Battle of Kiyokawaguchi (1868, Shōnai Domain and the Imperial Army)

Overview

At dawn on the 24th day of the 4th month of Keiō 4 (1868), fighting broke out at Kiyokawaguchi. This was the first clash between the Shōnai Domain and the pacification army, and it is regarded as the start of the Akita War (the Boshin War in Akita and Shōnai).

Events Leading to the Fighting

In the 2nd month of Keiō 4, the shogunate lands in Murayama District were placed in the custody of the Shōnai Domain. On the 2nd day of the 4th month, the Shōnai Domain withdrew from Sagae. That night, Imperial forces from Satsuma, Chōshū, Sendai, Tendō and elsewhere entered Sagae. This is known as the Shibahashi Incident.

The Battle of Kiyokawaguchi

At dawn on the 24th day of the 4th month, fighting began at Kiyokawaguchi. On the following day, the 25th, the pacification army was defeated by the Shōnai force and withdrew to Shinjō in the evening.

The Battle of Tendō and the Shōnai Return

On the 4th day of the intercalary 4th month, the Shōnai force launched a preemptive attack on the pacification army and burned the town of Tendō. This is known as the Battle of Tendō. On the 12th day of the intercalary 4th month, on the order of the domain lord to cease fighting and withdraw, the Shōnai force returned to its own territory.

The Advance toward Akita and the Surrender

In the 7th month, the Kubota (Akita) Domain broke away from the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei. The Shōnai force moved out toward Akita and entered about two months of fighting. After the surrender of the Aizu Domain, the Shōnai force retreated from Kubota territory. In late September of Meiji 1 (the 9th month), an envoy of the Shōnai Domain met the staff officer Kuroda Kiyotaka at the pacification army headquarters at Furukuchi and offered the domain's surrender.

Aftermath

The treatment after the war is regarded as lenient, but there were penalties of reduced stipend and transfer of the domain. The Shōnai Domain was abolished in 1871.