Battle of Toba-Fushimi (Part 2)
Battle of Toba-Fushimi, 1868, Part 2:
Takamori's men discovered Isami's army, preparing a charge. The gunpowder was being prepared, swords being cleansed, and arrows prepared. One samurai noticed an "obsessive complexion" upon Takamori's face, his brow heavier than usual. When Isami's contingent was finally in the precise spot Takamori wanted them, he signaled to his men, and shouted, "For the Emperor!". A blur of charging Imperial samurai smashed through the opening ranks of the Shogunate's necessary reinforcements, and ultimate carnage ensued.
(A picture of the Carnage, 1868)
The surprise attack left many of Isami's army off guard, but not those from Aizu, even more surprising to the Imperial soldiers than the charge succeeding so swimmingly itself was the fortitude of so many of the Shogunal troops. In fact, one samurai notes, "The Shogunal troops, after the initial daze, commanded the battlefield as the battle went along". It would have been a heroic victory for Isami if it were not for one uncounted factor, the Tosa clan's decisive diplomatic role in the game. Satsuma and Choshu may have had more soldiers on the ground, yet the Tosa clan's diplomatic skills brought Tsu Domain, under the rule of Daimyo Todo Takayuki, into the Imperial fold. Soon, Tsu retainers went charging at the Shogunal army from behind. The morale scales virtually flipped, and Isami and his men were forced to commit to a tactical retreat. With Toyogobashi Bridge secured and Isami's men retreating to Osaka and it's eastern villages, the battle of Toba-Fushimi was declared a decisive success for the Imperial cause. However, the war was far from won, and the Shogunate far from broken.
Takamori's men discovered Isami's army, preparing a charge. The gunpowder was being prepared, swords being cleansed, and arrows prepared. One samurai noticed an "obsessive complexion" upon Takamori's face, his brow heavier than usual. When Isami's contingent was finally in the precise spot Takamori wanted them, he signaled to his men, and shouted, "For the Emperor!". A blur of charging Imperial samurai smashed through the opening ranks of the Shogunate's necessary reinforcements, and ultimate carnage ensued.
(A picture of the Carnage, 1868)
The surprise attack left many of Isami's army off guard, but not those from Aizu, even more surprising to the Imperial soldiers than the charge succeeding so swimmingly itself was the fortitude of so many of the Shogunal troops. In fact, one samurai notes, "The Shogunal troops, after the initial daze, commanded the battlefield as the battle went along". It would have been a heroic victory for Isami if it were not for one uncounted factor, the Tosa clan's decisive diplomatic role in the game. Satsuma and Choshu may have had more soldiers on the ground, yet the Tosa clan's diplomatic skills brought Tsu Domain, under the rule of Daimyo Todo Takayuki, into the Imperial fold. Soon, Tsu retainers went charging at the Shogunal army from behind. The morale scales virtually flipped, and Isami and his men were forced to commit to a tactical retreat. With Toyogobashi Bridge secured and Isami's men retreating to Osaka and it's eastern villages, the battle of Toba-Fushimi was declared a decisive success for the Imperial cause. However, the war was far from won, and the Shogunate far from broken.
