Throughout the Edo period, the Choshu clan superficially existed as a normal clan that assumed an attitude of obedience toward Bakufu; however, it is said that with each new year it conducted a ceremony to confirm its hard feelings against Bakufu (although no decisive evidence exists).
長州藩は江戸期全体を通して表向きは幕府に恭順の姿勢をとる普通の藩として存在していたが、毎年正月には幕府への怨恨を確かめる儀式を執り行っていたと伝えられる（確たる証拠はない）。