The Rise of Imperial Japan - Part One. By Kevin Jones
During the late 16th Century
Japan had been involved in
widespread internecine warfare
known as the Age of the Warring
States. Those wars were fought
between rival Daimyos (lords) and
their clans, each seeking to obtain
greater wealth, territory and
influence while protecting their
own lands from conquest.
By the late 16th Century, several of the
Daimyos, known as the Unifiers, believed
that it would be possible to unite Japan
under a single leader. Following the death
of Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1598, however,
power transferred into the hands of five
regents. Of them, Tokugawa Ieyasu
became the first Daimyo to effectively
rule Japan as a single country after his
victory at the Battle of Sekigahara in
October 1600 (See WI278). The Emperor
appointed Tokugawa as the new Shogun
in 1603. The Tokugawa Shogunate signed
a formal non-aggression treaty with
Korea in 1609 that also saw their first
trade agreement. Finally, the defeat of
Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s son Hideyori in
1615 removed the final obstacle to the
Tokugawa’s 250 year rule of Japan.
Up until the end of the 16th Century
Japan’s naval tradition was mainly
formed around piracy, these pirates,
known as the Wako, had been operating
from the northern shores of Japan in
Asian waters from the 13th to 16th
Centuries. However, Wako activity
was efficiently curbed in the late 16th
Century by Hideyoshi and the successful
campaigns on the Chinese coast by
the Ming Dynasty. Not coincidentally,
Japan expanded its trading links with its
Asian partners during the 15th and 16th
Centuries. Hideyoshi achieved this by
issuing Red Seal permits to his favourite
Daimyos and principal merchants and
guaranteeing the protection of their ships,
vowing to pursue any pirate or nation in
violation of his new system. In addition,
Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a ban on
Wako piracy in 1588, but accepted the
pirates as vassals.
When Europeans arrived in the Pacific
Ocean, they regularly encountered
Japanese ships that operated under the
This article forms the first of a trilogy
of pieces on The Rise of Imperial
Japan, in which Kevin Jones explores
the history and wargaming positional
of late 19th Century Japan. In
forthcoming issues we will be taking
a look at the Boshin War and The
Satsuma Rebellion (remember Tom
Cruise’s Last Samurai movie?) conflicts that effectively saw the end
of the samurai class, and the rise of
Imperial Japan.
In this issue we examine the clash
between East and West following
the Emperor’s “edict to expel
all barbarians”.
Red Seal. They discovered that even
though the Red Seal ships were often
bigger (with the notable exception of
Portuguese carracks) the European
ships were better armed. The European
captains and Asian rulers protected
Japanese Red Seal ships since they
wanted to maintain diplomatic relations
with the Japanese Shogun. Only Ming
China had nothing to do with this practise
because the Ming Empire officially
Above: 28mm Wako pirates by
Cavalcade Wargames.
Honshu
prohibited Japanese ships from entering
any Chinese ports.
Japan built her first large ocean-going
warships at the beginning of the 17th
Century, following contacts with
European nations. However, in 1640,
Japan chose seclusion, which forbade
contacts with the West. They also tried to
eradicate Christianity and prohibited the
construction of ocean-going ships on pain
of death. While these measures ensured
that the Shogunate remained in power,
the country failed to develop socially,
economically, politically, or militarily
over the next 230 years.
The Western
Powers Arrive
On 8 July 1853, US Naval Commodore
Matthew Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay
on the flagship Susquehanna and in the
company of four other warships with
the aim of negotiating the re-opening of
Japanese ports to foreign trade. Perry
brought a letter from President Millard
Fillmore for the Emperor of Japan. The
letter suggested that a period of five to
ten years be allowed to test relations.
Perry also wanted to establish a coaling
base and legal protection for
shipwrecked American
whaler sailors. The Japanese
were so overawed when they
saw Perry’s fleet steam into
Tokyo Bay that they first
assumed that the two steamers
were actually on fire. The
news of Perry’s arrival threw
the Shogunate Government
into chaos but they allowed him
to deliver his letter. Perry then
informed the Japanese officials
that he would return in the
New Year, bringing with him
a bigger fleet to receive the
Emperor’s reply.
Shortly after Perry’s
departure, on 21 August,
four Russian warships under
the command of Admiral
Efimi Vasilievitch Putiatin
dropped anchor at Nagasaki.
Unlike Perry, Putiatin treated
Tokyo Bay
Yokohama
Shimonoseki
Strait
Nagasaki
Osaka
Kyushu
the visiting Japanese officials warmly.
Putiatin politely asked to remain in
Japanese waters to enable him to deliver
a message to the government in Tokyo.
The Grand Council agreed to the request,
but they dragged their feet to make sure
the Russians stayed at Nagasaki.
Commodore Perry returned on 13
February 1854 with a fleet of seven
vessels. They sailed past the forts
manning the entrance to Tokyo Bay
without waiting for permission, then
anchored at Kanagawa near Yokohama
despite government protests. At this
point the government realised that they
could not keep the aggressive Perry at
arm’s length as they had done with the
Russians. Perry was also well aware of
the Russians still waiting at Nagasaki and
he was not willing to accept any similar
obstructions. The American Commodore
allowed the Japanese to examine closely
all his ships, but his main purpose was
to enforce a trade treaty. His threat
of bringing even more ships brought
about Japanese capitulation, resulting
in the 1854 Convention of Kanagawa.
Following this success Britain secured
the Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty
that was signed on 14 October 1854. That
left the Russians.
Below: Toyotomi Hideyoshi and his
commanders. Artwork by Giuseppe Rava from
COMMAND 6, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, © Osprey
Publishing Ltd. www.ospreypublishing.com
Napoleonic
Wars
SAMURAI
1803-1815
1500-1900
Revere the Emperor and
expel the Barbarians!
Napoleonic Wars
1803-1815
Above: The first landing of troops under U.S.
Naval Commodore Matthew Perry.
Left: A comtemporary Japanese watercolour
of one of Perry’s steamships.
At the end of 1854, Putiatin returned,
arriving at Osaka in November. He again
asked politely to meet the Emperor
and deliver a message from the Czar.
The government asked him to anchor
off Shimoda, 60 miles from Tokyo
Bay then entered into negotiations.
However, on 23 December a massive
earthquake struck, seriously damaging
Putiatin’s ship, the Diana. The Russian
sent his men ashore to aid the Japanese
victims, so that when he asked for
permission to sail to a safe harbour to
effect repairs the grateful government
agreed. Unfortunately, the Diana sank
shortly afterwards in another storm. The
Russians spent the winter building two
new schooners, while also instructing
the Japanese in the modern methods
of shipbuilding. On 7 February 1855
Putiatin presented the salvaged guns
from the Diana to the government
and concluded a similar treaty to
the Americans, with one important
difference; the Russian treaty
granted extraterritorial privileges
for Russian citizens.
The Japanese Reaction
Although the treaties were good for
America and Russia, many Japanese
became quickly disaffected. Inflation
soon swept the country and the Japanese
felt disrespected by their European
guests. The powerful Samurai class,
who opposed the decision to deal with
the West, were now annoyed with the
weak and ineffective government. That
would soon turn to openly expressed
anger when the Americans, stung by
the concessions given to the Russians,
demanded equal treatment. Moreover,
the British, French, and Dutch got in on
the action, negotiating deals that along
with those given to Russian and America
became known as the Ansei Treaties, and
to the Japanese the Unequal Treaties.
All the major western powers now held
“most favoured nation” status in Japan.
The Shogunate’s problems with foreign
powers were mirrored by internal
difficulties. The 1850s was a decade
of weak leadership at a crucial turning
point in Japanese history. From that
weakness emerged two main factions,
the reformers and traditionalists. The
reformers accepted the need for change
and modernisation and wanted a strong
Japan to manage western influences. The
traditionalists wanted to continue the
Tokugawa line and manufactured a set
of purges, known as the Ansei purges,
resulting in the removal of over 100
officials from their posts. This turbulence
also brought the Imperial Court into the
political field, and some Daimyos sided
with the restoration of the Imperial Court
against the Shogunate. On 3 March
1860, a group of Samurai assassinated
the Shogun, forcing the government to
bring in limited reforms and work with
the Emperor to bring in changes. Neither
side stayed happy for long, however, and
unrest continued well into the 1860s.
Below: Woodblock from 1861 showing a sumo
wrestler at Yokohama following the
instructions of the Emperor (literally!) and
throwing a foreigner out of the country.
On 25 June 1862, the Emperor issued
an edict to expel all barbarians from
Japan, giving foreigners exactly one
year to leave. Although the Shogunate
acknowledged the order, they could
not enforce it. This inactivity by the
Shogunate became the opportunity that
the reformists, aided by the Imperial
Court, needed to openly oppose the
government. Not long afterwards, in
September 1862, Japan’s internal political
crises became of global concern when
men under the orders of the Satsuma
Daimyo, Shimazu Hisamitsu, attacked
a group of three British tourists near
Yokohama, killing two of them. This
became known as the Namamugi
Incident. The British demanded an
indemnity of £110,000 from the
Government and £25,000 from Satsuma:
the Government paid up, but Shimazu
refused. The result of the Namamugi
Incident, Shimazu’s refusal, added to the
subsequent actions of the Choshu clan,
led to a brief but violent war between the
two clans and the united western powers.
Gunboat Diplomacy
in Action
The Choshu clan followed the Emperor’s
edict and started to expel all foreigners
from their province before the June
1863 deadline. In addition to expulsions,
Above: 28mm Adake-Bume boat by Scheltrum Miniatures. Typical of the vessels built by
the Japanese in the 16th and 17th Centuries.
however, the Choshu Daimyo ordered
the bombardment of any western vessel
entering the 112 metre wide Shimonoseki
Strait, separating the islands of Kyushu
and Honshu. That made fighting
inevitable because the western navies
regularly used this strait as a shortcut to
the ports of Osaka and Tokyo.
The first attacks came immediately on the
expiration of the deadline when Choshu
ships attacked the American merchant
steamer SS Pembroke. The following day,
Choshu shore batteries inflicted damage
on the French steamer Kienchang. Both
ships escaped with little damage, but a
few days later the Dutch warship Medusa
came under attack and sustained several
casualties. Retaliation was not long in
coming, but it was an American vessel,
the USS Wyoming, that took the fight to
the Choshu. The Wyoming sailed into
the strait on 16 July and, ignoring the
ineffectual shore batteries, proceeded
to sink two Choshu ships and damage
another with only four men lost on her
side. The French quickly followed on
20 July when the Tancrede and Dupliex
bombarded the town of Shimonoseki and
a shore battery.
For their part, the British remained
intent on collecting the Satsuma
indemnity. On 15 August, Vice Admiral
Augustus Leopold Kuper led seven
warships towards the Satsuma capital of
Kagoshima. His powerful fleet consisted
of HMSs Euryalus, Pearl, Perseus,
Argus, Coquette, Racehorse, and Havoc,
mounting 109 guns between them. Kuper
seized three Satsuma merchant steam
boats to effect payment, but when the
Kagoshima shore batteries opened up, the
Admiral ordered them to be sacked and
sunk. The squadron then formed a line of
battle and steamed along the Kagoshima
port, firing shell and round shot at the
Satsuma defences and the town. Although
the Satsuma batteries continued to fire,
the British guns had a far further reach
than the old Satsuma guns and being
safely out of range they bombarded and
silenced the batteries, and damaged at
least 500 homes in the town. The damage
to the town could have been caused due
to the rolling of the ships in what was
now very foul weather. The shots were
originally aimed for the batteries, but
these passed over them and struck the
town. The British lost a total of 13 men
Following the above attacks, the western
powers entered into negotiations with
the Japanese authorities during early
1864. The aim of the talks was to allow
western shipping to use the Shimonoseki
Straits and thereby allow trade to be
conducted in accordance with the various
treaties. Despite ongoing negotiations and
threats of action by the western powers,
however, the Choshu clan continued
to fire on western shipping using the
straits. On 29 August, Admiral Kuper led
a multi-national force from Yokohama
Harbour. The fleet consisted of ten British
vessels, HMS Euryalus, Conqueror,
Leopard, Tartar, Barrosa, Perseus,
Argus, the gunboats Coquette and
STRAITS OF SHIMONOSEKI
5 - 8 SEPTEMBER 1864
Shimonoseki
8
Sept
7
Sept
Samurai
Barracks
6
Sept
5
Sept
N
Toyoura
Tanoura
KEY
Shore Batteries
Advanced
Squadron
Main
Squadron
Light
Squadron
Bouncer, and the collier Pembrokeshire,
together with three French vessels, the
Semiramis, Dupleix, and Tancrede; four
Dutch vessels, the corvettes Medusa,
Metalen Kruis and Djambi, and the
paddle sloop Amsterdam; and a token
American vessel the Takiang, a chartered
steamer with a single gun.
Kuper’s fleet arrived off Himesima
Island on 4 September and by the
following day had deployed into their
allocated positions in three squadrons.
The Main Squadron consisted of the
Euryalus, Semiramis and the Conqueror
with a battalion of marines onboard. The
Tartar, Dupleix, Metalen Kruis, Barrosa,
Djambi and the Leopard made up the
Advanced Squadron. That left the Light
Squadron, consisting of the Perseus,
Medusa, Tancrede, Coquette, Bouncer,
Argus, Amsterdam, Takiang and the
Pembrokeshire.
The attack started in the early afternoon
when the Advance Squadron moved
into the left hand side of the bay off the
village of Tanoura and opened fire on
several batteries below the heights of
Toyoura. They were joined by the Main
Squadron ships occupying the centre.
They also opened fire on the Toyoura
batteries. The Light Squadron entered
the fray on the right-hand side of the
bay, and therefore closest to the enemy.
By 16:30 the combined fleet had silenced
the fire from at least two of the batteries
and an hour later they had silenced
three additional forts. During the early
evening several shore parties were
sent in to spike the remaining guns,
which they did without suffering
any casualties.
The action continued the next day when
at daylight the Choshu guns opened fire
on the Tartar and Dupleix of the Advance
Squadron, causing some minor damage.
The Advance Squadron returned fire and
soon silenced the battery.
The operation then shifted to landing
the battalion of 600 marines under the
command of Colonel William Grigor
Suther RM from HMS Conqueror,
together with 900 seamen of the Naval
Brigade from Euryalus and Conqueror
under the command of Captain John
Hobhouse Inglis Alexander RN, together
with Lieutenant Harington RN and
Midshipmen Duncan Boyes. The British
force was supplemented by 350 French
seamen and marines under the command
of Captain Du Quilis and Lieutenant
Layrle, and 200 Dutch under the
command of Lieutenant Binkis.
Left, Top: a map of the Straits of Shimonoseki
showing the lines of the Allied attacks.
Middle and Bottom: Western and Eastern
artwork depicting the attacks.
While this operation was ongoing,
Admiral Kuper opened negotiations with
the Choshu aboard the fleet’s flagship.
After two days of talks, the Choshu
formally apologised, agreeing not to erect
any further costal defences and to open
the straits to western shipping.
During the action the fleet had lost 12
killed and 60 wounded; most of those
were taken during the shore action on 6
September. It was during this action that
a total of three Victoria Crosses were
earned, one by Midshipman Duncan
Gordon Boyes of the Euryalus;
The attacks on
the Choshu Guns and
Shimonoseki Barracks
The infantry force went ashore under
orders to capture the batteries north of
Toyoura. The attack was a great success
with the party meeting only limited
opposition: the batteries were rendered
unusable; the guns spiked; gun carriages
and platforms burnt; and the magazines
destroyed. With everything seemingly
accomplished, the force was ordered
to embark before nightfall. The French
and Dutch companies had just embarked
on-board their vessels, when the Naval
Brigade stationed at a battery near the
Shimonoseki samurai barracks was
attacked by Choshu Samurai.
Colonel Suther’s battalion of marines
were sent in to drive the enemy back,
which was achieved with ineffective
resistance on the part of the Japanese.
The marines also went on to capture a
nearby stockade barracks. The joint force
was then recalled and successfully reembarked on the fleet, although Captain
Alexander had been seriously wounded in
the attack.
The following day shore parties were given
orders to start to embark the captured guns
from eight batteries. During the afternoon
the Advanced Squadron moved north, west
of Moji Saki point to prepare for further
attacks on other Choshu emplacements.
The Squadron opened fire on the morning
of 8 September and quickly silenced the
guns. Parties were then sent ashore with
orders to destroy the emplacements and
embark the captured guns. The operation
to embark the guns took several days, but
by 10 September it was completed with a
total haul of 62 guns.
“who carried a colour with the leading
company, kept it with headlong gallantry
in advance of all, in face of the thickest
fire, his colour-sergeants having fallen,
one mortally and the other dangerously
wounded, and was only detained from
proceeding further yet by the orders of
his superior officer. The colour he carried
was six times pierced by musket balls.”
The other VCs went to Thomas Pride,
captain of the afterguard, who until he
fell disabled had supported Boyes; and
William Seeley, an American seaman who
daringly ascertained the position of the
enemy, and afterwards, though wounded,
continued in the front of the advance.
The operations in the Shimonoseki Strait
were a complete success for the western
powers, the allies losing only 72 killed
and two ships damaged. Needless to say,
defeat had a more sobering effect on the
Japanese, but they would quickly learn
from their mistakes.
Below: The war in Japan: The Naval Brigade and Marines storming the stockade at Shimonoseki.
Illustration from The Illustrated London News 1864.
Napoleonic Wars
1803-1815
including the Flag Captain, Captain John
Josling and the First Officer, Commander
Edward Wilmot of HMS Euryalus with
another 39 wounded. After the battle the
Satsuma agreed to pay the indemnity to
the British.
This scenario is based on the land action
at Shimonoseki on 6 September 1862,
which is covered on the previous page.
Following a successful operation in which
a landing party of French, Dutch and
British troops had put ashore and captured
a Japanese gun battery near Toyoura, some
British sailors where in the process of
spiking and dismantling the enemy’s guns
when they were set upon by a force of
Choshu Samurai who had ridden out from
a nearby barracks/stockade in an attempt
to drive off the barbarians.
OBJECTIVES, SETUP AND
ADDITIONAL RULES
Choshu
The Choshu samurai player’s task is to
use his mounted warriors to launch an all
out assault against the British and drive
them off the table, or into the sea.
The game starts with the Samurai (who
move first) being placed on the table
within charge range of either or both of
the two batteries or the Naval Brigade,
whichever is the closer.
British
The British player force consists of a
group of sailors who are in the process
of dismantling the enemy’s two shore
batteries and a Naval Brigade who are
stationed in support (just in case any
Choshu should attack!)
uniforms
The RMLI wore a white cap with an
attached plain white neck cloth. This was
the same hat that was being worn by the
East India Company and the British forces
in India at the time, when they were not
wearing the pith helmet.
Under the Amendments to Naval Regulations
in 1857 the uniforms were as follows:
Seamen
Blue Cloth Jacket: To be made of Navy
Blue Cloth, double breasted, with stand
and fall collar, sleeves sufficiently large
to go easily over a Duck and Serge Frock,
to reach to the hip, with an opening at the
Cuffs on the seam, with two small black
buttons, one inside breast pocket on the
left side.
Blue Trowsers, with white metal dead-eye
buttons on them.
Hat: To be black or white, according to
climate. The hat to be 4'' high in the crown, 3''
wide in the rim, and seven inches across the
crown, and made of Sennet [Straw], covered
with brown Holland painted black, with a hat
ribbon bearing the ship’s name; and in warm
climates the same hat uncovered. A chin-stay
to be attached to the hat.
Royal Marine Light Infantry
Blue Cloth Trowsers: To be made of Navy
Blue Cloth, of the ordinary Naval Pattern,
fitting tight at the waistband, with two
pockets and a broad flap, and black uniform
buttons, identical to those on the jacket.
Tunic, Scarlet Cloak.-Eight buttons up front
at equal distances, skirts closed behind,
with back slashes edged with white, each
having three large uniform buttons. Collar
and cuffs of blue cloth, collar rounded in
front, and having a row, of 5/8'' gold-wire
lace at top under white edging. Colonels to
wear for collar badges, embroidered crowns
and stars; Lieutenant-Colonels crowns;
Majors, stars; Captains crowns and stars;
Lieutenants, crowns.
Duck Trowsers: To be made of white
Duck cloth, in a similar manner to the
Trowsers, Undress, Winter. - Blue cloth with
scarlet welt, ¼'' wide, down each seam.
Figures
Having extensively looked for figures for this
period, there seems to be no manufacturer
that produces British wearing the white cap
and neck cloth. The figures for the Royal
Marines that were in India during the Indian
Mutiny are modelled wearing a pith helmet.
Likewise the figures for the Naval Brigade
are modelled with the seamen wearing their
Sennet hats and not the bonnets as depicted
in the Illustrated London News drawing. I did
find one manufacturer that produced some
East India Company/British Battalion in
28mm wearing the white cap, but they were
also wearing the loose white trousers that
were used in India.
However, several manufacturers do figures
of the Boxer Rebellion at the turn of the 20th
Century. Therefore I have used the Royal
Marine figures wearing a forage cap and for
the Naval Brigade I have used French sailors
(who had the same square rig uniform as
shown in the drawing). These figures just
needed some remodelling with the hatband
tails being removed from the caps.
The Naval Brigade must be deployed no
more than half a move away from the
guns/sailors. The British player deploys
his force on the table first.
Not far away a unit of Royal Marines
(RMLI) have been destroying another
Choshu shore battery and they may return
at any moment, or at least any turn.
For the RMLI to enter the game throw
1D6 each turn - a 6 rolled in the first turn
means they have arrived on the scene, a 5
or 6 in the second, a 4, 5 or 6 in the third,
and so on.
The RMLI enters the table on the western
road approaching the first shore battery.
The two shore batteries should be placed
more than 12 inches apart, so that one
of the shore parties will be ‘Out of
Command’, unless the player uses Capt
Alexander RN (the Naval C-in-C) to be
their command element.
Only Col Suther RM can rally any RMLI
routers and only Capt Alexander RN can
rally any Royal Naval routers.
The British player’s objective is to drive
off the Samurai.
Above: The photo above shows figures from the author’s 15mm collection in action during the attack on the Chosha barracks. On the previous page
are three photos showing scenes from the ‘Attack on the Chosha Guns’ scenario.
AFTERMATH
Following this action the RMLI and Naval
Brigade went on to attack the nearby
barracks/stockade. This action would also
make for an interesting wargame.
.net
Check out the WI website to find
Orders of Battle for this scenario
for the Volley and Bayonet rule set.
Napoleonic Wars
1803-1815
wargaming The Battle for
the CHOSHU Guns