Exhibition

Tokugawa Yoshinobu, the last shogun of Japan, was born on September 29, 1837, at the Mito domain’s residence in Koishikawa, Edo. His father was Tokugawa Nariaki, the ninth lord of the Mito domain, and his mother was Princess Tomi, daughter of Prince Arisugawa Orihito. Yoshinobu always held deep respect and a sense of closeness toward the Imperial Family, a sentiment shaped in part by the Mito school’s reverence for the emperor.

Among Mito retainers, he was regarded as the one who could restore the Tokugawa house. Kido Takayoshi of the Chōshū domain once remarked, “The boldness and strategy of Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu must never be underestimated; he is truly like the reincarnation of Tōshōgū (Tokugawa Ieyasu).” His decisiveness and intellect were both admired and feared by many of the era’s activists.

Yet, the widow of Yoshinobu’s ninth son later reflected, “Lord Yoshinobu was a curious man—most of his life was shaped by others.” Those around him projected their ideals onto him, turning him into an icon of their own making.

Despite his turbulent life, Yoshinobu was meticulous—he kept a diary even during busy periods—and possessed an excellent memory.

This exhibition explores the true character of Tokugawa Yoshinobu, beyond the myths and expectations that surrounded him.

The first period will run from Thursday, 15th January to Sunday, 29th March and the second period will run from Tuesday, 31st March to Sunday, 10th May.

“190th Anniversary of Birth: Hijikata Toshizo and the Boshin War”

This year marks the milestone of 190 years since the birth of Shinsengumi vice-commander Hijikata Toshizo. In 1863, Toshizo joined the Shogunate’s Roshigumi with Kondo Isami and others and went to Kyoto, where he remained and formed the Mibu Roshigumi. This became the Shinsengumi. In the Ikedaya Incident of 1864, he led a separate unit to suppress the anti-Shogunate Roshi. In 1867, all members of the Shinsengumi were appointed as Shogunate retainers. In the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the first battle of the Boshin War, he led the Shinsengumi but was defeated.
However, he was killed in battle during the general attack on Hakodate. He was 35 years old and had a turbulent life.

Famous ukiyo-e prints include elegant portraits of beautiful women by artists such as Suzuki Harunobu and Kitagawa Utamaro, and landscape paintings such as The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido by Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige.
Among ukiyo-e prints, those that are crude, highly colorful, and loud, depicting periods from the mid-Edo period to the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration, as well as the Satsuma Rebellion, the Sino-Japanese War, and the Russo-Japanese War, are called nishiki-e.
Many nishiki-e prints were painted in later years, and are often exaggerated or different from historical fact, but they also serve as a mirror reflecting the historical context in which they were published.

On June 5th, 1864, the Shinsengumi arrested Kiemon Masuya, a merchant who had been acting suspiciously.
When Toshizo Hijikata, the deputy commander, tortured him in the storehouse of the Shinsengumi camp and Maekawa residence, he confessed that his real name was Shuntaro Furutaka, which led to the Ikedaya Incident.
On July 19th, a combined force of the Choshu forces and the feudal clans of the shogunate fought around the imperial palace, which was known as the Kinmon Incident.
We will bring out the “Ikedaya Incident” and “Kinmon Incident” from historical materials from the Shinsengumi and the patriots.
We also have a corner dedicated to Eiichi Shibusawa, whose portrait will be featured on the new 10,000 yen bill.　

　On June 3, 1853, four ships of Perry’s fleet arrived off the coast of Uraga. Perry’s objectives were to “open Japan to the outside world,” “protect American sailors in distress,” “secure a port for the supply of firewood, water, and food,” “obtain permission to establish a coal depot,” and “commerce (trade).
　Perry, through gunboat diplomacy, demanded that the Shogunate receive a letter of invitation from President Fillmore. The Bakufu acquiesced, received the letter at Kurihama, and agreed to a one-year reprieve.
　Perry left Japan, announcing that he would return the following year, but returned to Uraga on January 16, 1854.
　On February 10, Perry landed at Yokohama with his troops, and after four rounds of talks, the Treaty of Friendship between Japan and the U.S., which did not include trade, was concluded on March 3.
　Yoshida Shoin decided to stow away abroad, partly on the advice of his mentor Sakuma Shozan (Shozan).
　On March 27, Shoin rowed out in a small boat with his disciple Kaneko Shigenosuke and requested to board the Pohatan. Shoin pleaded with Commodore Perry to go to the U.S., but was unable to obtain Perry’s approval. He surrendered to the Shimoda Magistrate’s Office and was imprisoned in the Denmacho Prison.
　This exhibition presents about 35 historical documents to tell the true story of Perry’s arrival in Japan and Shouin’s life.

Kaishu Katsu was a shogunate vassal of the Kaimei school, and it is no exaggeration to say that the encounter between Kaishu and Ryoma changed the history of the end of the Edo period.
Ryoma was a Tosa samurai who had deserted his domain, but by becoming Kaishu’s disciple, he was able to meet top-notch people and engage in free-spirited activities.
On the other hand, Kaishu led the peace conference of the Second Shogunate’s War, the “Itsukushima Talks,” and the bloodless surrender of Edo Castle with success, leaving achievements comparable to those of Ryoma.
In this special exhibition, we will follow the footsteps of Kaishu and Ryoma.

 This year marks the 160th anniversary of the formation of the Shinsengumi.
In March 1863, when the 14th shogun, Iemochi Tokugawa, was scheduled to go to Kyoto, the shogunate sent roshi(masterless samurai) from Edo to Kyoto in advance to restore public order and protect the shogun. Those who remained in Kyoto became the “Kyoto Shugoshoku Mibu Roshigumi”, and was given the name “Shinsengumi” in recognition of their work in the “Coup of August 18”.
The Shinsengumi fought bravely in the “Ikedaya Incident”, “Kinmon Incident”, “Zenzaiya Incident”, “Sanjo Seisuda Incident”, “Abura Koji Incident”, “Tenmaya Disturbance”, and “Battle of Toba-Fushimi”. . this exhibition traces that history.

Bunkyu 3 (1863), 160 years ago, was a turbulent year.
“Uta Nagai, a senior vassal of the Choshu clan, was forced to commit seppuku.”,  “The shogun Iemochi Tokugawa enters Kyoto for the first time in 229 years.”,  “Hachiro Kiyokawa was assassinated.”, “formed Kiheitai”, “Anglo-Satsuma War”, “Tenchu-gumi attacks the magistrate’s office in Yamato Gojo (Tenchu-gumi Incident)”,  “Coup on August 18 and the downfall of the Seven Lords”,  “Serizawa Kamo was assassinated”, “Ikuno Incident”…
War, coup d’etat, and bloody incidents occurred frequently.
It is an exhibition that allows you to travel back in time to 160 years ago.

“Igosso” means “a man with grit and fortitude” in the Tosa dialect. The Tosa Kinnoto was formed in August of 1861 by Zuizan Takechi (Hanpeita) and Yataro Oishi at the residence of the Tosa domain in Edo. Takechi tried to convert Tosa’s theory of the domain, which had advocated the combination of the imperial court and the shogunate, into one of ‘one domain’s loyalty to the emperor’. After Takechi returned to Japan, Ryoma Sakamoto was the first to call for membership, and at its peak there were nearly 200 members. In this special exhibition, we will introduce the achievements of The Tosa Kinnoto and Tosa people who worked hard to overthrow the Shogunate.　

Shoin Yoshida insists that “Hiji-chomoku” is important. This means that “accurate information is necessary to take action, and we must be sensitive to distant things with our ears and eyes,” and it is also applicable to the modern information society.
In this special exhibition, we will display materials about Shoin Yoshida and his students, and approach the real image.

Kyoto was the capital for 1200 years from ancient times to the Middle Ages. However, in the Edo period, the political center moved to Edo, where the shogun was. And the economic center moved to Osaka, which is called “the kitchen of the world”.
At the end of the Edo period, Kyoto became a political center again. In this exhibition, we will unravel the history of the turmoil in Kyoto at the end of the Edo period.

In Kyoto, where both the supporters and opposers of the shogunate were active, valuable materials are always on display based on the idea of ​​understanding the history of the Bakumatsu Restoration from both perspectives.

■Konosuke Matsushita and Ryozen [newly displayed]
We will exhibit valuable materials related to the establishment of the Ryozen Museum and Konosuke Matsushita (Panasonic founder), the first director of the museum.

■ Boshin War Picture Scroll / Shinsengumi soldier List
All three volumes of the spectacular “Boshin War Record Picture Scroll” or three types of “Shinsengumi soldier List” will be exhibited alternately.

■ Permanent main exhibition on the 2nd floor
Zone exhibitions are mainly focused on Ryoma Sakamoto and Shinsengumi / Shogunate.

* On the 1st floor, “the Sword that killed Ryoma”, “Kondo Isami’s sword”, and “Hijikata Toshizo’s sword” are also exhibited, which is a representative collection of the museum.

Shibusawa Eiichi was a patriot in rich farmers.
However, Shibusawa served Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1864.
And Shibusawa became a shogun’s retainer when Yoshinobu became a general.
It was a big turn that a patriot of the anti-Shogunate became a shogun’s retainer.
Shibusawa became the subordinates of the military magistrate.
And he worked in Kyoto.
Shibusawa met Kondo Isami of Shinsengumi in 1866.
He arrested Osawa Genjiro with Hijikata Toshizo.
The arrest went well, and Shibusawa appreciated Kondo and Hijikata.
We display documents such as Tokugawa Yoshinobu and Kondo Isami ,Hijikata Toshizo,Kido Takayoshi,Saigou Takamori connected with Shibusawa.

Phase1 : Shibusawa Eiichi and Tokugawa Yoshinobu

Shibusawa Eiichi was engaged in 500 companies and establishment of 600 organizations. He is called “father of the modern Japanese capitalism”. In addition, he made an effort for social work.
Shibusawa was born as a child of the powerful farmer by The Bakumatsu Period.
He did fencing ascetic practices and became a patriot with a thought of “Nationalistic Imperialism”.
Shibusawa served Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1864. And Shibusawa became a shogun’s retainer when Yoshinobu took office as a general. In 1867, he became the member of the Shogunate mission and went to France. Shibusawa knew the capitalism in France and was shocked. He was going to change the country by commerce.
We display the documents such as Tokugawa Yoshinobu and Kondo Isami, Hijikata Toshizo, Kido Takayoshi, Saigo Takamori, who were related to Shibusawa.　

Sakamoto Ryoma formed Kameyama company to Nagasaki in 1865. The company traded for the settlement of Satsuma Domain and the Choshu Domain. Ryoma became a captain of Kaientai in 1867.
In 1863, a lordless samurai group of the Shogunate entered Kyoto. Part remained in Kyoto, and formed a new samurai group in Mibu. They were given the name of Shinsengumi by the Imperial Court for their work in the Coup of August 18.
They were very advanced groups. We display a document of Kaientai and Shinsengumi.

In June 1867, the Shinsengumi’s members were elevated to the status of direct vassals of the shogun. Soon thereafter the Bakufu collapsed and the Boshin War broke out. Yet the Shinsengumi remained loyal both to the Tokugawa clan and to Aizu Domain. Drawing primarily on the records of the Shinsengumi, this exhibition looks at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi and the Boshin War.

At the Bakumatsu period, Kyoto became a political center. In 1862 The Tokugawa Shogunate established “Kyoto Shugoshoku”, which means a guardian system in Kyoto. And the Shogunate appointed Matsudaira Katamori, the Lord of Aizu, to the position. Shinsengumi played an active part in the Ikedaya incident in 1864, and was promoted to the staff of the shogunate in 1867. In this exhibition, we will look at the history of the Tokugawa Shogunate seen from the Shogunate side, focusing on materials about the shogunate, Kyoto Shugoshoku, Shinsengumi, and the guard force in Kyoto.