
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  Speaker 1: there was a heavy snowstormannetto Only those who were forced
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  Speaker 1: to leave their homes were hurrying through the deserted, snow
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  Speaker 1: covered streets. After the Prime Minister had ordered his norimono
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  Speaker 1: sedan chair to proceed to the castle, his top knot
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  Speaker 1: became unfastened. This was such a sign of ill omen
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  Speaker 1: that his attendants begged him to omit or at least
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  Speaker 1: postpone his daily visit. The E only laughed, and, as
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  Speaker 1: soon as his hair had been dressed, left his yashiki
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  Speaker 1: with his escort Isamarai to defend themselves against the inclement weather.
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  Speaker 1: The put on kimuno cotton gowns worn by men and
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  Speaker 1: women alike, and wore beside straw raincoats. As they were
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  Speaker 1: approaching Theasakura gate of the castle, the vanguard of the
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  Speaker 1: escort had an altercation with some people who seemed to
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  Speaker 1: be lounging there. The Norimono halted and he looked out
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  Speaker 1: to inquire into the cause of this, Stopping before the
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  Speaker 1: rear guard could run up and throw off their raincoats
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  Speaker 1: and draw their swords, the Norimoo was surrounded by ronin
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  Speaker 1: the Prime Minister's head was cut off, and the murderers
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  Speaker 1: escaped with their ghastly trophy. The head was taken to Mito,
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  Speaker 1: where it was placed upon a pike over the castle gates.
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  Speaker 1: Among the clans who showed special hostility to the admittance
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  Speaker 1: of foreigners was that of the Joshiu in the south.
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  Speaker 1: Too young samurai of this clan, Ito and Inue, disregarding
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  Speaker 1: the risk of punishment by death if ever they should
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  Speaker 1: return to Japan, resolved to go to Europe and see
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  Speaker 1: for themselves if there was really any plan for the
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  Speaker 1: conquest of Japan. They obtained a passage to England, where
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  Speaker 1: they supported themselves in humble capacities and mastered the English language.
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  Speaker 1: As soon as they were able to read and understand
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  Speaker 1: the newspapers, they discovered that nothing threatened the independence of
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  Speaker 1: their country. But they stood aghast when they fully comprehended
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  Speaker 1: how far Japan was behind the times. They returned to
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  Speaker 1: Japan at a critical time when their services were valuable
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  Speaker 1: not only to their clan but also to their late hosts.
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  Speaker 1: And here let me call attention to the all absorbing
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  Speaker 1: love of country so universal among the Samurai. For their
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  Speaker 1: country's benefit, these young men were willing to go among
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  Speaker 1: strangers where they were treated with contempt as barbarians, strangers too,
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  Speaker 1: whose manners and customs were repugnant to them, and they
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  Speaker 1: were even content to serve them in a menial capacity,
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  Speaker 1: doing the humblest kind of work. For Ito, who was
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  Speaker 1: Prime Minister of Japan for many years and who wrote
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  Speaker 1: the constitution, and Inue, who was Minister of State, ambassador
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  Speaker 1: to Korea and held other prominent positions of the government,
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  Speaker 1: worked in England as house servants. Chosi Yus samurai were
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: plotting in Kioto and Saigo Takamori, a very influential Satsuma
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  Speaker 1: samurai whose sad story I shall tell you in another chapter,
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  Speaker 1: was helping them, but the plot leaked out and the
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: leading Kugey were banished. Soon after this, the Tatsuma and
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  Speaker 1: Toshiu clans refused to obey any more orders from the regent,
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  Speaker 1: and when the Tokugawa sent an army to punish Choshiu,
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  Speaker 1: the government troops were badly defeated. This emboldened these southern
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  Speaker 1: clans to begin open war upon the foreigners. If you
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  Speaker 1: look at the map of Japan, you will see that
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  Speaker 1: the southern part of Hondo is separated from the northern
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  Speaker 1: part of Kiyoshu by the strait of Shimono Seki. The
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  Speaker 1: government of Yedo had granted to foreigners the right to
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  Speaker 1: sail through these waters, but Choshiu, in whose territory Shimonoseki
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  Speaker 1: was situated, erected batteries, and when an American merchants sip
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: the Pembroke was passing through the straits, the Choshiu batteries
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  Speaker 1: opened fire upon her. It happened that a sloop of war,
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  Speaker 1: the Wyoming, was in Yokohama Harbor, where she had arrived
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: after an unsuccessful search for the Alabama, the Confederate vessel
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  Speaker 1: that was doing so much harm to the merchant men
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  Speaker 1: of the north. The American minister in Yedo now came
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  Speaker 1: to the conclusion that the regent's government was unable to
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  Speaker 1: control the southern daimyo, and that if these constant assaults
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  Speaker 1: were to cease, they must be stopped by the foreigners themselves.
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  Speaker 1: So he conferred with Captain David McDougall of the Wyoming,
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  Speaker 1: who was quite willing to teach the Choshiu clan respect
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  Speaker 1: for the American flag. He left Forshimonoseki and entered the
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  Speaker 1: straight July sixteenth, eighteen sixty three. There were a steamer
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  Speaker 1: and a brig belonging to Choshiu lying close in shore
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  Speaker 1: and under the batteries. The Choshiu samurai were glad enough
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  Speaker 1: to fight, but they were taken aback not a little
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  Speaker 1: when this single vessel, by skillful handling in one hour
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  Speaker 1: and a half, sunk their brig, blew up their steamer,
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  Speaker 1: and destroyed one of their batteries. They had also fired
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  Speaker 1: upon a French dispatch vessel, and a man of war
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  Speaker 1: of that nation destroyed another battery. But these defeats did
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  Speaker 1: not discourage the warriors of Choshiu. They needed another lesson
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  Speaker 1: before they would acknowledge that they were not so strong
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  Speaker 1: as these foreign devils. While this was going on in
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  Speaker 1: the south, the samurai of Choshiu, who had made Kyoto
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  Speaker 1: their headquarters, made an attempt to take the palace and
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  Speaker 1: to carry off the ten Tho, because then they could
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  Speaker 1: issue orders in his name and the regent Yedo would
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  Speaker 1: be a rebel if he disobeyed their commands. But Tatsuma
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  Speaker 1: and another clan rushed to the defense of the Tendo.
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  Speaker 1: Because the Satsuma samurai did not want Choshiyu to take
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: the palace of the Tokugawa, and at this time there
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: were but a few individuals in Japan who had ever
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  Speaker 1: thought that the heaven Child himself should engage in temporal affairs.
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  Speaker 1: The prevailed desire was to reclaim the government from the
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: Tokugawa and to appoint a stronger man as barbarian, expelling regent.
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  Speaker 1: Many clans were ambitious to acquire this honor, and most
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  Speaker 1: prominent was Tatsuma, Choshiu and Tosa. A battle was fought
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  Speaker 1: in the streets of Kyoto, where thirty thousand houses were
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  Speaker 1: destroyed by fire. Choshiyu was defeated and that clan was
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  Speaker 1: prohibited from ever re entering the capital. The representative of
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  Speaker 1: the Satsuma clan was in Kyoto and proposed to Escortaiedo,
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  Speaker 1: one of the kugey, who was charged by the court
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  Speaker 1: with orders from the Tenno to the regent commanded him
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  Speaker 1: to expel the barbarians. The Prime Minister had been informed
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  Speaker 1: of the purpose of this journey, and when Tatsuma arrived
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  Speaker 1: in Yeddo, refused to receive him. The old lord and
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  Speaker 1: his retainers were in no pleasant mood when they began
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  Speaker 1: their long return march. They had gone about fourteen miles
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  Speaker 1: with all the pump of the Middle Ages when they
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: met a party of foreigners on horseback. They were three
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  Speaker 1: Englishmen and a lady. One of them, mister Richardson, was
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: a merchant from Shanghai on his way to England for
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: a vacation. They were going to visit the temple at
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  Speaker 1: Kawasaki when they met the Satsuma's escort. Japanese etiquette demanded
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  Speaker 1: that people on horseback should dismount while the procession of
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  Speaker 1: a daimyo passed. It does not appear whether mister Richardson
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  Speaker 1: and his friends knew of this rule, but even if
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  Speaker 1: they did, foreigners were not expected to conform to the
• 19:21
  Speaker 1: rules of courtesy of the Japanese. It is said, however,
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  Speaker 1: that mister Richardson guided his horse through the procession, which,
• 19:29
  Speaker 1: if true, was a foolhardy proceeding. Be that as it may.
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  Speaker 1: Sharp swords flew out of their scabbards, and in a
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  Speaker 1: few minutes mister Richardson was lying weltering in his blood,
• 19:40
  Speaker 1: while mister King, another member of the party, was severely
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: wounded in the arm. The two unwounded foreigners, accompanied by
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: mister King, who with difficulty kept his saddle, were soon
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: flying back to Kanagawa, where doctor Hepburn and American medical
• 19:54
  Speaker 1: missionary attended to the wounded man. When reports of this
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: attack reached Yokoha Shama, indignation meetings were held and many
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: residents were anxious to go in a body overtake the
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: Satsuma procession and take summary vengeance. It was with difficulty
• 20:11
  Speaker 1: that wiser counsels prevailed. The British Minister gave the Yedo
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: government a limited time to deliver up the murderer, but
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: how could the region order the arrest of Satsuma Samurai,
• 20:23
  Speaker 1: especially while he was with his clan the time passed,
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: and Satsuma was to receive a lesson. The British fleet
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: proceeded to Kagoshima, Satsuma's chief city, and bombarded it. The
• 20:36
  Speaker 1: Yeddo government was then fined five hundred thousand dollars and
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: Satsuma twenty five thousand dollars. Both sums were paid, but
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: the murderer escaped to rest. It was no murder in
• 20:47
  Speaker 1: the eyes of the Satsuma Samurai or in those of
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: any other clans, but a necessary act demanded by the
• 20:54
  Speaker 1: loyalty due to the clan. And when the ugly mood
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: of the men composing Satsuma's escort is taken into consideration,
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: it seems a wonder that any of the party escaped.
• 21:05
  Speaker 1: The government of Yedo was not sorry that Tatsuma's pride
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: had been humbled, while the samurai of that clan, known
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: as the bravest of all the brave Japanese samurai, were
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: standard that they could have been beaten by these foreigners,
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: and they resolved from that time on to master the
• 21:20
  Speaker 1: secret of the barbarian strength and to acquire his knowledge.
• 21:25
  Speaker 1: It was the desire to be able to defeat us
• 21:28
  Speaker 1: with our own weapons, combined with the untiring patients of
• 21:31
  Speaker 1: the Japanese character that led to those changes in Japan
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: which we call its progress, and which so long have
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: seemed inexplicable. Choshiu, in the meanwhile, continued firing upon vessels
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: passing through the straits. Ashimonoseki and the ministers of four nations,
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: the United States, England, France, and Holland made up their
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: minds to punish him. Seventeen men of war belonging to
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: those powers attacked Choshiu's forts. The samurai defended themselves bravely,
• 22:02
  Speaker 1: but the Choshiu forts were taken and destroyed. When the
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: clan began negotiations for peace, the two young samurai, Ito
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: and Inyoe returned from England just in time to take
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: an active part in them. They assured their fellow samurai
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: that the fear of an evasion of Japan by a
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: foreign power was baseless. When they were satisfied of this fact,
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: which spread with great rapidity among the two sordid classes,
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: the opposition to foreigners ceased, but the insult to the
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: clan was neither forgiven nor forgotten, and Choshiu too decided
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: to dissemble until the samurai had acquired the secret of
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: the barbarian's strength. Both the Satsuma and Choshiu samurai were
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: now strongly in favor of admitting these foreigners under certain restrictions.
• 22:51
  Speaker 1: They would need them as instructors. They would need also
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: to purchase from them their terrible engines of war. It
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: was now agreed among the ministers of the four powers
• 23:01
  Speaker 1: that the government of Yeddo should be given the choice
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: between paying and indemnity of three millions of dollars and
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: opening new ports. It preferred paying the money, and each
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: nation received one fourth or seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
• 23:16
  Speaker 1: The United States afterwards returned its share. Satsuma and Choshiu
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: were now more than ever determined that the Yeddo government
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: must fall, and since all the clans the Tokugawa and
• 23:28
  Speaker 1: their allies accepted would rally under the Tendo, they would
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: spare no efforts to get hold of the emperor's person
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: and to use his authority to form a new government.
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: The regent Yemochi died in the summer of eighteen sixty six,
• 23:42
  Speaker 1: and Mito's son Hitosubashi Tokugawa stats Bashi, was appointed to
• 23:48
  Speaker 1: succeed him into Section thirty one