Satchō Alliance

The nihongo|Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance|薩摩長州同盟|Satsuma-Chōshū dōmei, 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.

The name "Satchō" (薩長) is an abbreviation combining the names of the provinces Satsuma (present day Kagoshima prefecture) and Chōshū (present-day Yamaguchi prefecture), two of the strongest "tozama" anti-shogunate domains in Edo period Japan.

In the 1860s, Satsuma tended to take a moderate position towards maintenance of the status quo, whereas Chōshū had become the center of an uprising aimed at overthrowing the government. Through the mediation of Sakamoto Ryoma of Tosa Domain (present day Kochi Prefecture), Satsuma military leaders Saigō Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi were brought together with Katsura Kogorō (Kido Takayoshi) of Chōshū. Although the two domains were traditionally fierce enemies, their leaders agreed that the time was right for a change, and agreed in principle assist one another in the event that either was attacked by a third party. [Gordon, A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present, pp.57 ] Also, Chōshū desperately needed modern weapons, but had very limited contacts with the western powers. Satsuma, on the other hand, had developed a substantial arms trade with Great Britain via Thomas Glover, a Scottish merchant affiliated with Jardine Matheson. At the suggestion of Sakamoto, Saigo helped broker an agreement to supply Chōshū with the weapons it needed to fight the Tokugawa shogunate. [Ravina, The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori, pp.126]

Despite this assistance, there was still considerable distrust between the two domains. On 1866-01-22, the Shogunate demanded the retirement and confinement of Chōshū daimyō Mori Takachika and the reduction of domain revenues by 100,000 "koku". This enraged the Chōshū leadership, and led to a formal, six-point agreement with Satsuma. The scope of the agreement was fairly limited. Satsuma agreed to assist Chōshū in obtaining a pardon from the Imperial Court. This is failed and the Shogunate attacked, Satsuma would send 2000 troops to Kyoto; however, Satsuma would engage the Shogunate in combat only if Kuwana, Aizu or Tokugawa Yoshinobu's personal guard attempted to block Satsuma's access to the Emperor. [Ravina, The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori, pp.127-8]

The Alliance was crucial in enabling Chōshū to withstand a punitive expedition mounted by the Tokugawa shogunate in the summer of 1866, which led to a stunning defeat for the Tokugawa armies. During the subsequent Boshin War of 1867-1868, the imperial armies which finally overthrew the Shogunate were primarily samurai from the Satchō alliance. With the establishment of the Meiji Restoration, men from these two domains dominated the new Meiji government into the 20th century. [Jansen, The Making of Modern Japan, pp 396]

References

*cite book
last = Gordon
first = Andrew
year = 2003
title = A Modern History of Japan: From Tokugawa Times to the Present
publisher = Oxford University Press
location =
id = ISBN 0195110617
*cite book
last = Jansen
first = Marius B.
year = 2000
title = The Making of Modern Japan
publisher = Belknap Press
location =
id = ISBN 0674009916
*cite book
last = Ravina
first = Mark
year = 2003
title = The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori
publisher = Whiley
location =
id = ISBN 0471089702

Notes