Saving Edo from War: The Political Insights of Yamaoka Tesshū

(Clockwise from top): The front gate of Zenshōan; a commemorative tablet to Yamaoka Tesshū inscribed with a poem by Katsu Kaishū; the original pillar of the main gate engraved with the temple’s honorific name, Fumonzan.

Yamaoka Tesshū around the end of the Edo period. (Courtesy of the National Diet Library)

Saigō Takamori (left) and Katsu Kaishū. (Courtesy of the National Diet Library)

Yamaoka went on to serve as Emperor Meiji’s chamberlain for 10 years and held various posts inside the Imperial Household Agency. He was conferred the title of viscount upon his retirement. (Courtesy of the National Diet Library)

Yamaoka’s grave at Zenshōan.