The assassination attempt on Tsarevich Nicholas: How a Japanese samurai almost left Russia without an emperor

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Alexander III insisted on the visit of his son Nicholas to Japan. It is unlikely that the sovereign could have assumed that the trip was fraught with danger and could end with the death of the heir. However, there were still preconditions for aggression on the part of Japanese fanatics. But the Tsarevich went on a journey.

The land of the incandescent sun

The Satsuma uprising rocked Japan. For almost 8 months in 1877, an untitled aristocracy under the leadership of the samurai Saigo Takamori occupied part of the island of Kyushu. Anti-government sentiment was unusually strong in the 70s of the 19th century due to a number of reforms that the government was carrying out. One of the main reasons for the uprising is the fall of the authority of the samurai. The soldiers could not forgive such an insult. The abolition of pensions, the abolition of the samurai army itself (instead of it there was a nationwide one), a ban on carrying weapons - all this, as well as other modernizations, were progressive solutions designed to end archaism. But the samurai could not just take and allow themselves to be sent to the sidelines of history. This was followed by the unpopular land and tax reform, which caused violent fermentation among the peasantry. And Saigo Takamori decided it was time to act.

The uprising began. And although it lasted almost 8 months, all this time the samurai were defeated. The power was stronger and there was nothing they could do about it. The final point was set at the Battle of Kagoshima. Government forces inflicted a devastating defeat on the samurai. Takamori, in order to avoid captivity, had to say goodbye to life, as true warriors did.

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Tsuda Sanzo was one of the soldiers who served in the national army. Deep down, he, like many warriors, admired Takamori, considering him the embodiment of the Japanese spirit. But he could not go over to his side, because he did not share archaic samurai views. All this led to a serious mental conflict of the soldier, who at the time of the uprising was only 22 years old. And although Takamori fell, and all the soldiers of the national army automatically became heroes of the entire Land of the Rising Sun, Sanzo's psyche suffered serious damage.

Soon after the suppression of the rebellion, the situation in the country calmed down. True, there was a legend among the people that Takamori did not die under the walls of Kagoshima. People claimed that he faked his own death. But in fact, the samurai managed to escape to another country (most often the Russian Empire was mentioned) and hid, waiting for the right moment to return. The prospect of a new riot frightened people. But several years passed, the passions subsided, the riot and its leader became the property of history. As, however, and the soldiers who suppressed the uprising.

In 1882, Tsuda began working in the police force. Not a trace remained of the hero's former brilliance. He dreamed of great deeds and glory, and instead received "Groundhog Day." The gray and dull life of an ordinary policeman with a modest pay and low status. Proud, unsociable, and gloomy all the time, Sanzo behaved like a real hermit. He had no friends or family. Dreams of realizing one's own potential have replaced this. In addition, he found for himself and the main enemy - foreigners. And all of them, without exception. The former soldier believed that they wanted to conquer Japan. And almost every day he had to put up with his own pride, since the protection of foreigners was part of his official duties. All overseas guests only disgusted him, since they were small fry, unable to bring any harm to the country. However, the hatred gradually increased.

Towards your "happiness"

So 9 years passed. Sanzo continued to work in the police force, hated foreigners and dreamed of drastically changing his life. And suddenly, like a bolt from the blue, news - the heir to the Russian throne, Tsarevich Nikolai Alexandrovich, arrives in Japan. Tsuda realized that his visit was the very “lucky ticket”. The land of the rising sun was to be visited for the first time by a monarch. Naturally, Sanzo was among those police officers who were supposed to guard the overseas guests. The former soldier decided to kill Nikolai.

It is necessary to make a small digression here. The Russian Tsarevich himself was not going to visit Japan - it was the decision of Alexander III. The Land of the Rising Sun was the last point in the eastern journey of Nicholas, the Greek Prince George, as well as their numerous retinue, consisting of princes, diplomats and other "officials".

In Japan, on the occasion of the arrival of such a high-ranking person, real excitement reigned. The power has put on the ears of ordinary people, and law enforcement officers, and officials. The task sounded extremely simple: to show Nikolai real oriental cordiality and hospitality. But at the same time, many feared that the visit of the Tsarevich was not kind. There was a rumor that the Tsarevich would come for "reconnaissance" and "probing the soil", since the Russian Empire secretly wanted to seize the Land of the Rising Sun. The intensity of passions was so strong that the numerous local press every day came out with materials on this topic, trying to calm the population. But there was, in fact, very little sense from such publications. Xenophobic sentiments only intensified. Russian diplomat in Japan Dmitry Yegorovich Shevich warned about this, urging the delegation to be extremely careful. He was also embarrassed by Japanese legislation, which did not contain the death penalty for a criminal who attacked a crowned person of another country. At the same time, the draft law correcting this defect was already ready. But everyone postponed and postponed its adoption.

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Soon Takamori also surfaced among the people. The people silently asserted that the old samurai was behind Nikolai's visit. They say that the Tsarevich must assess the situation not for his own aggressive intentions, but for the main enemy of the current government.

And then came day X. A foreign retinue traveled to the most important places in Japan. Koba, Kasoshima, Kyoto - everywhere foreigners were given truly royal receptions. The joyful crowd only completed the picture. All of this was observed by Sanzo. And he got angry. He did not understand and did not accept such an attitude of the Japanese towards foreigners. In his opinion, only one person was worthy of such an honor - the emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun. He was outraged by the behavior of Prince Arisugawa Takehito, who behaved with strangers on equal terms.

Meanwhile, the delegation defamed the ancient temple of Mii-dera with their presence and arrived in Otsu. They were transported in rickshaws along the narrow streets of the city, filled with spectators. The cordon was rather formal in nature, because the police were facing foreigners, that is, they did not see what the crowd was doing at that moment (the law forbade turning their backs on the monarchs). But the blow did not come from the onlookers. Sanzo was in that cordon. He saw Nicholas, drew his weapon and ran towards his "happiness." Two blows, a swing for a third … but "happiness" managed to get out of the carriage. Then came the Greek prince, rickshaws and policemen. The path of the "hero" ended ingloriously - face down to the ground.

The inglorious ending

While the doctors examined Nikolai, the police began to interrogate Tsuda. It is worth making one clarification here: the true reason for the attack of the former soldier on the Tsarevich has not been established. More precisely, the Japanese side simply kept silent about it, leaving the freedom of thought for everyone who wanted it. The same Shevich was sure that Sanzo drew his weapon because of a too solemn reception, they say, it inflicted an insult on the Emperor of Japan.

According to another version, Sanzo really believed that Nikolai was Takamori's messenger. There were too many points on his excursion route. And the visit to the memorial dedicated to the soldiers of the Satsuma uprising reinforced the confidence in Takamori's shadow over the Russian Tsarevich. Tsuda considered that Nicholas and his retinue behave inappropriately at the sacred place, desecrating it. The former soldier wanted to strike even then, but he was afraid to confuse the Tsarevich with a Greek. Therefore, I just silently watched and waited for the right moment, which appeared in Otsu. But what exactly caused the attack, only the Japanese themselves knew. For some of their reasons and considerations, they did not want to share the truth with the rest.

As for Nikolai, he steadfastly endured the blow of fate in the person of Sanzo. The reaction of the Tsarevich himself and the speed of George played a major role. Nikolai, although he was wounded, they did not threaten his life.

I must say that the act of Tsuda Sanzo had the effect of an exploding bomb. The imperial couple promptly wrote a letter to the Russian sovereign, in which they apologized for the incident. The country defiantly plunged into mourning the very next day. Public institutions, as well as many schools, were closed. Emperor Meiji arrived in Kyoto to personally apologize to the Tsarevich. And although the Japanese (asked Nicholas to continue his journey through Japan, he did not agree - his father insisted on leaving as soon as possible. The Tsarevich got on his ship, where he celebrated his birthday.

By the way, at the same time an unprecedented incident occurred - the emperor of the Land of the Rising Sun went on board a foreign ship for the first time. Nikolai was kind to all the Japanese and did not blame anyone for what happened. In general, he behaved very calmly and relaxed, trying to follow Japanese customs in everything.

The Japanese tried to apologize for the incident on a grand scale, picturesquely. One woman committed suicide, so to speak, to wash away shame with blood. The priests defiantly prayed for the health of the heir to the throne. All this was so pretentious that the Tsarevich had doubts about the sincerity of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun. But, one way or another, the conflict was settled.

According to the official version, Nikolai, despite the attempt, treated the Japanese with respect. But the politician Sergei Yuryevich Witte was of a different opinion. He argued that the newly-made sovereign treated them with contempt, considering them weak. It is believed that it was the Otsu incident that caused the future war between Russia and Japan. At the same time, however, few people remember that the confrontation was the beginning of the Land of the Rising Sun, and not Nicholas II, who wanted to take revenge.

The path to a new life, which Sanzo had determined for himself, was cut short in the fall of the same 1891. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to hard labor. There he contracted pneumonia and died soon after. No fame, no honor, no immortality.

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