翻刻
事許多に有之兼而酒井若狭守殿と申合堂上方ニ正議之御方
有之候得ハ種々無実之羅□て 天朝をも同腹之小人而已に
致さん事を相謀り万一報国尽忠候志烈敷手余り候族有之節ハ
夷狄の力をかり可取押との心底顕然ニ候誠ニ 神州之賊とも可申
ニ而候故其儘打過候而ハ奉悩 叡慮候事ハ不申及於
幕府も御失体之御政事已而ニ成行千古迄も汚名を被為受候様
相成候事鏡に懸て見るか如し不容易御儀と奉存候其上当時之
御模様之如く因循姑息之御政事而已ニ而一年送りニ被為過候ハヽ近
年之内ニ天下ハ夷狄乱臣之物と相成候事必然之勢ニ御座候旁以片時も
寝食を安し難く右者全対馬守殿奸計邪謀を専ニ被致候処より
指起り候儀ニ付臣子之至情難黙止此度微臣共申合対馬守殿を及
斬殺申候対馬守殿之罪状ハ一々枚挙ニ不堪候得共其一端を挙而申候ハヽ
此度 皇妹御縁組之儀も表向ハ 天朝より被下置候様
取繕ひ 公武御合体之姿を示し候得共実ハ奸謀威力を以て
奉却奪候も同様之筋ニ御座候故此後必定 皇妹を枢機にして外
夷交易御免之 勅諚を推而申下し候手段ニ可有之候其檄若も
不相叶節者窃ニ 天子之御譲位奉醸候心底ニ而既ニ和学
者共へ申付 廃帝之古例を為調候始末 将軍家を不
義に引入万世之後悪逆之名を流し候様取計候所行ニ而北条足利ニも
相起候逆謀者我等共切歯痛憤之至可申様無之候扨又外夷取扱之
義ハ対馬守殿弥増慇懃丁寧を加へ何方も彼等か申所ニ随ひ日本
周海測量之儀迄差許し 皇国之形勢委敷彼等ニ相教へ近
頃ハ品川御殿山を不残彼等ニ貸渡江戸第一之要地を外夷共ニ渡し
候類ハ彼等を道引て我国を取しめ候も同然之義ニ有之其上外夷
応接之後ハ毎々指向候而密談及数刻骨関同様に親睦致候而国中
現代語訳
【現代語訳】
……（対馬守殿の奸謀は）数え切れないほど多くあり、かねてより酒井若狭守殿と申し合わせ、堂上方（公家）の中に正論・正義を主張される御方がおられれば、種々の無実の罪に陥れて、朝廷をも同腹の小人どもばかりにしてしまおうと謀り、万一、報国尽忠の志の激しい、手に負えない者が出た場合には、夷狄の力を借りて取り押さえようとの心底が歴然としております。まことに「神州の賊」とも申すべき者どもであります。
それゆえ、このまま見過ごしては、叡慮（天子のお心）を悩ませ奉ることはいうまでもなく、幕府においても失態の政事がそのまま続き、千古にわたって汚名を受けられることになるのは、鏡に映して見るように明らかであり、容易ならぬことと存じます。そのうえ、今日のような様子で、因循姑息の政事のみで一年また一年と過ごされるならば、近年のうちに天下は夷狄・乱臣のものとなることは必然の勢いでございます。
よって、片時も寝食を安んじ難く、これはすべて対馬守殿が奸計・邪謀をもっぱらにしておられるところから引き起こされたことゆえ、臣子の至情として黙止し難く、このたび微臣ども申し合わせ、対馬守殿を斬殺するに及びました。対馬守殿の罪状は一つひとつ枚挙にいとまがありませんが、その一端を挙げて申し上げますれば——
このたびの皇妹御縁組の儀（和宮の御降嫁）も、表向きは朝廷から下し置かれたかのように取り繕い、公武合体の姿を示しておりますが、実は奸謀・威力をもって（朝廷より）奪い取られたも同様の筋でございます。それゆえ、今後は必ずや皇妹を枢機（重要な手段）として、外夷との交易御免の勅諚を推して申し下させる手段に出るものと思われます。その策が万一叶わない節には、密かに天子の御譲位を醸成し奉ろうとの心底であり、すでに和学者（国学者）どもへ申し付けて、廃帝の古例を調べさせた始末であります。将軍家を不義に引き入れ、万世の後にも悪逆の名を流すよう取り計らっている所業は、北条・足利にも比べるべき逆謀であって、我ら同志が切歯痛憤の至り、申しようもございません。
さらにまた、外夷取り扱いの義については、対馬守殿はいよいよ慇懃丁寧を加え、いずれも彼らの申すところに随い、日本周海（日本周辺の海域）測量の儀まで差し許し、皇国の形勢を委しく彼らに教え、近頃は品川御殿山を残らず彼らに貸し渡し、江戸第一の要地を外夷どもに渡し候類は、彼らを道案内して我が国を取り締めさせるも同然の義でございます。そのうえ外夷との応接の後は、毎々（かれらの許へ）出向いて密談し、数刻にわたって、骨肉と同様に親睦を致し、国中……
英語訳
**[Continuation from previous page]**
…there are exceedingly many [such instances of treachery]. Having previously conspired with Lord Sakai Wakasa-no-kami, they plotted to fabricate various false charges against any member of the court nobility (*dōjō-kata*) who advanced righteous arguments, so as to fill the Imperial Court with none but petty men of the same treacherous disposition; and in the event that any individual of burning patriotic and loyal spirit proved too difficult to handle, their underlying intention — plainly evident — was to borrow the power of the foreign barbarians to suppress such persons. These men truly deserve to be called "enemies of the Divine Realm" (*shinshū no zoku*).
If this state of affairs were allowed to continue unchecked, it goes without saying that it would cause distress to the Imperial mind (*eiry*ō), but it is also as plain as looking in a mirror that the Shogunate's disgraced governance would continue on its present course and that an eternal stigma would be incurred — a matter of no small gravity. Moreover, if, as things now stand, governance continues in this dilatory and makeshift manner, going from one year to the next, it is an inevitable tendency that within the near future the realm will fall into the hands of foreign barbarians and treacherous ministers.
For these reasons, we have been unable to rest or eat in peace even for a moment. Since all of this originates from the fact that Lord Tsushima-no-kami has devoted himself exclusively to wicked schemes and evil plots, we, moved by the deepest loyalty of subjects, could no longer remain silent, and thus on this occasion we, your humble servants, having taken counsel together, proceeded to carry out the killing of Lord Tsushima-no-kami. The charges against Lord Tsushima-no-kami are too numerous to enumerate one by one, but to cite one instance:
The matter of the imperial princess's betrothal (*kōmai go-en'gumi*, i.e., Princess Kazunomiya's marriage) on this occasion has been outwardly presented as something bestowed by the Imperial Court, giving the appearance of a union between the Court and the Shogunate (*kōbu gattai*); but in truth it is a matter tantamount to having forcibly seized and appropriated it through scheming and the exercise of power. It is therefore certain that hereafter the imperial princess will be used as a crucial instrument to advance the means of causing an imperial edict permitting trade with the foreign barbarians to be issued and proclaimed. And should that stratagem fail, there is underlying intent to secretly engineer the abdication of the Emperor — already they have ordered scholars of Japanese learning (*wagaku-sha*, i.e., National Learning scholars) to look into ancient precedents for the deposition of emperors. The conduct of drawing the Shogunal house into iniquity and scheming to spread the name of wicked treachery for ten thousand generations is a conspiracy comparable even to that of the Hōjō and the Ashikaga, and we your comrades are overcome with indignation and gnashing of teeth beyond all words.
Furthermore, with respect to the handling of the foreign barbarians, Lord Tsushima-no-kami has shown ever-increasing deference and courtesy, acceding to whatever they demand, going so far as to permit the surveying of the waters surrounding Japan, thoroughly informing them of the strategic disposition of the Imperial Realm, and of late granting them the use of the entirety of Gotenyama in Shinagawa — surrendering one of Edo's most strategically vital locations to the foreign barbarians. This is tantamount to personally guiding them to occupy and control our country. Moreover, after conducting official meetings with the foreign barbarians, he repeatedly visits them to hold private conversations, spending many hours with them, cultivating intimacy with them as though they were his own flesh and blood, throughout the land…