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When a Japanese Man Almost Assassinated the Last Tsar of Russia
In 1891, Nicholas II, the Crown Prince of Russia, traveled to Japan as the last stop to his world tour with his brother and Prince George of Greece. The Japanese royalty welcomed Nicholas and his entourage as state guests. Nicholas and his entourage traveled multiple cities in Japan and made their last stop in Kyoto, the capital city of Japan, to greet the Emperor.
The incident happened when Prince Nicholas, Prince George, and Prince Takehito of Japan were sight seeing in Otsu, a town next to Kyoto. The entourage consisted of the three princes and was touring the famous Lake Biwa and the main street of Otsu.
While the entourage was parading the main street, a security guard named Tsuda Sanzo approached Nicholas’ rickshaw and struck his head with a sword. Nicholas staggered off to the side of the road, while the other two princes and rickshaw workers took Sanzo down. This attack left Nicholas with a 3 inch long wound on his head.
The whole country feared Russia’s vengeance and Emperor Meiji publicly addressed the incident…
