1866

Keiô 2 (慶応二年)

Timeline of 1866

• 1866/1/21 Saigô Takamori and Katsura Kogorô meet at the Satsuma han residence in Kyoto and lay the groundwork for the Sat-Chô Alliance. Sakamoto Ryôma and Komatsu Tatewaki serve as mediators.
• 1866/4/17 The Bakufu allows merchants and students to go overseas.
• 1866/5/13 Edo Treaty
• 1866/6
  • 6/7 The second Chôshû expedition.
  • 6 The farmers in Musashi province riot over the rising price of rice.(Bushû ikki)
• 1866/9 Harry Parkes demands Bakufu to build 8 lighthouses instead of compensation.
• 1866/10/26 A fire breaks out in the Miyozaki pleasure quarters of Yokohama and soon spreads to other parts of the city.(Butaya fire)
• 1866/10/30 The withdrawal of all shogunate and domain troops deployed for the Second Chôshû Expedition is completed.
• Keiô 2/12 (Jan, 1867) Fukuzawa Yukichi's "Seiyô Jijô" is published, and very quickly sells 150,000 copies.
• Keiô 2/12/5 (10 Jan, 1867) Tokugawa Yoshinobu becomes the 15th Tokugawa Shogun.

Other Events of 1866

• Nine Christian missionaries who entered Korea illegally are executed; in response, three French warships land troops, who make their way almost to Seoul before being turned back. The French seize a large collection of uigwe (royal records) and bring these back to France.
• King Gojong of Korea marries the daughter of Min Chirok, who then becomes known as Empress Myeongseong.
• The Korean Court orders the seizure and destruction of an American ship, the General Sherman; the US launches a punitive mission in 1871 which is repulsed.
• The Rover, an American ship, is shipwrecked in Taiwan and 14 of its crew are killed by Taiwanese aborigines; the Chinese government takes no action; a US warship is sent to determine the responsible parties but is unsuccessful.
• The Sat-Chô Alliance is formed between Satsuma and Chôshû domains.
• Eugene Van Reed, an American businessman already active in Japan, is named consul general to Japan from the Hawaiian Kingdom.
• The Yoshiwara burns down.
• Zhao Xin leads the last Chinese investiture mission to Ryûkyû, undertaken for the investiture of King Shô Tai.

Births and Deaths

• 1866/4/26 Matsumae Takahiro dies.
• 1866/8/11 Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi dies in Osaka castle.
• 1866/12/25 Emperor Kômei dies.
• Ichikawa Kodanji IV dies (b. 1812).
• Painter Kamisaka Sekka is born (d. 1942).
• Kume Keiichirô is born (d. 1934).
• Painter Kuroda Seiki is born (d. 1924).
• Philipp Franz von Siebold dies (b. 1796).
• Sun Yat-Sen is born (d. 1925).
• Painter Terasaki Kôgyô is born (d. 1919).

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1866

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