Wild East

For over two centuries Japan had been hidden behind a veil of seclusion. This changed in when Commodore Perry arrived in 1853\. Unsurprisingly for a world power, Britain was fast to get in on the action. But unknown to the intruders their sudden appearance had accelerated the pace of political change in Japan. The newcomers found themselves increasingly out of their depth in a power struggle that they did not understand. The Shogun and the Emperor were at each other's throats, factions were