Culture Russian Invasion (2/2)Edo period, Russian attack on Sakhalin and Etorofu

At this stage, the plan had not been given the go-ahead by Alexander I, and Rezanov himself wrote a letter to the minister saying, ``I will be considered a criminal for starting a private project, but I am prepared for the punishment.'' It is published on. It was a deliberate attack.

However, for some reason, Rezanov sent Khvostov an ambiguous supplement to the instructions dated September 24. It read: ``Leave as you have previously commanded, and proceed to America.'' ``However, if the wind allows you to stop at Aniva Bay, be kind to the people of Sakhalin with gifts and medals; Observe the situation at the base of the company. Just doing this will be enough to increase your reputation." "If an unforeseen situation arises during the voyage, you will have to make peace with the interests of your company. It says, ``So.''

It seems that Rezanov was wondering whether he should carry out his plan or not, so the content is quite ambiguous. Some researchers believe that ``Rezanov stopped the attack, but Khvostov attacked on his own,'' while others believe that ``Rezanov intentionally gave vague instructions to avoid his own responsibility.''

In the end, Khvostov followed the orders dated August 8 and attacked Japanese strongholds in Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. This is how the cultural invasion began.

Cultural invasion ③ Raid Sakhalin, Etorofu, Rishiri Island, etc.

In September 1806, Khvostov and his men attacked a Japanese settlement along Aniva Bay in Sakhalin on the frigate Yunona. First, on September 11, about 20 people landed and captured a boy from an Ainu house (later released). On the 12th, 30 people landed and captured four Japanese prisoners, looted rice, salt, nets, iron kettles, cotton cloth, and other supplies, and set fire to houses on the 16th. Masu. As the means of communication by ship were cut off due to this attack, the Edo Shogunate had to wait until the following year for the incident to be reported.

Subsequently, on April 23, 1807, Khvostov and Davydov led an expedition on the ship Yunona and the ship Avosi, respectively, and arrived at Naibo Bay, west of Etorofu Island. At first, they had friendly relations with the Japanese, but on April 25, they captured five prisoners and took them to a ship, looted the Japanese residences of tools and clothes, and set them on fire. is emitting.

On the Japanese side, as soon as they learned of the Naibo attack, officials from the shogunate, Morioka clan, Hirosaki clan, and others gathered at the Shana hall for a military council. Rinzo Mamiya, who was there for the survey at the time, also participated and advocated a complete resistance. The Shogunate army numbered about 300 people.

On April 29th, they set up their headquarters at Kaisho and fought with guns against the Russian soldiers who came out from the ship, but they were completely destroyed. In the end, the Japanese army decided to abandon Shana and left in the night, led by their superiors, but in the process Matatayu Toda, a sub-inspector at the Hakodate Magistrate's Office, committed suicide. This defeat would later lead to criticism of the shogunate.

By the way, on May 1st, about 40 Russians had landed. They violently bombarded the hall with cannons, looted weapons, clothing, food, and alcohol, and captured the Japanese. After the looting was completed, the kaisho and the Morioka domain camp were burnt down.

Khvostov departed from Shana on May 3rd, passed through Sakhalin and Aniva Bay, and landed on Rishiri Island, where he burned down banyas and warehouses. Furthermore, on Rishiri Island, 8 of the 10 prisoners were released after presenting a written request to the shogunate. The demand letter contained threatening statements such as, ``I asked for trade, but since there was no response, I showed them my plans'' and ``If my wish for trade is not granted, I will send more ships and do the same thing.'' It was written. It is a threat to use force. In addition, they have also informed us that they are planning to return to Japan this year.

Khvostov and Davydov then left Japan and returned to Okhotsk with their plunder in June. However, what awaited him was an arrest. He was accused of carrying out military operations without permission from the emperor, and was arrested by Bukharin, the local governor, and was treated harshly. After escaping, the two men are demanding a trial, asserting their innocence and the harsh treatment they received from Bukharin. They then took part in the Second Swedish War, and in 1809, both men were killed in a bridge collapse.

By the way, what happened to Rezanov was that even before the Cultural Invasion, he was on another mission to conclude a treaty between the Spanish government and Russia, and in May 1807, during the Cultural Invasion, he headed to Petersburg. While crossing Siberia, he died of illness in Krasnoyarsk.

Japan after the cultural invasion

After the Edo shogunate was defeated on Etorofu Island, the Hakodate magistrate requested support from the Morioka, Hirosaki, Akita, and Tsuruoka domains, and as a result, a total of 3,000 soldiers were assembled to protect Ezochi. In addition, at the end of 1807, the Edo shogunate issued an order to destroy Russian ships. He ordered the Nanbu, Tsugaru, Sendai, and Aizu domains to dispatch troops.

However, the Shogunate was heavily criticized for losing to Russia on Etorofu Island. In response, the shogunate worked to strengthen national defense. The resolution of diplomatic issues between Japan and Russia continued until the end of the ``Goronin Incident,'' which occurred in 1811, when Goronin, a Russian military captain who landed on Kunashiri Island, was imprisoned.