Chōshū Five

Japanese government officials

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July 22, 2026

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The Chōshū Five were a group of Japanese government officials who played a pivotal role in Japan's modernization. These individuals, including future Prime Minister Itō Hirobumi and elder statesman Inoue Kaoru, secretly traveled to England to study at University College in London. Their goal was to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and establish a new government with the emperor at its head.1

The Chōshū domain, along with Satsuma, formed an alliance that utilized Western weapons and tactics. This alliance successfully defeated the shogunal forces, leading to the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the establishment of a new imperial government. The Chōshū Five's experience abroad provided them with crucial knowledge that informed Japan's rapid transformation into a modern state.12

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Empire of Japan
The last shogun
…to be known as the Chōshū Five had secretly traveled to England to study at University College in London. Among these men were future prime minister Itō Hirobumi and future genrō (“elder statesman”) Inoue Kaoru. Their goal was nothing less than the overthrow of the shogunate and the
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…to be known as the Chōshū Five had secretly traveled to England to study at University College in London. Among these men were future prime minister Itō Hirobumi and future genrō (“elder statesman”) Inoue Kaoru. Their goal was nothing less than the overthrow of the shogunate and the
Read More