Boshin War

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/boshin-war

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the conflict dates?January 25, 1868 – June 27, 1869
2. What is the estimated mobilization?Approximately 69,000 combatants
3. What was the Boshin War and why did it happen?The Boshin War was a civil war in Japan that started in 1868. It happened because samurai were upset that the Tokugawa Shogunate let foreign ships in and signed unfair treaties, and they wanted the Emperor to rule instead.
4. Who were the main groups fighting in the Boshin War?The main groups were the Imperial loyalists, mainly samurai from the Satsuma and Chōshū areas, and the Tokugawa Shogunate forces. Later, some loyalists also fought in the Republic of Ezo on Hokkaido.

Sakoku: Japan's policy of national isolation, enforced by the Tokugawa Shogunate for over 200 years.
Unequal Treaties: Agreements forced upon Japan by Western powers, granting them special privileges and limiting Japanese sovereignty.
Sonnō jōi: A political slogan meaning 'Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians,' central to the anti-Shogunate movement.
Republic of Ezo: A short-lived independent state established by Tokugawa loyalists in Hokkaido during the war.