At this time, in July 1862, Yoshinaga MATSUDAIRA became the president of political affairs, and Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA became the Shogun-kokenshoku officer (reformation of shogunate administration in Bunkyu) that took in Satsuma's opinion; also, on the main island, in an intercalary year on August, Katamori MATSUDAIRA of the lord of the Aizu domain attained the title of Kyoto Shugoshoku, and Sadaaki MATSUDAIRA of the lord of the Kuwana domain became Kyoto Shoshidai (the local governor of Kyoto), and the power of the Bakufu (feudal government) was showing an inclination to reconstruction, however in May 1863, the Choshu domain caused an incident in that gunfire at a North American ship was discharged and the Tenchugumi-no-ran War at Nara Gojo, and the seven nobles outrunning to Choshu (Coups of August eighteenth) occurred in August, and Ikuno-no-Hen (Conspiracy of Ikuno) occurred in October, and also the radical Joi (those who held to the principle of excluding foreigners) group, which was against opening the port, provided resistance several times to thward the plans of the domain.
この頃、本土では、薩摩の意見も取り入れ、文久2年（1862年）7月に松平慶永が政事総裁職、徳川慶喜が将軍後見職となり（文久の幕政改革）、閏8月に会津藩主松平容保が京都守護職、桑名藩主松平定敬が京都所司代となって、幕権に回復傾向が見られる一方、文久3年（1863年）5月に長州藩の米艦砲撃事件、8月に奈良五条の天誅組の乱と長州への七卿落ち（八月十八日の政変）、10月に生野の変など、開港に反対する攘夷急進派が種々の抵抗をして、幕権の失墜をはかっていた。