Although the Shogunate had requested that he return by ship due to security reasons, he insisted on traveling overland to uphold one of the provisions of the treaty, namely that the movement of diplomats within Japan not be restricted. This greatly incensed the sonnō jōi party, especially a number of extremist rōnin formerly of Mito Domain. Led by Ariga Hanya, a number of rōnin assembled at the Toraya inn at Shinagawa-juku, and made their attack on the night of July 5, 1861 at 10 PM. Within the legation, some of the staff had stayed awake to follow the passage of a comet while Alcock slept in his apartments. There was a squad of sentries guarding the legation from Nishio Domain and Yamato-Kōriyama Domain but no particular precautions had been taken. The situation had returned to normal after the events of 1860 and no one suspected an imminent attack. When the Mito rōnin stormed the legation, the Japanese sentries fought back vigorously, killing three (including Ariga) and capturing three others. Two of the defenders were killed, and ten wounded, including George Morrison and the writer Laurence Oliphant, who were later sent back to England to recover. Alcock had time to load his revolver and fire a few shots before the battle was over. Of the three captured rōnin, one was executed by beheading and two committed seppuku. Of those who escaped the battle, four were found at the Toraya inn (of whom one committed seppuku rather than surrender, two were captured and committed seppuku, and one was executed), two were later killed during the Sakashitamon incident and one at the Tenchūgumi incident, and two more were killed at other locations. Only two of the participants survived until after the Meiji restoration. Alcock, who had bitterly protested the presence of the Japanese guards as a nuisance and accused them of being nothing more than spies for the Shogunate finally realized the depth of anti-foreign sentiment. He threatened that he would use the attack as a casus belli unless the shogunate agreed to permit a British garrison to be stationed at the legation, the number of Japanese guards increased, and compensation of $10,000 to be paid. The shogunate was forced to concede to all of these demands. Even so, Alcock would later write in his memoirs that the Japanese guards assigned did nothing to fight the attackers and it was only by his