Sakai Incident

This was a clash with foreign soldiers that occurred during the Meiji Restoration. On February 15, 1868 (Keio 4), sailors from a French warship who had landed in Sakai and acted violently clashed with soldiers from the Tosa clan guarding the area, leaving 11 sailors dead or wounded. The new government, which had just made clear its policy of opening the country to the outside world and promoting friendship, accepted France's demands as they were and ordered 20 members of the Tosa clan, including Minoura Inokichi, to commit seppuku. On the 23rd, the seppuku was carried out at Myokoku-ji Temple in Sakai, but the captain of the French warship, who was present, became frightened and called it off with only 11 men present. The 11 men who committed suicide are buried at Hoju-in Temple (Higashi 3-chome, Yadoya-cho, Sakai City), located to the north.

[Kei Ikeda]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治維新期に起こった外国兵との衝突事件。1868年（慶応4）2月15日、堺に上陸し乱暴を働いたフランス軍艦水兵と、同地を警備していた土佐藩兵とが衝突し、水兵11名を死傷させた。開国和親の方針を明らかにしたばかりの新政府は、フランスの要求をそのまま認め、箕浦猪之吉(みのうらいのきち)以下20名の土佐藩関係者に切腹を命ずることとなった。23日、堺の妙国寺にて切腹が行われたが、立ち会ったフランス軍艦艦長が恐ろしくなって、11名で中止させた。なお自刃した11名は、北隣の宝珠院（堺市宿屋町東三丁）に葬られている。

［池田敬正］

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