 The forces of Chōshū and Satsuma were fully modernized with Armstrong guns, Minié rifles and one Gatling gun. The Shogunate forces had been slightly lagging in term of equipment, although the French military mission to Japan (1867 – 1868) had recently trained a core elite force. The Shogun also relied on troops supplied by allied domains, which were not necessarily as advanced in terms of military equipment and methods, composing an army that had both modern and outdated elements.
