The Assassination of Baron Ii Naosuke
"The 3rd day of the 3rd month (March 25) was one of the five annual festivals, when the Princes and Barons of the land had to present themselves at the…
From: 1860 C.E. To: 1861 C.E.
Location: Tokyo, Japan
Note: This article has been excerpted from a larger work in the public domain and shared here due to its historical value. It may contain outdated ideas and language that do not reflect TOTA’s opinions and beliefs.
From Agitated Japan: the Life of Baron Ii Kamon-No-Kami Naosuké by Shimada Saburo and Yoshimaro Satoh, 1896.
Chapter VI
The Assassination
The 3rd day of the 3rd month (March 25) was one of the five annual festivals, when the Princes and Barons of the land had to present themselves at the Shogun's Castle to offer congratulations of the occasion. Being the last month of Spring, it is usually not cold, but on this special day nature seemed to portend by an unusual phenomenon the dark event which was to make it a black day in the annals of Japan. She seemed to show her sympathy for the heavy loss about to fall upon the whole empire; for instead of a bright clear day, the sky was overcast with gloomy clouds, the temperature was exceptionally low, and snow began to fall thick and heavy. The smiles of nature on mountains and plains were completely veiled from view by this untimely visitor from midwinter. The snow-flakes fell so thickly that objects but a few yards off could not be distinctly seen.
It was the custom whenever a Prince or Baron went out in public to be accompanied by an extended following. On festival occasions the procession was especially large. The brilliant body-guards were dressed in a light jaunty style, and were armed with two bright swords in handsomely lacquered scabbards, which combined artistic taste with practical use. The most prominent feature of the procession was the Kayo, or palanquin, carried on men's shoulders within which the Daimio was seated.
The insignia, and blazonry of the various feudal families made a brave display. These consisted of crests, spears, horse-decorations, and various emblems peculiar to Japanese heraldry. These always preceded the cortege proper.
Immediately following came the second division. The Kago was borne in the middle with personal guards attendant on each side. The rear was brought up by other retainers and guards. At the Castle men expert in recognizing the heraldic insignia were on the watch for each procession as it approached, and it was their duty to announce the name of the Prince or Baron as he passed through the gate.
The procession of Baron li Kamon-no Kami left his mansion at a half past the 5th watch, or 9 A.M. In a few minutes it came near the Sakurada (Cherry-field) Gate (one of the inner Mon or fortified entrances to the Castle and facing south). A few men dressed like ordinary Samurai with reddish brown rain-coats, suddenly came up, and audaciously tried to snatch away one of the spears. A struggle ensued. The report of a gun which almost immediately followed, was answered by the appearance of a hand of armed men from both sides of the street and a bloody fight at once began.
The guards and retainers of the Baron were entirely unprepared for this sudden attack. It was a time when the whole country was in the enjojunent of immemorial peace. Especially when it rained or snowed, the sword guards and handles were covered in a way which made it difficult to unsheathe with sufficient readiness. Several of the Baron's followers, not having time to draw, had to defend themselves with their swords while still in their scabbards. The blows they dealt took effect only when the sheaths, which fortunately were of wood, broke in course of fighting.
This lack of preparation on the part of Naosuke's followers, coupled with covered swords and flowing rain-coats, made it comparatively easy for the assassins to effect their cruel purpose. Still these were not allowed to go unharmed. Two of them were killed on the spot, while three were mortally wounded and fell down on the road. The one who carried off the head of the Baron found himself disabled on account of his wounds, and killed himself at Tatsunokuchi, (Dragon's Mouth) a, distance of about a mile and a half from the place of attack. Two others died afterward from the wounds they had received. The loss on the part of the Baron's retainers was four killed, and nineteen wounded, four of whom afterward died.
The band of assassins consisted of eighteen men, all of whom were those from the Mito Clan, except one man who came from Satsuma. But before they committed their cruel deed, they had resigned from the clan to which they belonged, and thus became ronin or wave-men. This was in accordance with feudal tradition, for otherwise they would have involved their lord in their unlawful deed.
Almost in a moment after the report of the signal gun, Naosuke's kago was surrounded by three or four men with drawn swords. The guards were overpowered, and the Baron was stabbed several times through the sides of his palanquin, so that when dragged out he was already dead, yet their vengeance was not yet satisfied, for each dealt a blow at the corpse. It was the Satsama man who cut off the Baron's head, and started off with it, followed by one of his comrades.
The pair were pursued by a retainer of the Baron, Kokawara by name, who although severely wounded yet inspired by devotion to his lord, overtook them and dealt a blow on the head of the Satsuma man. Nevertheless Kokawara was overpowered. The wound he had inflicted had its effect, for it disabled the man from going any farther than Tatsunokuchi, where he hastened death by his own hand. The whole tragedy was the work of only a few minutes, and when other retainers of Naosuke prepared to march to the place of attack, it was all over, and they met the return of their master's kago. Four of the assassins delivered themselves to the Senator Baron Wakizaka, the other four to Baron Hosokawa, while the rest of them made their escape toward Kioto. They of course deserved capital punishment, and their execution took place in the 7th month of the following year (August 1861).
The name of Hasuda stands first in the principal paper signed by the seventeen assassins in which they stated the reason for their act. The man of Satsuma did not sign the paper although he played so active a part in the cruel deed. There were two papers which they presented to the authorities of the Shogunate when they delivered up themselves after their murderous work.
The one was the principal document and the other was a supplement. The substance of the principal paper was as follows:—
"While fully aware of the necessity for some change in policy since the coming of the Americans to Uraga, it is entirely against the interest of the country and a shame to the sacred dignity of the land to open commercial relations, to admit foreigners into the castle, to conclude a treaty, to abolish the established custom of trampling on the picture of Christ, to permit foreigners to build places of worship of their evil religion, Christianity, and to allow the three Ministers to reside in the land. Under the excuse of keeping the peace, too much compromise has been made at the sacrifice of national honor. Too much fear has been shown in regard to the foreigners' threatenings. Not only has the national custom been set aside, and national dignity injured, but the policy followed by the Shogunate has no Imperial sanction. For all these acts the Tairo Baron Ii Kamon-no-Kami is responsible.
"Taking advantage of the youth of the Shogun, he has assumed unbridled power. In order to effect his own end, his autocracy has gone so far as to confine, under false charges, the Princes and Barons who would be faithful and loyal to the cause of the Imperial Cabinet and of the Shogunate. He has proved himself an unpardonable enemy of this nation. The power of government in his hand will be too dangerous for a harmonious relation of the Imperial Cabinet and the Shogunate, for he has gone so far as to interfere in the matter of the Imperial succession. Our sense of patriotism could not brook this abuse of power at the hands of such a wicked rebel.
"Therefore we have consecrated ourselves to be the instruments of Heaven to punish this wicked man, and we have assumed on ourselves the duty of putting an end to a serious evil by killing this atrocious autocrat. Our conduct, however, does not indicate the slightest enmity to the Shogunate. We swear before Heaven and earth, gods and men, that our action is entirely built on our hope of seeing the policy of the Shogunate resume its proper form and abide by the holy and wise will of His Majesty, the Emperor. We hope to see our national glory manifested in the expulsion of foreigners from the land. Thus will the whole nation he established on a basis as firm and immoveable, as Mount Fuji itself."
Dated, 3rd Month, Seventh year of Ansei (March, 1860).
Signed by Hasuda and sixteen others.
The supplementary paper was a more minute elucidation of what is stated in the paper just referred to.
Whatever epithets, malice and enmity may have heaped on Naosuke, the mute eloquence of the fruits of his political career now indisputably pleads his merits as a patriot and a statesman of rare ability and of the highest order.
Here, it will be well to remember the strength of his sense of duty and his contempt of personal safety. This is most clearly seen in his interview with Baron Matsudaira of Yada.
Since the time of Prince Rekko's confinement, and especially at the period of the great agitation in his clan when the Imperial paper was ordered to be returned, many feared that attempts might he made on the life of the Tairo Naosuke.
Baron Matsudaira of Yada, who was an intimate friend of Naosuke, personally came to persuade him to resign and thus get him out of the impending danger.
The Tairo while thanking him for his kind advice said that his sense of duty would not allow him to evade his personal danger in times of great difficulty. "My own safety is nothing," said he, " when I see a great danger threatening the future of my country."
His friend then advised him to increase the number of his guards when he went out. Naosuke simply replied that their number being fixed by the statute of the Shogunate, he as the Tairo, must not form a precedent of freely modifying the established rule for the sake of his personal safety.
Baron Matsudaira became so earnest in his pleading that when Naosuke asked to be excused, as the time came for him to go to the Court, he held the Tairo by one of the sleeves of his dress, urging him to take his advice, and a part of the dress was torn as Naosuke tried to shake off his firm grasp. Seeing that the Tairo's resolve was too strong, the kind Baron before leaving his friend's mansion, told some of Naosuke's retainers to be prepared for an emergency that might be expected at any moment. This was on the 28th day of the 2nd month (March 21st), only a few days before the assassination.
Baron Matsudaira of Yada was not the only person who tried to persuade Naosuke to avoid danger by resigning his office. Several of his own retainers, as well as some of the Shogun's officers gave him similar advice, but his answer was always the same. "Resignation is easy, but the times are difficult. I will not, and must not, avoid both danger and difficulty on the simple ground of seeking personal ease."
To a person who remarked that his refusal to resign was said to be based on his love of power, he made answer in a poem, a literal translation of which is as follows:
"Spring has not yet advanced to melt
the ice on the pure fountain, and none
has yet drawn water from its depth."
By the pure fountain he meant his heart, and he regrets that his true intention has not been understood.
Only after many years have his sincerity and true merit come to he seen by the people for whom he had sacrificed his whole being.
"After passing a night of fleeting dreams the flower of the heart opens and blossems to-day.” (Katsu).
—FINIS—
Saburo, Shimada and Yoshimaro Satoh. Agitated Japan: the Life of Baron Ii Kamon-No-Kami Naosuké. D. Appleton, 1896.
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