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The were members of the
Chōshū hanThe was a feudal domain of Japan during the Edo period occupying the whole of modern day Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was coterminous with Nagato Province: in fact, Chōshū was simply shorthand for the province. The domain played a major role in the Late Tokugawa shogunate...
of western
JapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
who studied in England from 1863 at
University College LondonUniversity College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
under the guidance of Professor
Alexander William WilliamsonAlexander William Williamson FRS was an English chemist of Scottish descent. He is best known today for the Williamson ether synthesis.-Biography:...
. It was still illegal to leave Japan when they left, as
sakokuwas the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
was still practically in force until the
Meiji RestorationThe , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
.
Voyage to Britain
A Mr. Weigal, Jardine Matheson's manager in
Yokohamais the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, put the Chōshū youths, disguised as English sailors, aboard a reluctant Captain J. S. Gower's vessel at 1000
ryōRyo may refer to:* The Japanese kana digraph ryo, ryō, or ryoh * Ryō , a gold piece in pre-Meiji era Japan worth about sixty monme or four kan...
each, bound for
ShanghaiShanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
where they were sheltered on an
opiumOpium is the dried latex obtained from the opium poppy . Opium contains up to 12% morphine, an alkaloid, which is frequently processed chemically to produce heroin for the illegal drug trade. The latex also includes codeine and non-narcotic alkaloids such as papaverine, thebaine and noscapine...
storage ship before dividing into two groups for the long voyage to
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
When they reached London the Chōshū students were introduced by William Matheson to Professor
Alexander WilliamsonAlexander William Williamson FRS was an English chemist of Scottish descent. He is best known today for the Williamson ether synthesis.-Biography:...
.
Inoue KaoruCount , GCMG was a member of the Meiji oligarchy during the Meiji period Empire of Japan. As one of the senior statesman in Japan during that period, he had a tremendous influence on the selection of the nation's leaders and formation of its policies.-Early years:...
and
Itō HirobumiPrince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
, destined to be two of the greatest Japanese statesmen of the age, worked as deckhands aboard the 1500 ton steamer
Pegasus on the voyage to Europe. They also returned earlier than the other three when they realised that the Chōshū clan was in danger of attack by the allied powers for trying to close the
Straits of ShimonosekiThe Kanmon Straits or the Straits of Shimonoseki is the stretch of water separating two of Japan's four main islands. On the Honshū side of the water is Shimonoseki and on the Kyūshū side is Kitakyūshū, whose former city and present ward, Moji , gave the strait its "mon"...
to foreign shipping.
Identity of the Chōshū Five
- Itō Shunsuke
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
(later Ito Hirobumi; Prime Minister)
- Inoue Monta
Count , GCMG was a member of the Meiji oligarchy during the Meiji period Empire of Japan. As one of the senior statesman in Japan during that period, he had a tremendous influence on the selection of the nation's leaders and formation of its policies.-Early years:...
(later Inoue Kaoru; Foreign Minister)
- Yamao Yōzō
Viscount was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who became an influential member of the Meiji era government of Japan.-Early life:Yamao was born in Akiu, a village in Chōshū domain , and had received the traditional training of a samurai at a private school in Edo...
who later studied engineering at the Andersonian Institute, GlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, 1866-68 while working at the River ClydeThe River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
shipyards by day
- Endō Kinsuke
was a Japanese statesman in the early Meiji period.Endō was born to a samurai family in Hagi, Chōshū Domain was a Japanese statesman in the early Meiji period.Endō was born to a samurai family in Hagi, Chōshū Domain was a Japanese statesman in the early Meiji period.Endō was born to a samurai...
- Nomura Yakichi
Viscount was the first `Director of Railways` in Japan and is known as the "father of the Japanese railways".He was born into the Chōshū clan at Hagi, Yamaguchi...
(later Inoue Masaru)
New Film
- A movie entitled "Chōshū Five" has been released in Japan in January 2007. "Chōshū Five" received the Grand Remi Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival.
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