Sword cuts scar the pillars. Bullet holes mark the wood. Welcome to Tozen-ji Temple. A silent testament to a tumultuous past. This isn’t just any temple. Tozen-ji stands as a significant historical site. It held the first British legation in Japan. A pivotal point in the Bakumatsu period.
Established in 1610 by Ryonan Zenji it initially stood in Akasaka. In 1636 it moved to its present location. Directly on Edo Bay it was nicknamed Kaijo Zenrin. The Zen forest above the sea. Imagine the scene. The temple served as a bodaiji for many powerful clans. The Date clan of Sendai Uwajima and Iyo-Yoshida Domains. The Ikeda clan held sway from Okayama Ako Kamogata and Ikusaka. The Suwa Matsudaira Oda Inaba and Mori clans also had ties to this very spot. Their ancestors found solace here. Their legacies echo in these very stones.
The Anglo-Japanese Treaty of Amity and Commerce changed everything. It allowed a British representative in Edo. Rutherford Alcock chose Tozen-ji. He saw its size and status as ideal. The Shogunate often commandeered temples. They felt Tozen-ji was suitably grand for the occasion. Yet it was perilous. It sat at the entrance to the Tokaido highway. The busiest most important road in Japan. A vulnerable location for a foreign legation.
Warnings went unheeded. In 1859 the legation opened. In January 1860 Kobayashi Denkichi was murdered. A foreshadowing of the violence to come. The first Tozenji incident unfolded in July 1861. Ronin attacked. Japanese guards fought back bravely. Two died ten were wounded. Among the casualties were George Morrison and Laurence Oliphant. They were later sent to England. Alcock himself fired shots. The attack became a casus belli. Alcock’s demands were met. A British garrison increased guards and compensation were secured. He overlooked the bravery of the Japanese defenders. The scars remain.
The second Tozenji incident followed in 1862. Lieutenant Colonel Edward St John Neale ordered a return. This time a contingent of Royal Marines joined the staff. Ito Gunbei a guard attempted to assassinate Neale. He killed two from HMS Renard before being subdued. He committed seppuku. The British permanently relocated to Yokohama. The legacy of Tozen-ji endures. It witnessed history’s clash. The marks of conflict remain. This temple’s story is etched in its very structure. A poignant reminder of a pivotal moment in Japan’s past. A place where East met West. A place where history unfolds.