Boshin War
By the end of 1867, the Bakufu was attacked by pro-imperial forces, initiating the Boshin War which led to the Meiji Restoration. Towards the end of the conflict, in September 1868, after several defeats by the Bakufu, Kanrin Maru was one of the eight modern ships led by Enomoto Takeaki towards the northern part of Japan, in his final attempt to wage a counter-attack against pro-imperial forces.
The fleet encountered a typhoon on its way northward, and Kanrin Maru, having suffered damage, was forced to take refuge in Shimizu harbour, where she was captured by Imperial forces, who bombarded and boarded the ship notwithstanding a white flag of surrender, and put the skeleton crew aboard to the sword.
Enomoto Takeaki finally made a rendition in May 1869, and after the end of the conflict, Kanrin Maru was used by the new Imperial government for the development of the northern island of Hokkaido.
She was lost there in a typhoon in 1871, on the way between Hakodate and Esashi.
Detail of the plaque erected in memory of the Kanrin MaruRead more about this topic: Japanese Warship Kanrin Maru
Famous quotes containing the word war:
“A war undertaken without sufficient monies has but a wisp of force. Coins are the very sinews of battles.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)