A History of Japan: From Stone Age to Superpower (38 page)

Ch
sh
nationalists were especially fervent. One of their men, Yoshida Sh
in (1830–59), had unsuccessfully attempted to stow away on one of Perry’s ships in order to learn about the west and thereby strengthen Japan. Soon afterwards he was executed for plotting to assassinate a sh
gunal representative, becoming a martyr for the cause of
Sonn
J
i
.

In July 1863 and again in September 1864, angered at the sh
gunate’s inaction, Ch
sh
even began firing at foreign vessels in the Strait of Shimonoseki (adjacent to its domain). It suffered armed reprisals from British and American forces, losing many of its ships and having many of its military land bases destroyed. The sh
gunate decided it too needed to punish Ch
sh
, and sent punitive forces in 1865 and 1866. However, the regrouped Ch
sh
forces – now using peasant militia as well as samurai – successfully resisted these sh
gunal forces.