Organization of the Defense of the Ezo Republic by French Officer Jules Brunet During the Boshin Civil War (1868–1869)

Abstract

During the Bakumatsu period (1853–1867), under pressure from Western countries, the Tokugawa shogunate was forced to end Japan’s policy of selfisolation and conclude unequal treaties with a number of Western powers. This caused deep discontent in the country, affecting various segments of the population. In the context of the political crisis, the shogunate launched a series of reforms aimed at strengthening its power, including military power. Great Britain secretly supported the opposition forces in the south of the country, and France made a bet on the shogunate, expressing its readiness to support its reforms. As a result, in January 1867, a French military mission consisting of 15 people arrived in the Japanese port of Yokohama, commanded by Captain Charles Chanoine, who had previously led French troops in China during the Second Opium War (1856–1860). The purpose of the mission was to modernize the obsolete military system of the Tokugawa shogunate. However, the recommendations of the French military advisers were not fully realized, because, after the outbreak of the civil war in January 1868 and the defeat of the supporters of the shogun, Emperor Meiji ordered the mission to leave Japan in October. A number of members of the mission, who did not obey this order, led by Jules Brunet, along with supporters of the shogunate, took part in the creation of the Republic of Ezo (1868–1869) on the island of Hokkaido.

Keywords

• jules brunet
• “the last samurai”
• boshin war
• ezo republic
• french military mission
• bakumatsu