Restoration, court politics, and civil war

The Meiji Restoration provided the political setting for a military civil war. The Charter Oath used broad language that promised consultation and reform while leaving control of state policy unresolved. The restoration coalition could use the emperor's authority to legitimize its own seizure of power. Tokugawa Yoshinobu therefore faced a severe dilemma when opponents appeared under imperial colors: resisting them could be presented as resisting the emperor himself. That legitimacy weakened the shogunate's ability to hold its coalition together even before Hakodate was fought.