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1868 JAPAN BOSHIN WAR Great Content Letter Regarding Rescue of U.S. Diplomats!

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles Start Price:800.00 USD Estimated At:1,000.00 - 1,500.00 USD
1868 JAPAN BOSHIN WAR Great Content Letter Regarding Rescue of U.S. Diplomats!
Post Civil War
BOSHIN WAR Rescue of the U.S. Legation in Hyogo, Japan On March 2nd, 1868 - Extremely Rare Contemporary Letter
March 2nd, 1868-Dated, Important Historic Content, Contemporary Fair Copy Letter, Regarding the USS Iroquois Rescue of U.S. Diplomats to Japan and their experience during the “Boshin War” (1868–1869), Choice Very Fine.
This boldly written fine Historical Content Letter is concerning a diplomat named 'Mr. Emory' of the U.S. Legation in Hyogo, Japan, dated March 2d, 1868 describing the outbreak of hostilities as Osaka was forced to open with trade to Westerners during the “Boshin War” period (1868–1869). Hyogo is a Japanese prefecture in the Kansai region of the country’s main island, Honshu. Kobe, the prefectural capital, is a cosmopolitan port city framed by mountains, west of Osaka and Kyoto. This historic handwritten Letter reads, in part:

“On the 2nd Feb/68 left Osaka Japan in the 'Iroquois' having on board the American, Italian and Prussian ministers besides a huge number of foreigners... On the night of their arrival at Hiogo Wm. Emory was ordered with ten men to occupy the Customs House... a large number of Japanese troops... began an indiscriminate fire on all foreigners... Emory... resolved to make a quick dash... advancing upon the Japanese at double quick... charged upon them... with bayonet. Japs consisting of 200 men ran leaving their field pieces and baggage... Mikado in a few days sent an envoy... the Tycoonate was abolished... promised to keep the old treaties in place... [and] the head of the man who ordered the firing should be publicly cut off...'. The text was penned on the verso of an April 13, 1868 letter to Comm. A. A. Harwood.

The “Boshin War” took place after Keiki had temporarily avoided a growing conflict in Japan. Anti-shogunal forces instigated widespread turmoil in the streets of Edo, using groups of Ronin. Satsuma and Choshu forces then moved on Kyoto in force, pressuring the Imperial Court for a conclusive edict demolishing the shogunate. Following a conference of Daimyos, the Imperial Court issued such an edict, removing the power of the shogunate in the dying days of 1867.

The Satsuma, Choshu, and other Han leaders and radical Courtiers, however, rebelled, seized the Imperial Palace, and announced their own restoration on January 3, 1868. Keiki nominally accepted the plan, retiring from the Imperial Court to Osaka, at the same time as resigning as shogun. Fearing a feigned concession of the shogunal power to consolidate power, the dispute continued until culminating in a military confrontation between Tokugawa and allied domains with Satsuma, Tosa and Choshu forces, in Fushimi and Toba.

With the turning of the battle toward anti-shogunal forces, Keiki then quit Osaka for Edo, essentially ending both the power of the Tokugawa, and the shogunate that had ruled Japan for over 250 years. Following the Boshin War (1868–1869), the bakufu was abolished, and Keiki was reduced to the ranks of the common daimyos.

Resistance continued in the North throughout 1868, and the bakufu naval forces under Admiral Enomoto Takeaki continued to hold out for another six months in Hokkaido, where they founded the short-lived Republic of Ezo. This defiance ended in May 1869 at the Battle of Hakodate, after one month of fighting. An important, wonderful firsthand content descriptive Letter.
The opening of Japan to uncontrolled foreign trade brought massive economic instability. While some entrepreneurs prospered, many others went bankrupt. Unemployment rose, as well as inflation. Coincidentally, major famines also increased the price of food drastically. Incidents occurred between brash foreigners, qualified as "the scum of the earth" by a contemporary diplomat, and the Japanese.

Japan's monetary system, based on Tokugawa coinage, broke down due to foreign arbitrage. Allegory of inflation and soaring prices during the Bakumatsu era.

Japan's monetary system, based on Tokugawa coinage, also broke down. Traditionally, Japan's exchange rate between gold and silver was 1:5, whereas international rates were of the order of 1:15. This led to massive purchases of gold by foreigners, and ultimately forced the Japanese authorities to devalue their currency.

There was a massive outflow of gold from Japan, as foreigners rushed to exchange their silver for "token" silver Japanese coinage and again exchange these against gold, giving a 200% profit to the transaction. In 1860, about 4 million ryos thus left Japan, that is about 70 tons of gold. This effectively destroyed Japan's gold standard system, and forced it to return to weight-based system with International rates. The Bakufu instead responded to the crises by debasing the gold content of its coins by two thirds, so as to match foreign gold-silver exchange ratios. Foreigners also brought cholera to Japan, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Members of the First Japanese Embassy to Europe (1862), around Shibata Sadataro, head of the mission staff (seated).

During the 1860s, peasant uprisings (hyakusho ikki) and urban disturbances (uchikowashi) multiplied. "World renewal" movement appeared (yonaoshi ikki), as well as feverish hysteric movements such as the Eejanaika ("Why Not?").

Several missions were sent abroad by the Bakufu, in order to learn about Western civilization, revise unequal treaties, and delay the opening of cities and harbour to foreign trade. These efforts towards revision remained largely unsuccessful.

A Japanese Embassy to the United States was sent in 1860, on board the Kanrin Maru and the USS Powhattan. A First Japanese Embassy to Europe was sent in 1862. Belligerent opposition to Western influence further erupted into open conflict when the Emperor Komei, breaking with centuries of imperial tradition, began to take an active role in matters of state and issued, on March 11 and April 11, 1863, his "Order to expel barbarians".

Japanese cannons shooting on Western shipping at Shimonoseki in 1863. The Mori clan of Choshu, under Lord Mori Takachika, followed on the order, and began to take actions to expel all foreigners from the date fixed as a deadline (May 10, Lunar calendar). Openly defying the shogunate, Takachika ordered his forces to fire without warning on all foreign ships traversing Shimonoseki Strait.

Under pressure from the Emperor, the Shogun was also forced to issue a declaration promulgating the end of relations with foreigners. The order was forwarded to foreign legations by Ogasawara Zusho no Kami on June 24, 1863

Boshin War - After Keiki had temporarily avoided the growing conflict, anti-shogunal forces instigated widespread turmoil in the streets of Edo using groups of ronin. Satsuma and Choshu forces then moved on Kyoto in force, pressuring the Imperial Court for a conclusive edict demolishing the shogunate. Following a conference of daimyos, the Imperial Court issued such an edict, removing the power of the shogunate in the dying days of 1867.

The Satsuma, Choshu, and other han leaders and radical courtiers, however, rebelled, seized the imperial palace, and announced their own restoration on January 3, 1868. Keiki nominally accepted the plan, retiring from the Imperial Court to Osaka at the same time as resigning as shogun. Fearing a feigned concession of the shogunal power to consolidate power, the dispute continued until culminating in a military confrontation between Tokugawa and allied domains with Satsuma, Tosa and Choshu forces, in Fushimi and Toba.

With the turning of the battle toward anti-shogunal forces, Keiki then quit Osaka for Edo, essentially ending both the power of the Tokugawa, and the shogunate that had ruled Japan for over 250 years.

Following the Boshin War (1868–1869), the bakufu was abolished, and Keiki was reduced to the ranks of the common daimyos.

Resistance continued in the North throughout 1868, and the bakufu naval forces under Admiral Enomoto Takeaki continued to hold out for another six months in Hokkaido, where they founded the short-lived Republic of Ezo. This defiance ended in May 1869 at the Battle of Hakodate, after one month of fighting.