Aomatsuba Incident


The Aomatsuba Incident was plotted from February 13 to 18, 1868 in Nagoya Castle, Japan.

History

The Aomatsuba Incident was an oppression of the Sabaku party that occurred in the Owari Domain from February 13 to 18, 1868. Immediately after returning to the Owari domain on the 13 of the same day, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, the 14th lord of the domain, who had been doing political treatment after Taisei Hokan at the Kyoto Imperial Palace, received an imperial order with charges of 'adultery', and an oppression order was issued. The subjects were from senior vassals to general feudal retainers, with 14 decapitations and 20 punishments. There are various theories about the background of the imperial decree.

The process of the outbreak

The Owari-Tokugawa family, the Kishu Tokugawa family, and the Mito-Tokugawa family, the three privileged branches of the Tokugawa family which were called Gosanke, were called Otsukegaro 【御付家老】. Otsukegaro was simply the Ometsuke【大目付】 of the lord of the domain dispatched from the Shogun family, and in Owari, the family of Naruse Hayato and the Takekoshi Hyobu Shoyu family were well known for their chigyo. The power was strong from the family that the load had to pay attention to, and the domain was naturally divided into the Naruse faction and the Takekoshi faction. Among them, tt was the Takekoshi group who continued to take closer positions to the bakufu government, and in the old days, Tokugawa Muneharu, the seventh lord, who was rebellious to the bakufu, was forced to retire. At the end of the Edo period, the domain was divided into 'Kintetsu Gumi,' which advocated the Sonno-joi policy , and 'Fuigo party,' which was a careless position, and the Naruse family was close to the Fuigo party.

Incident

In the first place, the Owari Tokugawa family was the family style of the retired emperor's family from the time of the domain Tokugawa Yoshinao, and since there was a rebel against the Tokugawa Shogunate family once again, Tokugawa Yoshikatsu, who became the 14th lord of the domain, also took the position of Sonno joi, and especially the Takekoshi family in advance of the reform of the domain administration since the arrival of Matthew C. Perry. They often opposed the Fuigo party. When Yoshikatsu retired due to the suppression of Tairo Ii Naosuke, the Kintetsu Gumi fell down, and Takekoshi Hyobu shoyu took over the domain administration under the new lord Mochinaga, and after the Sakuradamon Incident, Takekoshi Hyobu Shoyu fell out, and Yoshikatsu went to the front of the domain while retiring, and went to the capital frequently with the Kintetsu Gumi to enter the government. Meanwhile, Mochinaga retired and Yoshikatsu's son, Yoshinobu, became the lord of the domain, and Fuigo party be shelved.
After Taisei Hokan, the Bakufu army was defeated in the Battle of Toba–Fushimi on January 27 and 29, 1868. When the news arrived in Nagoya, the conflict between the Kintetsu Gumi who insisted on the dispatch of troops and the Fuigo party, which was cautious about the dispatch of troops, deepened the conflict. At that time Yoshikatsu, who was in Kyoto, heard the situation from Yoshida Tomoyuki in Owari domain who was an Inspector, who came to Kyoto on the way to Kyoto in as the form of Messaging Mamiya Masakazu who was castle owner.
The government army, who won the battle of Toba Fushimi, appointed imperial Prince Ninna Ji no Miya （Komatsu-no-miya Akihito） to Seii Taishogun on January 28th, and issued an order to hunt down and kill Yoshinobu on January 31st, but in the east of Nagoya there were many Bakufu Fudai daimyō, and Yoshinobu's counterattack was also considered, So he had been felt uneasy about passing the Army It was.
On February 8th, The Imperial Court summoned Yoshikatsu and ordered the return of the imperial court to clean the supporters of the Sabaku party in the Owari domain, which was the key point of transportation, to persuade neighboring in Owari domain feudal lords to come to the imperial court.
Yoshikatsu was a member of the Imperial family from early time, but it was in a position to consider the Bakufu, and it was natural that there were sabaku party in the domain, however, it was not possible to rebel against imperial order, and in the end of distress, he decided to purge the sabaku party, and to Matsudaira Shungaku, " He said.
Yoshikatsu left Kyoto on the order of imperial command, and stayed at Owari-ichinomiya on February 12th, and went to Nagoya castle on 13th. On the same day, Chief retainer Shinzaemon Watanabe Aritsuna was arrested and beheaded when he was welcomed Yoshikatsu in Nagoya Castle entrance. In addition, 13 persons including Ooban gashira, Sakakibara kageyu, Oobangashira, Ishikawa Kuranosukewere arrested, and They were disappointed and beheaded. Without explanation of the reason at the time of killing, and 14 people families were taken up a residence and a ration.
Yoshikatsu left the incident as an internal conflict in the Owari domain, and tried to forbid speaking feudal retainer of the domain. Also, For the reason of 'invite the relatives of emperor to the emperor,' he confirmed to the various domains of countries in six provinces in the Tomi, Kai, Suruga, Shinano, Mino, Shimotsuke on April 21st.
Three chief commissioner of Owari branch under ruling Tokugawa clan were enacted when entering the Ninomaru gate in Nagoya Castle. At the end of Taishō era in 1926, The stele was erected at the enactment point. The execution point is still uncertain, however it have been thought to occur about 100 meters south from the present point of the stele. The stele was reerected after the enactment point had got lost.

Cause of the incident

At the time of the first conquest of the Choshu domain, Yoshikatsu, he was appointed to the post of chief of the expedition in the battle of it. The war was not fought, and the Choshu domain apologized, and three of the senior statesmen of Choshu domain and 11 retainers did Seppuku. After that, the government decided to Expedition, and organized two times. Shame of the Choshu domain, the second insult, and this grudge.
In addition, it was the same as the Choshu clan, who was
beheaded in the incident of 11 senior vassals and 11 Hanshi, who happened to committed Seppuku at the time of the first conquest. However, Yoshikatsu was openly opposed to the second
conquest of Choshu, and it was not possible to explain how the Choshu domain, who had not been appointed to the three key posts, moved the imperial court only after the restoration.