The '' was a short-lived state formed by former
Tokugawa retainers in what is now known as
HokkaidÅ, the northernmost, large but sparsely populated island in modern Japan.
After the defeat of the forces of the
Tokugawa Shogunate in the
Boshin War (
1868–
1869), a part of the
Shogun's navy led by Admiral
Enomoto Takeaki (1836–1908) fled to the northern island of
Ezo (now known as
HokkaidÅ), together with several thousand soldiers and a handful of
French military advisors and their leader,
Jules Brunet.
Establishment of the Republic
On
December 15,
1868 the independent "Republic of Ezo," based on the
American model, was set up, with Enomoto elected as its first ''
sosai''. This was the first
election ever held in Japan, where a feudal empire, military warlords, or shogunates were the norm. Through Hakodate Magistrate
Nagai Naoyuki, they tried to reach out to foreign legations present in Hakodate, such as the Americans,
French, and
Russians, but were unable to garner any international support for their new government.
The governmental hall of the Republic of Ezo, inside the fortress of
Goryokaku.
The Republic had its own flag, a
chrysanthemum on a sky-blue background (symbol of Imperial rule) and a red star with seven points (symbol of the new Republic). The financial wherewithal was provided in part by 180,000 gold ''ryo'' coins Enomoto retrieved from Osaka Castle following
Tokugawa Yoshinobu's departure in early 1868.
[1]
During winter they fortified the defences around the southern peninsula of
Hakodate, with the new fortress of
Goryokaku at the center. The troops were organized under a joint Franco-Japanese command, the commander-in-chief
Otori Keisuke being seconded by the French captain
Jules Brunet, and divided into four
brigades, each commanded by a French officer (
Fortant,
Marlin,
Cazeneuve, and
Bouffier). The brigades were themselves divided into eight half-brigades, each under Japanese command.
Brunet demanded - and received - a signed personal pledge of loyalty from all officers and insisted they assimilate French ideas. An anonymous French officer wrote that he had taken charge of everything, "...customs, municipality, fortifications, army; everything passed through his hands. The simple Japanese are puppets whom he manipulates with great skill..." [and that] "...he has carried out a veritable
1789 French Revolution in this brave new Japan; the election of leaders and the determination of rank by merit and not birth - these are fabulous things for this country, and he has been able to do things very well, considering the seriousness of the situation..."
[2]
Defeated by Imperial forces
Imperial troops soon consolidated their hold on mainland Japan, and in April 1869 dispatched a fleet and an infantry force of 7,000 to Ezo. The Imperial forces progressed swiftly and won the
Battle of Hakodate, until the fortress of
Goryokaku was surrounded with 800 remaining men. Enomoto decided to surrender on
May 17, turning the Goryokaku over to
Satsuma staff officer
Kuroda Kiyotaka on
May 18,
1869.
[3] Kuroda is said to have been deeply impressed by Enomoto's dedication in combat, and is remembered as the one who spared the latter's life from execution. As per the arrangements for the surrender, the Republic ceased to exist on
27 June 1869. On
August 15 of the same year, the island was given its present name, HokkaidÅ ("Northern Sea District").
[4]
Perspectives
While later history texts were to refer to May of 1869 as being when Enomoto accepted the Meiji Emperor's rule, the Imperial rule was never in question for the Ezo Republic, as is evidenced by part of Enomoto's message to the (the Imperial governing council) at the time of his arrival in Hakodate:
Thus from Enomoto's perspective, the efforts to establish a government in HokkaidÅ were not only for the sake of providing for the Tokugawa house on the one hand (burdened as it was with an enormous amount of redundant retainers and employees), but also as developing Ezo for the sake of defense for the rest of the country, something which had been a topic of concern for some time. Recent scholarship has noted that for centuries, Ezo was not considered a part of Japan the same way that the other "main" islands of modern Japan were, so the creation of the Ezo Republic, in a contemporary mindset, was not an act of secession, but rather of "bringing" the politico-social entity of "Japan" formally to Ezo.
[5]
Enomoto was sentenced to a brief prison sentence, but was freed in
1872 and accepted a post as a government official in the newly renamed
Hokkaido Land Agency. He later became ambassador to
Russia, and held several ministerial positions in the Meiji Government.
Notes
1. Onodera, EikÅ. ''Boshin Nanboku SensÅ to TÅhoku Seiken'', Sendai: Kita no Sha, 2004, p. 97
2. Richard Sims, ''French Policy towards the Bakufu and Meiji Japan 1854 - 1895, Richmond: Japan Library, 1998
3. Ibid, p. 196
4. Ibid.
5. Suzuki, Tessa Morris. ''Re-inventing Japan: Time, Space, Nation'', New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1998, p. 32
Suggested Reading
★ Ballard C.B., Vice-Admiral G.A. ''The Influence of the Sea on the Political History of Japan''. London: John Murray, 1921.
★ Black, John R. ''Young Japan: Yokohama and Yedo'', Vol. II. London: Trubner & Co., 1881.
★ Onodera EikÅ, ''Boshin Nanboku Senso to Tohoku Seiken''. Sendai: Kita no Sha, 2004.
★ Suzuki, Tessa Morris. ''Re-Inventing Japan: Time Space Nation''. New York: M.E. Sharpe, 1998.
★ Yamaguchi, Ken. ''Kinsé shiriaku A history of Japan, from the first visit of Commodore Perry in 1853 to the capture of Hakodate by the Mikado's forces in 1869.'' Trans. Sir Ernest Satow. Wilmington, Del., Scholarly Resources 1973
External Links
★
WorldStatesmen – Japan (incomplete)
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