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The ''[[Tairo|Tairô]]'' [[Ii Naosuke]] was assassinated just outside the Sakuradamon (Sakurada Gate) of [[Edo castle]], by a group of eighteen men, on [[1860]]/3/3. The plot was organized and executed chiefly by ''[[ronin|rônin]]'' from [[Mito han]], possibly at the direction of the lord of Mito, [[Tokugawa Nariaki]], whose supporters had been pushed out of government by Naosuke in the [[Ansei Purges]]. The event is cited among those which led to the downfall of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] eight years later.
The ''[[Tairo|Tairô]]'' [[Ii Naosuke]] was assassinated just outside the Sakuradamon (Sakurada Gate) of [[Edo castle]], by a group of eighteen men, on [[1860]]/3/3. The plot was organized and executed chiefly by ''[[ronin|rônin]]'' from [[Mito han]], possibly at the direction of the lord of Mito, [[Tokugawa Nariaki]], whose supporters had been pushed out of government by Naosuke in the [[Ansei Purges]]. The event is cited among those which led to the downfall of the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] eight years later.
The attack took place in the early morning, at the [[Telling Time|Hour of the Dragon]]. Records from the time indicate that it had snowed heavily in the preceding hours. The perpetrators are traditionally given as the former Mito domain retainers (ronin) [[Seki Tetsunosuke]], [[Inada Juzo|Inada Jûzô]], [[Yamaguchi Tatsunosuke]], [[Koibuchi Kaname]], [[Hirooka Nenojiro|Hirooka Nenojirô]], [[Kurosawa Chuzaburo|Kurosawa Chûzaburô]], [[Sano Takenosuke]], [[Saito Kenmotsu|Saitô Kenmotsu]], [[Hasuda Ichigoro|Hasuda Ichigorô]], [[Mori Gorokuro|Mori Gorokurô]], [[Moriyama Shigenosuke]], [[Ozeki Washichiro|Ozeki Washichirô]], [[Kaigo Sakinosuke]], [[Sugiyama Yaichiro|Sugiyama Yaichirô]], [[Okabe Sanjuro|Okabe Sanjûrô]], [[Hiroki Matsunosuke]], and [[Mashiko Kinpachi]], along with former [[Kagoshima han]] retainer [[Arimura Jizaemon]]. They first met at or near [[Atago Shrine]] in the Shiba neighborhood of Edo. At the Hour of the Dragon then then attacked Naosuke's entourage on its way into the castle, just outside the Sakuradamon, eventually taking Naosuke's head.
A number of Naosuke's attendants, including [[Kada Kurota]], [[Kasai Chuzaemon|Kasai Chûzaemon]], [[Sawamura Gunroku]], and [[Nagata Tarobei|Nagata Tarôbei]], were also killed, while many others suffered injuries. Inada Jûzô also died in the fighting.
Once the attack was done, Yamaguchi Tatsunosuke and Koibuchi Kaname committed suicide at the riverbank at Yaesu, and Arimura Jizaemon and his son Jirô did the same at the Tatsunoguchi gate of the castle. Kurosawa Chûzaburô, Hasuda Ichigorô, Saitô Kenmotsu, and Sano Takenosuke turned themselves in at the mansion of [[Roju|Rôjû]] [[Wakisaka Yasuori]], and Ozeki Washichirô, Mori Gorokurô, Sugiyama Yaichirô, and Moriyama Shigenosuke turned themselves in at the [[Kumamoto Edo mansion|Kumamoto domain mansion]]. Seki Tetsunosuke, Okabe Sanjûrô, Hiroki Matsunosuke, Kaigo Sakinosuke, and Mashiko Kinpachi escaped to various locations and went into hiding. Sano Takenosuke died of his injuries later on the same day of the attack, and Saitô Kenmotsu several days later. Co-conspirators involved in the planning of the attack but not in the attack itself included [[Arimura Yusuke|Arimura Yûsuke]] (elder brother of Jizaemon), [[Kaneko Magojiro|Kaneko Magojirô]], and [[Sato Tetsusaburo|Satô Tetsusaburô]]; once they heard the attack was successful, these three fled Edo for [[Kyoto]].
Those who turned themselves in were all then held in the custody of Kumamoto domain for a time, before being split up and placed into the custody of [[Usuki han|Usuki]], [[Toyama han|Toyama]], [[Muramatsu han|Muramatsu]], [[Ichinoseki han|Ichinoseki]], and [[Zeze han|Zeze domains]]; though Hikone requested that they be turned over to Hikone authorities, the shogunate denied this request, and interrogated those in custody several times.
Naosuke's death was initially concealed, not announced, for some time at the orders of the shogunate, presumably in the hopes of avoiding further turmoil. The shogunate bestowed a number of gifts upon the Ii house, including [[sea bream]], Korean [[ginseng]], and [[sugar|rock candy]], in conjunction with official condolences.
A number of measures were put into place to increase security around the castle and the [[daimyo yashiki|daimyo mansions]], including cutting off general access to a number of the main gates to Edo castle (with shogunate high officials becoming the only ones allowed to enter those gates), and requiring Mito domain to inform the shogunate of any domain officials or retainers who enter the city.
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==References==
==References==
*Gallery labels, Edo-Tokyo Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11269412474/sizes/k/]
*Gallery labels, Edo-Tokyo Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/11269412474/sizes/k/]
*Ishin Shiryô Kôyô 維新史料綱要, vol 3 (1937), 275-281.
[[Category:Events and Incidents]]
[[Category:Events and Incidents]]
[[Category:Bakumatsu]]
[[Category:Bakumatsu]]