Meiji Era

Fall of Edo
Surrender of Edo Castle, painted by Yūki Somei, 1935, Meiji Memorial Picture Gallery, Tokyo, Japan.
1868 Jul 1

Fall of Edo

Tokyo, Japan

The Fall of Edo took place in May and July 1868, when the Japanese capital of Edo (modern Tokyo), controlled by the Tokugawa shogunate, fell to forces favorable to the restoration of Emperor Meiji during the Boshin War. Saigō Takamori, leading the victorious imperial forces north and east through Japan, had won the Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma in the approaches to the capital. He was eventually able to surround Edo in May 1868. Katsu Kaishū, the shōgun's Army Minister, negotiated the surrender, which was unconditional.