Political change on August 18 After that, the Choshu and Satsuma domains had a bad relationship with each other, but at the same time, the clan theory was turned to the debate.
At that time, the Choshu clan was in danger of surviving before the two shogunate subjugation orders, and the Satsuma clan was struggling with breakthroughs due to the failure of its own shogunate reforms.
Also, each other Satsuei War And Shikoku Fleet Shimonoseki bombardment After experiencing wars with other countries, [ Joi It may have been rather inevitable that the two feudal lords, who realized the impossibility and the need for modernization of Japan more than anywhere else, joined hands.
Conclusion of the Sat-Chō Alliance
The chief of the Satsuma was instrumental in joining hands with a modern trading company that handles trade and shipping under the care of the Satsuma Domain [ Kameyama Shrine . ] Was established Ryoma Sakamoto was. The Sat-Chō Alliance , which was said to be impossible, was said to be impossible in this Kameyama company. Will lead to the realization of.
At that time, the Choshu clan, which was regarded as a risk factor by the shogunate, was banned from arms trade and was a major obstacle to the modernization of the clan. So Ryoma procured a large amount of weapons from a British merchant under the name of the Satsuma Domain and resold them to the Choshu Domain. Instead, the rice that was lacking in the Satsuma domain is turned from the Choshu domain By doing so, the problems of both clan were solved at the same time.
Because of this, the Sat-Chō and the two feudal lords approach each other quickly.
1866 There is also Ryoma's persuasion in Sat-Chō Alliance Is established Then, the Satsuma domain will not participate in the second Choshu subjugation . Take.
In June 1866, the second Choshu subjugation began without the participation of the Satsuma Domain, and the 14th Shogun Iemochi himself went to Osaka Castle to take command of the site. However, the shogunate's subjugation army repeatedly lost the war to the modernized Choshu army, and the defeat of the shogunate army became decisive when Kokura Castle of the shogunate fell.
With the defeat of the shogunate, the authority of the shogunate is lost to the bottom of the abyss. In addition, the soaring rice prices caused by this war caused riots and destruction all over the country.
Ryoma Sakamoto and Kaientai
In the Tosa domain, where Ryoma departed, he highly evaluated Ryoma's ability to mediate the Satcho Alliance, and Goto Shojiro canceled the crime of defeating the domain in 1867, and at the same time, [ Kaientai strong> ], And we will welcome you as an institution of the Tosa domain.
Ryoma also recognizes Goto as a comrade and proposes a political policy for the establishment of a new government.
The content is Taisei Hokan Beginning with establishment of bicameral parliament, reform of government system, revision of unequal treaty, establishment of constitution, establishment of navy, establishment of direct control of government, correction of gold and silver rates Eight items have been included. Since this proposal was made on board a ship that went up from Nagasaki with Goto, [ Senchū Hassaku ] Is called.
Later, when Goto embodied it as a Kogi Seitai theory, it was revised to a major compromise in consideration of the times, but Ryoma's ideal was inherited by the Meiji and Taisho eras and became the cornerstone of Japan's modernization. rice field.
Goto convinces the former feudal lord, Toyonobu Yamauchi, to control the Satsuma domain, which is aiming for a complete defeat by force, and recommends Ryoma's proposal to Tokugawa Yoshinobu as the domain theory of the Tosa domain. Then, on October 14, 1867, the above table of the Taisei Hokan was finally submitted to the imperial court.
Assassination of Ryoma Sakamoto
However, it impresses that Ryoma's series of actions is an obstacle for both the Samurai faction and the debate faction. And Ryoma is Shintaro Nakaoka At the same time, someone will be assassinated while staying at Omiya in Kyoto.
The truth about the assassination of Ryoma Sakamoto, the greatest mystery of this era, has not yet been clarified.
The current prevailing theory is the assassination theory by the Kyoto patrol group, which was cracking down on rebels as well as the Shinsengumi. For this, it seems that a former soldier confessed that he had done it since the Meiji era. However, there are many different theories, and there seems to be a theory that the Satsuma Domain and the Tosa Domain, who lost the opportunity to defeat the armed forces due to the Taisei Hokan, are the true criminals.
In addition, there are various speculations such as the murder theory of Goto Shojiro who tries to monopolize the credit and the Freemasonry mastermind theory which expected the munitions profit from the expansion of the war.
Ryoma Sakamoto, who was a key man at the turning point of the Meiji Restoration, died without seeing the result, but it is important in Japanese history that his role played an indirect cause of preserving national power. It can be said that it is a turning point.