Shogunate forces attack the forces of Chōshū…

Shogunate forces attack the forces of Chōshū and Satsuma on January 27, 1868, clashing near Toba and Fushimi, at the southern entrance of Kyoto.

Some parts of the fifteen thousand-strong Shogunate forces had been trained by French military advisers, but the majority remain medieval samurai forces.

Meanwhile, the forces of Chōshū and Satsuma are outnumbered 3:1 but fully modernized with Armstrong howitzers, Minié rifles and a few Gatling guns.