Several local daimyo, up to this point…

Several local daimyo, up to this point faithful to the Shogun, have been persuaded by courtiers, and start to defect to the side of the imperial court.

These include daimyo of Yodo on February 5, and the daimyo of Tsu on February 6, tilting the military balance in favor of the Imperial side.

On February 7, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, apparently distressed by the imperial approval given to the actions of Satsuma and Chōshū, flees Osaka aboard the Kaiyō Maru, withdrawing to Edo.

Demoralized by his flight and by the betrayal by Yodo and Tsu, Shogunate forces retreat, making the Toba-Fushimi encounter an Imperial victory, although it is often considered the Shogunate forces should have won the encounter.