Icarus affair
Encyclopedia
The was an incident involving the murder of two Royal Navy
sailors in Nagasaki, Japan
in 1867, leading to increased diplomatic tensions between the United Kingdom
and the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate
.
On August 5 Robert Ford and John Hutchings, from the British screw sloop
HMS Icarus
, were killed by an unknown swordsman in the Marayuma entertainment precinct of Nagasaki, which had been opened to trade and port calls by British ships since the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce
of 1858. The men, both aged 23, had been drinking, and were sleeping near the entrance to a "tea house
".
The British Consul in Nagasaki, Marcus Flowers, blamed the Tokugawa shogunate for failing to protect the men and believed that the Kaientai led by Sakamoto Ryoma
was behind the killings. This belief was based on rumours that the men had been seen in the area, combined with the departure of a Tosa
steamer
from Nagasaki soon after the incident.
Shogun
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
was pressured by Sir Harry Parkes, head of the British Legation in Edo
to find the culprit. The shogunate was not disposed to dispute the evidence, since it conveniently weakened a feudal domain whose loyalty was increasing uncertain. An agreement was reached that the governor of Nagasaki
would be dismissed and 500 men would be sent to police the foreign quarter. Subsequently, Parkes sailed to Tosa, arriving in Kōchi
September 3, 1867. There he was met by shogunate commissioners who had arrived earlier, to demand reparations from Tosa daimyō
, Yamauchi Yodo. Tosa official Gotō Shōjirō
led negotiations on the Japanese side, and after several days it was evident that the British lacked sufficient evidence to convict the Kaientai.
It was decided to reconvene the investigations in Nagasaki, where more evidence was presumably available, and Park's assistant Ernest Satow was delegated to accompany the Tosa delegation (which included Sakamoto Ryoma) back to Nagasaki on September 9. Once back at Nagasaki, the charges against the Kaientai were dropped on October 4.
It was revealed one year later that a samurai
of the Fukuoka Domain
had murdered the men, and shortly after committed ritual suicide
. The Fukuoka clan subsequently paid compensation to the sailors' families in England.
The affair diminished British trust and confidence in the shogunate and their control over Kyūshū
, one of many factors leading to British support of the Satchō Alliance
during the Boshin War
of the Meiji Restoration
the following year.
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
sailors in Nagasaki, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
in 1867, leading to increased diplomatic tensions between the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
.
On August 5 Robert Ford and John Hutchings, from the British screw sloop
Screw sloop
A screw sloop is a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. In the 19th century, during the introduction of the steam engine, ships driven by propellers were differentiated from those driven by paddle-wheels by referring to the ship's screws...
HMS Icarus
HMS Icarus
Four ships of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Icarus, after the Icarus of Greek mythology., a 10-gun brig-sloop launched in 1814, on coast guard duty in 1839, and sold 1861., a screw sloop in service from 1858 to 1875., a Mariner-class composite screw sloop in service from 1885 to 1904.,...
, were killed by an unknown swordsman in the Marayuma entertainment precinct of Nagasaki, which had been opened to trade and port calls by British ships since the Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce
Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce
The was signed on August 26, 1858 by Lord Elgin and the then representatives of the Japanese government . This was an unequal treaty, that gave Japan semi-colonial status.The concessions which Japan made were threefold:...
of 1858. The men, both aged 23, had been drinking, and were sleeping near the entrance to a "tea house
Tea house
A tea house or tearoom is a venue centered on drinking tea. Its function varies widely depending on the culture, and some cultures have a variety of distinct tea-centered houses or parlors that all qualify under the English language term "tea house" or "tea room."-Asia:In Central Asia this term...
".
The British Consul in Nagasaki, Marcus Flowers, blamed the Tokugawa shogunate for failing to protect the men and believed that the Kaientai led by Sakamoto Ryoma
Sakamoto Ryoma
was a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Ryōma used the alias .- Early life :Ryōma was born in Kōchi, of Tosa han . By the Japanese calendar, this was the sixth year of Tenpō...
was behind the killings. This belief was based on rumours that the men had been seen in the area, combined with the departure of a Tosa
Tosa Domain
The was a feudal domain in Tosa Province of Japan during the Edo period. Its official name is . Some from the domain played important roles in events in the late Tokugawa shogunate...
steamer
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
from Nagasaki soon after the incident.
Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
was the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful...
was pressured by Sir Harry Parkes, head of the British Legation in Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
to find the culprit. The shogunate was not disposed to dispute the evidence, since it conveniently weakened a feudal domain whose loyalty was increasing uncertain. An agreement was reached that the governor of Nagasaki
Nagasaki bugyo
were officials of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan. Appointments to this prominent office were usually fudai daimyō, but this was amongst the senior administrative posts open to those who were not daimyō...
would be dismissed and 500 men would be sent to police the foreign quarter. Subsequently, Parkes sailed to Tosa, arriving in Kōchi
Kochi, Kochi
is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,515 and a density of...
September 3, 1867. There he was met by shogunate commissioners who had arrived earlier, to demand reparations from Tosa daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
, Yamauchi Yodo. Tosa official Gotō Shōjirō
Goto Shojiro
Count was a Japanese samurai and politician during the Bakumatch and early Meiji period of Japanese history. He was a leader of which would evolve into a political party.- Early life :...
led negotiations on the Japanese side, and after several days it was evident that the British lacked sufficient evidence to convict the Kaientai.
It was decided to reconvene the investigations in Nagasaki, where more evidence was presumably available, and Park's assistant Ernest Satow was delegated to accompany the Tosa delegation (which included Sakamoto Ryoma) back to Nagasaki on September 9. Once back at Nagasaki, the charges against the Kaientai were dropped on October 4.
It was revealed one year later that a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
of the Fukuoka Domain
Fukuoka Domain
The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Chikuzen Province .-List of lords:*Kuroda clan, 1600-1871 #Nagamasa#Tadayuki#Mitsuyuki#Tsunamasa#Nobumasa...
had murdered the men, and shortly after committed ritual suicide
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
. The Fukuoka clan subsequently paid compensation to the sailors' families in England.
The affair diminished British trust and confidence in the shogunate and their control over Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
, one of many factors leading to British support of the Satchō Alliance
Satcho Alliance
The ', or Satchō Alliance was a military alliance between the feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū formed in 1866 to combine their efforts to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan....
during the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
of the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
the following year.