Prologue
"From the moment one person learns the truth, and until everyone else learns it, sometimes a person's life is not enough"
(M. I. Kutuzov)
It has always been and will be, as M. S. said. Kutuzov: first, someone alone learns the truth, everyone else follows him, but how much does this first have to endure on this path ?! But twice, three times his position is complicated at the turning points of history. After all, in front of you, as they say in the East, there are always two bridges in life. You have to cross one, and burn the other. The question is which one to burn and which one to cross?
Monument to Sakamoto Ryoma in Kochi.
Such people are known among many peoples and their names are often either covered with mud (for the time being), or written in gold on the tablets of history. There were such people in Japan, and there were many, but for some reason it so happened that for the Japanese, Sakamoto Ryoma became a symbolic figure of a person who was not afraid in a difficult moment in his country’s life, abandoning the old, which means in Russian “Dragon Horse.
Old Japan was leaving, but it left us a memory in photographs. Here is one of the samurai in home attire. It is possible that this is what Sakamoto's father looked like.
He appeared on the stage of history at a turning point when Japan was recovering from the long absolutism of the Tokugawa era and getting used to the then modernity. He was neither a famous warrior, nor a powerful daimyo ruler, but for some reason many Japanese honor his name, believing that by his example he showed the right path for new generations. When the Japanese elite shuddered, anticipating the beginning of a new bloody terror in the country, the person who will be discussed later wanted to lead Japan through peaceful change, and not follow the example of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who ruthlessly destroyed all his opponents. It would be interesting to stage this story as a play with bright Japanese costumes, meaningful poses, and memorable dialogues. Of course, not all the events shown in it took place at the same time and, of course, they took place in different places. It is surprising, however, how much everything that happened then resembles everything that took place in our country just yesterday, and in some ways even continues …
Samurai and accompanying servant.
Act One: Sakamoto Ryoma and Blood Debt
“On New Year's Eve
I saw a dream - I keep it a secret
And I smile …
(Shou)
Sakamoto Ryoma, the second son of Sakamoto Heinachi, was born on November 15, 1835, exactly 235 years after the famous battle of Sekigahara, which forever divided Japan for a time "before it" and a time "after". The Sakamoto family descended from an ordinary samurai from Tosa, and they moved to the city of Kochi from the village. In the city, she took up usury and eventually became rich, after which she acquired the rank of goshi - a lower samurai. Then Ryom's father received the rank and abandoned the family business, apparently always ashamed of him in his soul.
Photo by Sakamoto Ryoma.
All Tosa samurai were divided into two groups. The supporters of Yamanouchi who supported the Tokugawa on the battlefield were called joshi, or superior samurai, and the rest were called goshi, or "country warriors."Arrogant rulers constantly humiliated and oppressed the goshi, these persecutions were reflected even in the laws according to which samurai goshi had to wear special shoes; they were forbidden to wear wooden geta sandals. It is not difficult to understand that such treatment of Yamanouchi's subjects, from which they suffered for more than 200 years, during the peaceful period of Tokugawa rule aroused a desire for revenge in all goshi.
Onna-bugeysya is a woman warrior. In the history of Japan, they were by no means uncommon.
Ryom's father was well versed in martial arts, versification, and calligraphy. Ryoma's mother died very young, and he became very attached to his sister, who was only three years older than him, but she rode horses, shot a bow and fenced with swords and naginata no worse than men.
Equestrian exercise yabusame. This was also carried away not only by men, but also by women.
Ryoma often visited his uncle, a prosperous merchant, in whose house he got acquainted with the world of trade. A versatile education and the ability to ask as many questions as he wanted taught the young man to think and reason.
And then a terrible thing happened: in 1853, four warships of the American commander Perry entered Tokyo Bay and demanded permission from the emperor to stop in Japanese ports for all other American ships. Bakufu Tokugawa - the supreme government of Japan, located in Edo, failed to defend the ban imposed several years earlier on berthing in Japanese ports for all foreign ships and decided to open the borders and obey the demands of the US government. However, this surprised only a few. Several years earlier, the Dutch, who came from the only country whose ships were allowed access to the port of Hirato, reported to the Bakufu about the outcome of the Opium War of 1839-1842, in which China suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of foreigners. And there they knew that Japan's position in Asia was rather precarious and there was little sense in its isolation. But despite the fact that the bakufu made the only correct decision (since the Japanese had absolutely nothing to oppose to Perry's guns) to come to terms with the inevitability of the invasion of foreigners, this caused a violent reaction from all those who used to consider the land of Japan sacred.
One of the black ships of Commodore Perry. Japanese drawing.
In 1854 Ryoma came to Edo to study at the famous fencing school. The samurai of the capital were literally seething with indignation, talk of war was heard everywhere. It is not surprising that when a gathering of soldiers was announced in the Khan (area) of Tosa to guard the coast of Shinagawa, Ryoma joined the patrol squad. He was nineteen years old, and he understood that the world was changing.
A Japanese woman helps a samurai dress up in armor. So the stories that samurai did not need the help of a servant to put on their armor are not based on anything. Although, of course, some poor ashigaru could easily have done it himself, but for a European all the warriors with swords were samurai.
In 1856, under the terms of an agreement with the US government, Consul General Townsend Harris arrived in Japan. He pushed for a US-Japan trade agreement; and the bakufu advisers, having come to the conclusion that it was impossible to refuse him, sent a letter to the emperor in Kyoto asking him to allow them to open the country. But Emperor Komei's court held traditional views, and the bakufu refused. The situation was aggravated by an internal conflict over the inheritance of the title of shogun, because of which the Tokugawa clan was split into two camps.
But the wives of Western European knights did not help their husbands to dress. Although they sewed clothes for them, they embroidered pennants and helmet-mounted decorations.
Then in 1858, Ii Naosuke of Hikone Khan, being a confidant of the shogun, entered into a trade agreement with America without Kyoto's permission and renewed the persecution of the opposition. Unable to tolerate such an obvious manifestation of dictatorship, conservative samurai killed Ii right at the gates of Edo Castle in early 1860. In the same year, the young Sakamoto graduated from martial arts school and returned to Tosa, gaining fame as a young but up-and-coming swordmaster.
Mon Sakamoto Ryoma.
And in Tosa, meanwhile, the supporters of the "sacred land" formed the Tosakinnoto party, which without hesitation dealt with anyone who dared to oppose it. And then Ryoma decided to join the ultranationalist party. He then returned to Edo again and enrolled in the Chiba Fencing School. Here he wanted to meet Katsu Rintaro Kaishu or Yokoi Shonan - the most famous advocates of opening the borders of Japan. The intentions of Ryom, a member of the ultranationalist party, looked rather suspicious, but Kaishu nevertheless agreed to meet with him. When Ryoma was ushered into the guest room, Kaishu stated, “You are here to kill me. Let's first talk about what's going on in the world, and then do as you like. " Both were skilled swordsmen, but their weapons were never drawn.
Katsu Kaishu.
Act Two: The Sea and the Cannons
“Crushed by weights
Pages of books on the tray.
Spring wind …
(Quito)
Katsu Kaishu was born in 1823 to the Katsu Kokichi family and was close to the Tokugawa clan in Edo. But although he served the bakufu, Katsu Kaishu was so poor and in order to make ends meet, he decided to open a Dutch language school. At the age of twenty-five, he was assigned to the Bakufu Naval Defense Directorate. With an understanding of Dutch culture, Katsu was well aware of what was happening in Asia. Many young people studied with him - and not only the children of bakufu officials, but also residents of the provinces who wanted to learn at least something about the big world around Japan.
American warship. Japanese drawing.
In 1860, Katsu crossed the Pacific Ocean on the Japanese ship Kanrin-maru, bound for the United States to conclude a trade agreement. In 1862, at the time of his acquaintance with Sakamoto Ryoma Katsu, he was engaged in naval affairs in the bakufu.
After a long conversation, Ryoma decided to become Katsu's student too. In his diary, Katsu wrote: “Sakamoto came to my house with his friend Chiba Sutaro, a sword-bearer. From early evening until midnight, I talked with them about the reasons why we must look at the world in a new way, about the need to create a new fleet to protect Japan from the colonialists. He [Ryoma] confessed that he wanted to kill me, but after my lecture he was ashamed of his ignorance, realizing that he could not imagine the situation of Japan in Asia, and announced that he would be my student. And then he will make every effort to create a fleet … After the meeting, Ryoma also explained to his friend that he had come to settle accounts with me. I just laughed. He is not devoid of dignity and, in the end, has shown himself to be a decent person."
At the entrance to the Kobe Navy Cadet Training Center.
Previously, the Tsukiji Naval School was open only to those who were going to serve the bakufu, but Kaishu decided to open a new school of naval officers in Kobe specifically for the gifted youth from the provinces. Kaishu convinced bakufu advisers, influential daimyo and court aristocrats of the need to found such an educational institution.
It was difficult to achieve agreement, since each proposal became another reason for conflict between the supporters and opponents of the opening of the borders. During his stay in Kyoto, Kaishu was attacked by some samurai, but his bodyguard saved his master. Continuing to fight for a new maritime school, Kaishu invited the shogun Tokugawa Iemochi himself to board his own steam vessel. On this ship, he received permission to establish a naval school in Kobe.
Of course, Sakamoto Ryoma was one of the first to enter this school. Kaishu was only happy about this circumstance, since Ryoma was good at raising the morale of the students. The bakufu did not have enough financial support for the needs of the school, and Ryoma went to an acquaintance of the daimyo Echizena and asked him to invest money in the school. In many ways, Ryoma soon became the leader of Kaishu's disciples.
When foreign ships began to threaten reprisals against the stubborn nationalists from Choshu, who fired at the ships of the United States, France and Holland in 1863 in Shimonoseki, the bakufu adviser ordered Katsu Kaishu to negotiate and settle the issue with representatives of foreign powers. Together with Ryoma and other students, Katsu went to Nagasaki and entered into a discussion with foreigners, hoping to resolve the conflict peacefully, but these negotiations did not lead to an agreement, it was only possible to postpone further actions for two months. Ryoma did not return to Edo with him, but visited his second mentor, Yokoi Shonan, in Kumamoto.
Shonan came from a low-ranking samurai family in Kumamoto. For his ideas, he was accused of a "non-samurai approach" and was forced to return to his home. Visiting Shonan, Ryoma complained that the bakufu had thrown Choshu at the mercy of the foreign fleet, but in response the latter advised him to be patient and not to rebel, but to behave carefully. “What bends can be straightened,” he said. - That which does not bend, sooner or later breaks!"
Meanwhile, supporters of the idea of expelling foreigners to Tosa and Choshu resorted to terror to intimidate the Bakufu supporters in Kyoto. One by one, those who were supporters of the Bakufu were killed; bakufu police retaliated, and soon blood was spilled in streams all over Kyoto.
Mon Shimazu from Satsuma. But this is not a cross, but … a bit!
A year earlier, Shimazu Hisamitsu of Satsuma, a loyal vassal of the bakufu, had made no secret of his hostility towards the anti-bakufu movement in Tosu. He sought to reorganize the government and was even recommended for the post of adviser to the shogun. But reforms are reforms, and arrogance is arrogance. As a result, the bakufu refused to provide Hisamitsu with a government ship when he needed to return to Satsuma.
Therefore, he had to get to his home by land, and just during this trip one of his confidants killed the Englishman Charles Richardson in Namamugi because the stranger did not show respect and did not step aside, letting Hisamitsu's retinue pass.
This incident caused a storm of indignation among the British. In Satsuma Bay, they appeared with a demand for compensation and punishment of those responsible. Lord Satsuma refused, but soon regretted it as British warships began shelling the city of Kagoshima. During the negotiations, Satsuma agreed to fulfill the demands of the foreigners. After the incident, quite friendly relations were established between the British and Shimazu. This was not surprising to anyone in Japan: throughout the history of the country, countless daimyo united with former enemies, who had proved their strength and power to them, and no one considered it reprehensible! Lord Satsuma knew how to recognize alien power and enlisted the help of the British to modernize their troops! Well, the British did not do it from a kind heart, not at all. In this way, they wanted to undermine the influence of the French, who were more and more crowded around the bakufu.
In July 1863, the Choshu extremists were attacked by a squad of Shinsengumi - the Bakufu police; it happened at the Ikedaya Inn in Kyoto. Police chief Kondo Isami himself, with four swordsmen, fought his way into the room where supporters of isolation from Choshu and Tosa were holding a secret meeting, and killed five. The rest of the soldiers awaited him outside and killed eleven more, so that only a few managed to escape. The Ikedaya incident only inflamed the Joi members in Choshu; they assembled an armed detachment and in early 1864 approached the emperor's residence in Kyoto to seize it.
The guns of the coastal batteries in Shimonoseki.
The warriors from Khan Aizu, with the assistance of the Satsuma detachment, stopped the onslaught of the attackers at the very gates of the imperial palace. This episode made the bakufu ponder the influence of the Tosa and Satsuma khans on Emperor Ko-mei. Shogun Iemochi considered the most effective removal from the game of the powerful daimyo Choshu and Satsuma, so that they would not unite against the bakufu.
Japanese wooden tools. Yes, there were some!
Meanwhile, in August 1863, British ships shelled the Satsuma capital, Kagoshima, as the indemnity for the murder of a British merchant had expired. This led to large casualties among the civilian population, because the fire was fired from naval guns on the blocks of houses built of wood and paper. Emperor Komei ordered to punish the Choshu Khan, but before that the ships of the four states began military operations in the Kan-mon Strait and began shelling the Choshu coastal bastions on Shimonoseki. Under heavy fire from ships, the bastions fell silent one after another, their defenders were shot by the British Marines with guns or taken prisoner.
Shimonoseki coastal batteries are firing at European ships. From the collection of the Shimonoseki City Museum.
The European International Squadron (Denmark, France, England and the USA) shells Shimonoseki. Painting by Jacob Edward van Heemskerk van Best.
A punitive bakufu squad led by Tokugawa Yoshikatsu left Osaka for Choshu in September. Shortly before this, in August, Katsu Kaishu ordered Sakamoto Ryoma to visit one of the senior officers of this punitive detachment, a native of Satsuma Khan, and talk to him.
