Chapter XXX: Kioto—Audience Of The Mikado¶

1On March 19 the whole legation crossed to Ozaka in H.M.S. "Adventure. 2I left my Japanese escort behind, as they would have been in the way at Kiôto, and probably, being Tokugawa retainers, in fear of their lives the whole time. 3Our party slept at the vice-consulate, and next day we rode up to Fushimi, escorted by Komatsu and a couple of Hizen officers, one of whom named Nakamuta was the commander of the "Eugénie," a steamer recently acquired by Nabéshima. 4The party on horseback consisted of Sir Harry, Lieutenant Bradshaw and myself, with the legation mounted escort. 5We went nearly the whole way at a foot's pace, the road being in fairly good condition, but the bridges at Yodo having been burnt during the recent fighting we had some difficulty in getting across the Kidzukawa, which falls into the river there. 6We got to Fushimi about six o'clock, and found comfortable quarters prepared for us in the guest rooms of a Buddhist monastery, where we were well looked after by some Hizen officers. 7The rest of our party, together with the infantry guard of the 2/ix, were to come up in boats, starting at three o'clock in the afternoon, and travelling through the night. 8They gradually reached Fushimi next morning, and we managed to make a start about ten o'clock. 9The first half of the way we were escorted by Hizen men, who were then joined by Owari troops, and here we were met by Gotô and our cheery little friend Nakai. 10The streets were crowded with spectators, who observed perfect order. 11Chi-on-in, a very fine Buddhist monastery at the foot of Higashi-yama, had been prepared for our accommodation, and guards were posted consisting of Higo, Awa and Owari troops. 12We found the Owari officials who were in charge to attend to our comforts very dilatory people, and as yet quite unacquainted with foreigners and their requirements. 13The apartments assigned to us were magnificently decorated, altogether in the style of a feudal noble's palace, 35714 such as we had seen at Tokushima the previous year. 15Shimadzu Osumi no Kami (father of the Prince of Satsuma) had occupied them for some time when he first visited Kiôto. 16As soon as we settled in, a grand feast of many dishes in Japanese style was served up to us, but of course we had brought our own cooks and utensils with us, for most of us were unaccustomed to Japanese food. 17Old Yôdô of Tosa, whom Willis had been attending, was reported to be out of danger and in a fair way of recovery.

18The 22^nd March was spent by the chief in making a round of visits. 19It took the Owari folk three hours to get us the necessary palanquins and bearers. 20We called first on Yamashina no Miya, who was very affable and jolly, his dirty beard shaved off, and his teeth dyed black in correct style; he was dressed in the costume called nôshi, and wore the tiny black lacquered hat as before. 21The conversation turned upon the delightfulness of the occasion which had brought the British Minister to Kiôto. 22Just after leaving the prince's residence we were stopped in the road to let Ninnaji no Miya pass. 23He was on horseback, a stoutish, swarthy, thick-lipped young man, with his hair just beginning to sprout; for until recently he had been in the Buddhist priesthood. 24Our next visit was to Sanjô, who had had his title of Dainagon just restored to him, a pale effeminate-looking undersized man of thirty-three years of age. 25He discoursed very formally on the happiness it gave to all the Court people to see foreign ministers in Kiôto. 26From there we went through the enclosure known as the Nine Gates, past the Imperial Palace. 27It was surrounded by a finely stuccoed wall four feet thick at the base, with gates like those of a Buddhist temple, very neatly thatched with small shingles. 28Iwakura, whom we called on next, had his temporary residence just inside and opposite the Kugé Mon gate on the west of the palace. 29He was a severe-looking oldish man, but frank in speech. 30He told the chief it was true that the Mikado and Court Nobles had hated foreigners hitherto, and talked of "barbarian-expelling" (jô-i), while the Bakufu was all for "opening the country. 31But now that was completely changed. 32They had specially to thank the English for having been the first to recognize the truth that the Mikado was the sovereign. 33Itô told me that after we had left the house Iwakura expressed to him a fear that he might have given offence by speaking too frankly about the former attitude of the Court towards foreigners. 3581 We then went to the Hizen yashiki, and saw the prince, a young good-looking man of about twenty-four years of age; he had been appointed to the department of Foreign Affairs, but we would not discover that he had any great aptitude for official work. 2Daté and Higashi-Kuzé luckily were not in when we called. 3We also visited the younger Chôshiû prince, Nagato no Kami, whom we easily recognized by his likeness to the photograph taken when Admiral King was in Chôshiû. 4At the other houses we had been accommodated with chairs, but here we had to squat on the floor in Japanese fashion, and when we rose to leave it was with difficulty that we could straighten our knee joints. 5We exchanged with him hearty expressions of goodwill and congratulations on our ancient friendship. 6On returning to Chi-on-in we found Daté and Gotô who had come to discuss the details of the audience that was to take place on the morrow. 7They expressed much anxiety lest the Mikado should find some difficulty in making his speech to the minister, as he had not up to the present ever spoken to any one but inmates of the Palace, and it was only ten days since he had first shown his face to a daimiô. 8So we finally arranged that His Majesty's speech should be written down, that he should try to repeat it, and then hand the copy to Yamashina no Miya, who would read it out, and hand it to Itô for translation. 9The document was finally to remain in Sir Harry's possession. 10Then the latter would reply direct to the Mikado through Itô acting as interpreter. 11The only member of the legation staff to be admitted to the audience was Mitford, as he alone had been presented at court in England. 12He was to be introduced by Yamashina no Miya, and the Mikado would salute him with the word kurô, which might be freely rendered by "Glad to see you. 13The Shishinden where the audience was to take place was, they told us, a large hall 28 yards deep by 36 in length, with a floor of planking, with a dais and a canopy for the Mikado, and another dais, rather lower, specially arranged for the ministers. Daimiôs who were received in audience had, we were assured, to kneel on the bare planks. 14The three foreign representatives, Roches, Sir Harry and Polsbroek were to assemble in one room, and be thence conducted into the presence of the Mikado.

2It was arranged that we should start from Chi-on-in for the palace at one o'clock on March 23. 3The procession was to be headed by the mounted escort, led by Inspector Peacock and Nakai, then Sir Harry and Gotô, myself and Lieutenant Bradshaw, the detachment of the 2/ix, followed by Willis, J. J. Enslie, Mitford in a palanquin (being unable to ride) and five naval officers who had come up with us. 4We descended the whole length of the street called Nawaté opposite to the main gate of Chi-on-in, but just as the last file of the mounted escort turned the corner to the right, a couple of men sprang out from opposite sides of the street, drew their swords, and attacked the men and horses, running down the line and hacking wildly. 5Nakai observing what was passing jumped down from his pony and engaged the fellow on the right, with whom he had a pretty tough fight. 6In the struggle his feet got entangled in his long loose trousers, and he fell on his back. 7His enemy tried to cut off his head, but Nakai parried the blow, receiving only a scalp wound, and pierced the man's breast with the point of his sword at the same time. 8This sickened him, and as he was turning his back on Nakai he received a blow on the shoulder from Gotô's sword, which prostrated him on the ground, and Nakai jumping up hacked off his head. 9In the meanwhile the troopers on the left had turned, and some of them pursued the other villain, who rushed down the street from which Sir Harry and I had not yet emerged. 10I had only just arrived at a comprehension of what was taking place; my presence of mind had deserted me, and as he passed my sole idea of defence was to turn my pony's head round to ward off the blow aimed at me. 11It was a narrow escape, as I afterwards found, for the animal received a slight cut on the nose, and was also wounded on the shoulder an inch of two in front of my knee. 12As soon as I recovered my equanimity I moved up to the head of the procession. 13There I saw Sir Harry Parkes, in his brilliant uniform of an Envoy and Minister calmly sitting on his horse in the middle of the cross-roads, with Inspector Peacock close by, also on horseback, and a crowd of Japanese spectators. 14The Japanese infantry, 300 men of Higo, who had led our procession had disappeared, as had also those who had originally brought up the rear. 15But our Japanese grooms stuck to us with the greatest cool pluck. 3601 Behind me was the infantry guard of the 2/ix, facing to the left. 2Upon them he hurled himself, cutting one man over the head and inflicting a severe wound, but here his career came to an end, for one of the soldiers put out his foot and tripped him up, and others drove their bayonets into him. 3Nevertheless he managed to get to the end of the line, where being stopped by Mitford's palanquin, he fled into the courtyard of a house, dropping his sword outside. 4Here he was found by Bradshaw, who discharged a pistol at his head, but the bullet struck the joint of the lower jaw, and did not penetrate the bone. 5On this he fell down in the yard, and became nearly insensible. 6Our wounded were too numerous to admit of our proceeding to court. 7Nine of our escort were wounded, and one of the 2/ix guard, besides Nakai and Sir Harry's Japanese groom. 8We therefore procured bearers for the palanquins which had been abandoned by their frightened porters, and returned to our quarters without any further mishap. 9When the wounds were examined it was found that none were in a vital part, though there had been much loss of blood. 10A cut into the knee of one man, and the almost complete severance of the wrist of another were the worst cases. 11It was a great piece of good fortune that we had such an experienced surgeon as Willis with us. 12The captured assailant appeared to be a Buddhist priest, at least his head was shaven. 13Assisted by a retainer of Sanjô's we examined him. 14He expressed great penitence, and asked that his head might be cut off and exposed publicly to inform the Japanese nation of his crime. 15His wounds were attended to by Willis, and he was carefully deposited in the guard-room. 16Nakai brought the head of the other man back with him, and kept it by his side in a bucket as a trophy; it was a ghastly sight; on the left side of the skull a terrible triangular wound exposed the brain, and there was a cut on the right jaw which apparently had been dealt by the sword of one of the escort.

17My diary contains no further entry until the middle of May, and letters I wrote to my parents narrating the incidents which befel us at Kiôto have not been preserved. 18A very full account of this affair, written by Mitford to his father, was communicated to the "Times," and the despatch of March 25 in which the chief reported the whole affair was included in a volume of "confidential print" and has not been published. 19See also "Memories" by Lord Redesdale, ii. 449. 20A briefer narrative based on official documents is to be found 3611 in vol. II of "The History of Japan" by F. O. Adams. 2As long as we remained at Kiôto I was so busy with interpreting between the chief and Japanese high functionaries and in translating documents that my journal had to be neglected, and my memory of what occurred over fifty years ago, left unrecorded at the time, is scarcely full enough to afford material for completing this chapter unaided.

3It will readily be comprehended that this fanatical attack on the British Minister, who had proved himself a cordial friend of the imperialist party, caused a feeling of utmost consternation at the Court as soon as the news was received there about four o'clock in the afternoon. 4The French Minister and the Dutch Political Agent had punctually reached the Palace, where they were kept waiting for the arrival of their colleague. 5As he failed to make his appearance their reception was hurried through, and on leaving the audience chamber they received the notes Sir Harry had sent off informing them of what had happened. 6About six o'clock in the evening there came to him straight from the court Tokudaiji, Echizen Saishô, Higashi-Kuzé, Daté and the Prince of Hizen to express the deep regret of the Mikado. 7The minister replied that he would leave the matter in the hands of the Mikado's government. 8He considered that a graver outrage had been committed upon the Mikado than upon himself, and he felt assured that the government would know how to vindicate the honour of their sovereign. 9They manifested a degree of feeling and concern which showed that remonstrance from him was not needed to make them sensible of the gravity of the offence. 10They reproached themselves for not having taken better precautions for his safety, and deplored the disgrace attaching to themselves for an outrage committed on a foreign representative specially invited by the Mikado to Kiôto. 11He added that of course their apologies would take a written form, but he recurred to arguments he had previously addressed to various members of the government as to the necessity of an enactment which should attach the penalty of an ignominious death to all samurai who committed murderous attacks on foreigners instead of allowing them to die with credit by their own hand; as in the case of the eleven men who were executed for the murder of the French seamen at Sakai. 12He urged also that the Mikado's government should make known by public proclamation that His Majesty really desired to cultivate friendly relations with 3621 foreign powers. 2It was their duty to eradicate the spirit of hostility towards foreigners to which so many had fallen victims, and which was fostered by the erroneous idea entertained by a certain class that in attacking foreigners they were doing the Mikado good service. 3Accordingly the written apology was delivered next day, together with a copy of the sentence depriving the prisoner of his rank as samurai, and passing a sentence of decapitation on him. 4Sanjô, Iwakura, Tokudaiji, Higashi-Kuzé and other ministers called to offer their regrets, and promised that the proclamation should be posted on the public notice-boards which were a feature in every town and village. 5They offered also in case any of our wounded should die, or be deprived of their livelihood by inability to perform their duties, to provide suitable compensation.

6This affair having been satisfactorily disposed of, the chief agreed to have an audience of the Mikado, which took place on March 26^th. 7Of course we were not able to make such a show as on the 23^rd, since most of the mounted escort were incapacitated by the severity of their wounds. 8On the other hand extraordinary precautions were taken for the security of the party in passing along the streets. 9As had previously been arranged, of the legation staff only Mitford was presented. 10The minister and he ascended the Shishinden by steps at the north end, entered by the door on the south, and issuing from it after the audience descended by steps at the south end. 11Those of us, like Willis and myself, and the other members of our party walked through the courtyard past the hall of audience, and rejoined them as they came down again. 12The Mikado was the first to speak, and his speech ran as follows:—

14The foreign representatives left Kiôto the following day. 15Saegusa Shigéru, the captive of our bow and spear on the 23^rd, was executed that morning. 16Three supposed accomplices before the fact were sentenced to perpetual exile, but we were never convinced of their guilt. 17If it had been proved against them they ought to have suffered the same penalty, but the chief did not care to press the point.

18It was Sir Harry's wish that I should remain at Ozaka to keep up communication with the court, but I persuaded him to leave Mitford there for the purpose. 19Two motives actuated me. 20I wished to get back to my newly acquired house at Yedo, and Mitford knew much more than I did about English parliamentary institutions, which was a subject in which the leaders of the samurai class at Kiôto, and especially Gotô Shôjirô, were greatly interested. 21For their hope was to base the new government of Japan on a representative system.