Kinmon Incident

The Kinmon Incident (禁門の変), also known as the Hamaguri Gate Rebellion (蛤御門の変 Hamaguri Gomon no Hen) was a rebellion against the Tokugawa Shogunate that took place on August 20, 1864, at the Imperial Palace in Kyoto. It reflected widespread discontent among pro-imperial and anti-foreigner groups, who rebelled under the Sonnō Jōi slogan. Sonnō Jōi had been promulgated by the Emperor Kōmei as the "Order to expel barbarians" in March 1863, and the rebels sought to take control of the Emperor to accomplish the restoration of the Imperial household to political supremacy.

During the bloody crushing of the rebellion, the leading Chōshū clan was held responsible for its instigation. During the incident, the Aizu and Satsuma domains led the defense of the Imperial palace.

Some courtiers, including Nakayama Tadayasu, the Emperor's Special Consultant for National Affairs, were banished from court because of their involvement in the incident. The Shogunate followed the incident with a retaliatory armed expedition, the First Chōshū expedition, in September 1864.