Sakuradamon Incident (1860)

Sakuradamon Incident
Sakuradamon incident. Detail from print
Native name 桜田門外の変
DateMarch 24, 1860 (1860-03-24)
LocationSakurada Gate, Edo Castle, present-day Tokyo, Japan
Coordinates35°40′40″N 139°45′10″E / 35.67778°N 139.75278°E / 35.67778; 139.75278
TypeAssassination
MotiveOpposition to the signing of the 1858 Treaty of Amity and Commerce
TargetIi Naosuke
ParticipantsRōnin samurai
Casualties
Ii Naosuke

The Sakuradamon Incident (桜田門外の変, Sakuradamon-gai no Hen, or 桜田門の変 Sakuradamon no Hen) was the assassination of Ii Naosuke, Chief Minister (Tairō) of the Tokugawa shogunate, on March 24, 1860 by rōnin samurai of the Mito Domain and Satsuma Domain, outside the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle.