Order to expel barbarians
1863 Japanese imperial edict
The order to expel barbarians (攘夷勅命 or 攘夷実行の勅命, jōi chokumei or jōi jikkō no chokumei) was an edict issued by the Japanese Emperor Kōmei in 1863 against the Westernization of Japan following the opening of the country by Commodore Matthew Perry in 1854.
The order
The edict was based on widespread anti-foreign and legitimist sentiment, called the "Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians" movement. Emperor Kōmei personally agreed with such sentiments, and – breaking with centuries of imperial tradition – began to take an active role in matters of state: as opportunities arose, he fulminated against the treaties and attempted to interfere in the shogunal succession. His efforts culminated on March 11, 1863, with his "Order to expel barbarians". A deadline for the expulsion was set two months later to May 11.
Consequences
The Tokugawa shogunate had no intention of enforcing the order, and the edict inspired attacks against the shogunate itself as well as against foreigners in Japan. The most famous incident was the firing on foreign shipping in the Shimonoseki Strait off Chōshū Province as soon as the deadline was reached. Masterless samurai (rōnin) rallied to the cause, assassinating shogunate officials and Westerners. The killing of the English trader Charles Lennox Richardson is sometimes considered as a result of this policy. The Tokugawa government was forced to pay an indemnity of a hundred thousand British pounds demanded for Richardson's death.
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