History

Site where the Imperial Banners were Produced

In January 1868, the Battle of Toba-Fushimi was fought between forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court. When the pro-imperial forces, led by Choshu Domain (present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture) and Satsuma Domain (present-day Kagoshima Prefecture), raised imperial banners at the battle front, it effectively made the shogun’s forces enemies of the emperor, undermining their will to fight. This is where those important imperial banners were produced. Visit the site to learn more about this episode in Japan’s struggle to enter the modern era.