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332 HONDA THE SAMUBAL
torch. They had a far larger and nobler purpose
in view, even a united empire, a restored emperor,
a government founded on public opinion, and Japan
made strong before the world ;
but first they must
destroy the bakufu. Early in the year 1864 the
British legation near Shinagawa was set on fire and
burned. Near the inn of the Big Gold-fish at the
Kudan, Mr. Hanawa Jiro, who had collected, for the
Premier li, precedents for the deposing of the Mikado
by the Tycoon, was assassinated. In Kyoto the
same sort of work went on. No sooner had Ke'iki,
the guardian and advance-officer of the Tycoon,
arrived in that city, than the two-sworded men
pressed upon him the question of driving out the
aliens. He replied that as soon as the Tycoon
should arrive, the matter would be settled. This
evasive answer so disgusted the fire-eating patriots
that they at once assassinated Mr. Kagawa, a former
agent of the Yedo government, and sent his head to
Ke'iki as a hint to hurry up the expelling of foreigners,
while the arms of the headless trunk were sent
to the nobleman, master of -the unfortunate man.
Neither Aidzu, protector of Kyoto, nor the prince
of Echizen, both of whom nobly strove to uphold
the honor of Tokugawa, as well as to honor the emperor,
could restrain these apparently savage acts
which were indicative of the stern purpose of the
patriots.
The Tokugawas, as individual gentlemen, were
noble patriots, but they were victims of a bad system
and of the times, for no personal worth of pri-