Ōkubo Toshimichi
Meiji period (19th century)
Donated by the Homma family
Ōkubo Toshimichi (1830–78), a famous samurai in Japanese history who published writing under the name Kōtō, is known as one of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration alongside Saigō Takamori and Kido Takayoshi.
In October 1874, Ōkubo was dispatched to Beijing as ambassador plenipotentiary to address the matter of the Taiwan Expedition, which had begun as a punitive expedition launched by the Japanese earlier that year, and concluded negotiations with Qing officials.
This classical Chinese poem was composed in November 1874 on board a ship from Tongzhou (present-day Tongzhou District, Beijing), and conveys Ōkubo’s sense of accomplishment and relief at having completed his mission.
Explanation:
I shall go alone to Peking, to fulfill the imperial edict. The ship proceeds, billowing black smoke, kicking up waves. Having reached a peace accord with the Qing, the ship departs Tongzhou for home. At repose by the ship’s window, my dreams will naturally turn to peace.