How did han (domain) rivalry contribute to the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate?

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How did han (domain) rivalry contribute to the downfall of the Tokugawa Shogunate? After the signing of the Treaty of Edo in 1858, the balance of power in Japan, which had remained more or less frozen since the 17th century, began to change. This shift of authority was in Kyoto's flavour, while the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo saw its power ever declining. The issue that divided the two camps and finally brought about Tokugawa's demise was Japan's foreign policy. The Emperor represented the xenophobic faction, resisting almost all forms of contact with the West. The Shogun's position was awkward as it was supposed to resist the foreigners but failed. It was forced to agree to western incessant demands. Some western clans, prominent among them were Satsuma and Choshu, took sides according to their own interests. In the Bakumatsu period there was han rivalry which centred around Kyoto, Edo and among tomaza clans. This played a decisive role in Tokugawa collapse. The rivalry set in motion two phenomena: the gradual weakening of Bakufu power and the strengthening of Satsuma and Choshu. Indeed they were almost interrelated. The Shogun's fall of
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power is to be examined first. Han rivalry did much to weaken the power of the Shogunate. In June 1862, at the urging of Satsuma and Choshu, the Court decided to send a special envoy to Edo to demand that Hitotsubashi and Matsudaira, Satsuma's Shimazu's allies, be admitted to high office and, more importantly as later events would prove, the envoy was to insist that the shogun visit Kyoto to discuss expulsion of foreigners from Japan. The first of these objectives was met when Keiki assumed the powers of the Regent. They immediately decided to reduce the financial burdens on ...

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