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Ansei Purge

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Ansei Purge

Ansei Purge (安政の大獄, Ansei no taigoku) was a multi-year event in Japanese history of the Edo period. In 1858–1860, the Tokugawa shogunate got rid of those who did not support its foreign trade policies.

Contents

History

The Ansei Purge was ordered by Ii Naosuke on behalf of the bakufu.

The purge was carried out in an effort to quell opposition to trade treaties with the United States, Russia, Great Britain, France and the Netherlands.

Over 100 people were victims of the crackdown. Men were forced out of positions within the bakufu, or from han leadership or from the Imperial Court in Kyoto. They included

  • Date Munenari
  • Matsudaira Yoshinaga
  • Mito Nariaki
  • Shimazu Nariakira
  • Yamanouchi Toyoshige

    • Timeline

  • 1858 (Ansei 5): Beginning of the Ansei Purge
  • 1859 (Ansei 6): Arrests and investigations continuing.
  • March 24, 1860 (Ansei 7, 3rd day of the 3rd month): Ii Naosuke was assassinated at the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle. This is also known as the "Sakurada-mon Incident"

    • References

    Ansei Purge Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA