Ezo

The foundation of the Republic of Ezo in December 1868 was a tipping point in history. Yet, few remember it today, even less understand why it mattered so much. Today's article is the first part of a series on the background of the Republic, how it came to be, why it is so important, and how it quickly collapsed.

As I previously barely touched on, Bakumatsu years were a whirlwind of political mishaps and tensions (Ansei purge), cultural exchanges (embassies from and to Europe), military development, and changes in the market. These had a profound influence on the people who were implicated with the Tokugawa's administrative system. To make it short (this time!), political changes were brought about, questioned, and precipitated by lower ranking people of the warrior class. 

The question of Ezo (now Hokkaido) was a hot topic of the Bakumatsu period. Whilst the northern island is not historically considered Japanese as it was inhabited by local populations (now usually referred to under the umbrella term Ainu (meaning 'humans' as opposed to 'kamui' divine beings)), it was annexed during the Muromachi period (1336-1573) and was still administrated by a descendant of Takeda Nobuhiro who had established Matsumae domain after defeating Ainu leader Koshamain in 1457. Trade with the local people meant that the Matsumae clan benefited from extensive networks with the Ainu, Oroks and Nivkhs of Sakhalin and Kuril Islands, which in turn allowed them to obtain rare and precious items from China, such as high quality silk vests known in Japan as jittoku.  However, in the wake of international trade and new priorities, it was not silk that interested the Bakufu, but natural resources such as wood, cultivable lands and a great place to establish a safeguard from China and Russia, while creating a closer trading post.

After the Goryokaku was completed (see previous post), the Bakufu was too busy with mainland Japan and what was brewing that the Ezo question was soon left aside. However, its potential was not ignored by French soldiers and Tokugawa retainers as the next post will demonstrate!

All illustrations: Ishūretsuzō (夷酋列像) A Series of Paintings of Ainu Chieftains (>1790)

More on this: Brett L. Walker, 'Reappraising the "Sakoku" Paradigm: The Ezo Trade and the Extension of Tokugawa Political Space into Hokkaido' (1996). Access: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41931039