In 1868, after the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, monk-Prince Kogen visited Tosei Daisotoku (the Great Governor-General in charge of the military expedition to the east) Imperial Prince Arisugawanomiya Taruhito in Sunpu at the request of bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) and asked for the previous Shogun Yoshinobu TOKUGAWA's life and the cancellation of tosei (military expedition to the east) to a new government.
慶応4年（1868年）、鳥羽・伏見の戦いののち、公現入道親王は幕府の依頼を受けて東征大総督・有栖川宮熾仁親王を駿府に訪ね、新政府に前将軍徳川慶喜の助命と東征中止の嘆願を行う。