British Embassy Arson Incident

In December 1862 (Bunkyu 2), pro-imperial and anti-foreign patriots from the Choshu domain carried out an expulsion of foreigners incident. This incident is also called the Gotenyama incident. In October 1862, imperial envoys Sanjo Sanetomi and Anegakoji Kintomo went to Edo to urge the shogunate to carry out the expulsion of foreigners. The shogunate approved the expulsion, but at the same time began construction of foreign embassies in the scenic Gotenyama area of ​​Shinagawa. At the time, radical patriots from various domains who were rebelling against the shogunate were starting one expulsion of foreigners incident after another. In the Choshu domain, 12 extremist figures including Takasugi Shinsaku, Kusaka Genzui, Shido Monta (Inoue Kaoru), and Ito Shunsuke (Hirofumi) had failed in their expulsion plan in Yokohama in October of the same year and were under house arrest in their Edo domain residence. However, they organized the Ontatetai and, on the night of December 12, infiltrated the British Embassy, ​​set fire to gunpowder, and burned down the embassy before it was completed.

[Katsuo Inoue]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

1862年（文久2）12月長州藩尊王攘夷(そんのうじょうい)派志士らの攘夷実行事件。御殿山(ごてんやま)事件ともよぶ。1862年10月、勅使三条実美(さねとみ)、姉小路公知(あねがこうじきんとも)は幕府に攘夷の実行を督促するために江戸へ向かい、幕府は攘夷を承認したものの、一方では品川御殿山の景勝地に外国公使館建築を開始していた。当時、幕政に反抗する諸藩の激派志士らは次々と攘夷事件を起こしていた。長州藩でも、高杉晋作(しんさく)、久坂玄瑞(くさかげんずい)、志道聞多(しじもんた)（井上馨(かおる)）、伊藤俊輔(しゅんすけ)（博文(ひろぶみ)）ら激派12名は、同年10月、横浜における攘夷計画に失敗、江戸藩邸に謹慎中であったが、御楯隊(おんたてたい)を組織し、12月12日夜、イギリス公使館内に潜入し、火薬に火を放ち、竣工(しゅんこう)前の公使館を全焼させた。

［井上勝生］

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