After Chōshū fired upon Western warships in the
Straits of Shimonoseki on 25 June 1863,
British,
French,
Dutch and
American naval forces bombarded
Shimonoseki, the main port of the Chōshū domain the following summer in what was later called the
Bombardment of Shimonoseki. Takasugi was put in charge of the defense of Shimonoseki. An anti-
Chōshū coup in
Kyoto in the 18 August 1863 threatened to jeopardize Chōshū's leading role in national politics, and Chōshū was ousted by a coalition of the
Satsuma and
Aizu in the imperial court. Following the on 16 August which involved a conflict between the Chōshū's forces
Kiheitai and
Senkitai (撰鋒隊) at the Kyohoji temple which left two people dead, Hikosuke Miyagi, who was an inspecting officer of the
Kiheitai, was forced to commit
seppuku at the temple on 27 August. Although Takasugi narrowly escaped the seppuku, he was held liable for the incident and was dismissed as the leader of the
Kiheitai, only about two months after its formation. The
Kiheitai was taken over by
Kawakami Yaichi and Taki Yataro, followed by
Akane Taketo and
Yamagata Aritomo on October. In February 1864, Takasugi tried to dissuade
Kijima Matabei from his plan to fight Satsuma and Aizu in Kyoto, but failed and then left the domain to hide in Kyoto himself. He was persuaded by
Katsura Kogorō to return, but upon arrival he was put in Noyama-Goku Prison for the charge of leaving the domain. He was later released in July and ordered to confine himself at home. (right) In September 1864, a fleet of warships of British, French, Dutch and American naval forces attacked Shimonoseki again and occupied the gun battery there. This was followed by the landing of French marines. Their fighting against Chōshū units demonstrated the inferiority of traditional Japanese troops against a Western army, and convinced the leaders of the domain of the absolute necessity for a thorough military reform. Chōshū soon had no choice but to call on Takasugi again. Shinsaku was then forgiven and put in charge of peace negotiations. The Chōshū domain's administration called on Takasugi not only to carry out this reform as ‘Director of Military Affairs’, but he - only 25 years of age - was also entrusted with negotiating peace with the four Western powers. In view of the humiliation of Chōshū forces against the Western powers, Takasugi had come to the realization that direct confrontation with the foreigners was not an option. Instead, Japan had to learn military tactics, techniques and technologies from the West. Takasugi reorganized his
Kiheitai militia into a rifle-unit with the latest modern
rifles, and introduced training in Western strategy and tactics. Moreover, Takasugi used his influence with the Sonnô Jôi-movement to promote a more a conciliatory policy towards the West and thus, the ‘movement to expel the barbarians and revere the Emperor’ evolved into an anti-
Bakufu movement with the overthrow of the
Tokugawa bakufu as a necessary means to strengthen Japan against the foreigners. Weakened by the punitive attack by the Western powers, Chōshū was unable to withstand the
expedition mounted by the
Bakufu in autumn 1864 in retaliation for previous Chōshū attempts to seize control of
Kyoto. At first, conservative forces, which favored conciliation with the
Bakufu in order to secure the domain, were dominant in Chōshū politics, and Takasugi and some of his compatriots had to leave the domain to avoid renewed imprisonment. Takasugi, with only about a dozen followers, including future political leaders Yamagata Aritomo,
Itō Hirobumi and
Inoue Kaoru, gathered in
Kokura in
Kyūshū and prepared an attack on the conservative forces in Chōshū. The subsequent Chōshū civil war began on 13 January 1865. Takasugi played a major role in this civil war and his former
Kiheitai militia proved its superiority over old-fashioned samurai forces. With a series of quick strikes and the support of Katsura Kogorō, Takasugi achieved victory by March 1865. He became one of the main arbiters of the Chōshū domain's policy and continued to act as the domain's expert on Western military science, devoting his efforts to importing arms and raising troops. These reforms proved to be successful when Chōshū was victorious on four fronts against the ''Bakufu's
Second Chōshū expedition on 7 June 1866, with the Kiheitai'' itself securing victory on two fronts. Takasugi's efforts had made a small-scale 'nation in arms' out of Chōshū, giving it a military strength out of proportion to its relatively small size. With its victory over the Tokugawa forces, the military power of the
Bakufu was discredited, and traditionally rival domains decided to join forces with Chōshū in the subsequent battles which eventually led to the end of the Tokugawa bakufu and the start of the
Meiji Restoration in 1868. ==Death==