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Battle of Teradomari
Part of the Battle of Hokuetsu of the Boshin War
Date July 13, 1868 Location off the coast of Teradomari (now part of Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture) Result Decisive Imperial victory
Belligerents
Imperial forces	Shogunal forces
Commanders and leaders
Hongō Hisanobu	Ichiyanagi Ikuma
Strength
2 gunboats	1 transport ship
Casualties and losses
None	1 ship scuttled

The Battle of Teradomari (寺泊沖海戦, Teradomari-oki kaisen) is a naval battle in the middle of the Boshin War fought between forces loyal to the Tokugawa shogunate and those loyal to the imperial court. The battle occurred off the coast of the town of Teradomari in Echigo Province (now part of Nagaoka, Niigata Prefecture) on July 13, 1868.

Background

After the Boshin War broke out, forces of the new Meiji government advanced towards eastern Japan to subjugate domains still loyal to the old Tokugawa shogunate. In response, these domains created an alliance, the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei. Many fiefs in Echigo, including Nagaoka Domain among others, were part of the alliance. This provided the reason for imperial troops to launch what would become the Hokuetsu campaign. Moreover, the new government was intent on capturing the shogunate-controlled port of Niigata in the province, which was a point of trade for imported weapons.

Three days before opening hostilities with Nagaoka Domain, Yamagata Aritomo, who was leader of the imperial troops in the region, requested the deployment of a group of warships to the Sea of Japan. The imperial court listened to his request and dispatched two gunboats to the seas off Echigo, the Dai-ichi Teibō (owned by Chōshū Domain) and the Kenkō Maru (owned by Satsuma Domain). The ships were commanded by Hongō Hisanobu, a samurai from Satsuma Domain. After resupplying in Shimonoseki, the ships made a stopover in Tsuruga in Wakasa Province and sailed towards Echigo from there.

The shogunate's forces, however, had no strong naval presence in the area. Their more-capable ships, commanded by Enomoto Takeaki, were still docked in Edo. Only the Jundō Maru, a transport ship, was all the navy had at Echigo. The ship stopped at the province from Hakodate to deliver weapons and ammunition lent by the shogunate to Aizu Domain. The Jundō Maru was then scheduled to go to Aikawa in nearby Sado province, but the ship was seized by forces of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei while it was moored, after discovering a report sent to the Sado magistrate that supported the new government troops. By the time the hostilities broke out, the ship was docked on the port of Teradomari. However, due to the difficulty of procuring coal in Echigo, the ship was fueled with firewood as a substitute; this resulted in the impairment of the ship's speed. Meanwhile, Teradomari was occupied by a contingent of troops from Aizu and the Mito Shoseitō led by Satō Orinoshin.

Battle

On July 10, the Dai-ichi Teibō and the Kenkō Maru arrived into Naoetsu harbor, which was controlled by troops of the new government. The next day, imperial troops sailed out of Naoetsu, and stopped at Izumozaki. Here, they received word about a ship of the shogunate being docked at Teradomari. From there, the fleet decided to launch a preemptive strike on the ship at Teradomari.

At around 7 AM on July 13, the imperial gunboats reached Teradomari. Upon noticing their arrival, the Jundō Maru began to depart. According to the imperial navy's records, the imperial forces thought that the Jundō Maru was trying to escape. However, a theory has sprouted, saying that the crew of the Jundō Maru thought that the warships were friendly and was actually sailing to meet them. When the Jundō Maru approached the imperial gunboats, the Kenkō Maru sailed to block the transport's bow while the Dai-ichi Teibō maneuvered around it and blocked its path from the stern, effectively encircling it. The warning shots fired by the ships signaled the start of an artillery battle. The Jundō Maru's bow and paddle wheel was hit in the bombardment. The transport replied with three shots towards the Kenkō Maru, but none hit the gunboat.

External links

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