ror for him.

At the suggestion of his friends the shogun retired to his castle at
Osaka, and the troops attached to his cause also retreated and gathered
under his standard. The situation of affairs was for a time uncertain. The
shogun had resigned, and his resignation had been accepted, but he had
been asked by the emperor to continue his administration. Subsequently,
under the pressure of the allied clans, the emperor had abolished the
shogunate and entrusted the administration to a provisional government.
This last action the friends of the ex-shogun resented as the doings of
revolutionists. It is believed that he himself was averse to further
conflict. Any step which he might take in the vindication of his rights
must involve war with the allied clans, and he was not a man of war.

While these critical events were taking place, the representatives of
foreign powers came down from Yedo to Hyogo with an impressive array of
men-of-war. By invitation of the ex-shogun they visited him at Osaka. In
reply to the representatives he made an address,(315) complaining of the
arbitrary conduct of those who now had possession of the imperial person,
and notifying them that he was willing and able to protect their rights
under the treaties, and asking them to await the action of a conference to
be summoned. In consequence of the conflict which was now imminent, the
representatives of the treaty powers issued a notice to their citizens
that neutrality must be maintained under all circumstances, and arms and
ammunition must not be sold to either party.

The first armed conflict between the two parties took place during the
closing days of January, 1868. Two of the allied daimyos, Owari and
Echizen, were sent to Osaka to confer with the ex-shogun, in the hope that
some terms might be agreed upon, by which further difficulty could be
avoided. They were both Tokugawa daimyos, Owari belonging to one of the
_go-sanke_ families, and Echizen being a descendant of Ieyasu's son. They
offered to the ex-shogun an honorable appointment, and if he would come to
Kyoto they assured him a ready audience before the emperor. He promised to
obey the emperor's command and visit the capital.

After the envoys had gone his friends raised suspicions in his mind
concerning his personal safety. The daimyos of Aizu and Kuwana offered to
accompany him in case he determined to go. They organized, therefore, a
force of about 10,000 men with which they propo