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The was a naval action on 6 May 1869. It was part of the overall Battle of Hakodate at the end of the Boshin War, a civil war in Japan between Imperial forces of the new government, and samurai rebels that wanted to maintain the feudal caste system. ==Preparations== After the remnants of the ''Bakufu'' army loyal to the former Tokugawa shogunate refused to surrender to the new Meiji government in the Battle of Ueno and Battle of Aizu, they fled north to occupy the island of Hokkaidō and established the Republic of Ezo. The navy of the Imperial forces also moved north to support the eventual invasion of Hokkaidō. The Imperial navy departed Tokyo on 9 March 1869, and reached the harbor of Miyako, north of Sendai, on 20 March. The government fleet had been rapidly constituted around the French-built ironclad warship ''Kōtetsu'', which had been purchased from the United States. Other ships included ''Kasuga'', ''Hiryū'', ''Teibo'', ''Yoshun'', and ''Moshun'', which had been supplied by the domains of Saga, Chōshū and Satsuma to the new central government in 1868. There were altogether eight Imperial ships: ''Kōtetsu'', ''Kasuga'', 3 small corvettes and 3 transport ships. Anticipating the arrival of the Imperial fleet, the rebels organized a plan to seize the revolutionary new warship ''Kōtetsu'', and dispatched three warships for a surprise attack: * ''Kaiten'' (flagship of the Republic of Ezo Navy). ''Kaiten'' was commanded by Arai Ikunosuke, and contained the elite ''Shinsengumi'', their leader Hijikata Toshizo, as well as the former French Navy military advisor Henri Nicol. Nicol had been selected for the attack since he was a native of Bordeaux, and knew the characteristics and construction of the revolutionary warship ''Kōtetsu'', built in the same city. *''Banryu'', with the elite ''Yugekitai'' (遊撃隊) and former French Navy quartermaster Clateau, in charge of cannonry. *''Takao'' (former ) under command of ex-French Navy officer Eugène Collache, with the elite ''Shinkitai'' (伸木隊)]. The ships encountered bad weather, in which ''Takao'' suffered from engine trouble, and ''Banryu'' became separated. ''Banryu'' eventually returned to Hokkaidō, without joining the battle. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of Miyako Bay」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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