Tsushima Incident The Tsushima Incident occurred in 1861 when the Russians attempted to establish a year - round anchorage on the coast of the island of Tsushima , a Japanese territory located between Kyushu and Korea . British version of events . Arrival of the " Posadnik " . On 13 March 1861 , the Russian corvette " Posadnik " ( Посадник , 1856 ) , captained by Nicolai Birilev , arrived in Tsushima island in the inlet of Ozaki , the captain demanding landing rights . This event triggered fear in the Japanese Shogunate , as the Russians had already attempted to breach Japan ' s isolation policy in the northern island of Hokkaido with the events involving Adam Laxman in 1792 , the burning of villages there in 1806 , and the events leading to the arrest of Vasilii Golovnin in 1811 . At that time , only a few Japanese ports were open to foreign ships ( Hakodate , Nagasaki , Yokohama ) , and Tsushima was clearly not one of them , thus suggesting unfriendly intentions on the part of the Russians . If taken over by the Russians , Tsushima could have become an effective base for further aggression . Japan received British help to support its policy . As tension rose , a second Russian ship arrived , and requests were made by the Russians to build a landing base and to receive supplies . Clash . On 13 May 1861 , the Russians sent a launch to explore the eastern coast of the island , despite the presence of two Saga Domain warships , the Kankō Maru and the Denryū Maru , as well as one British warship . On May 21 , 1861 , a clash took place between the Russian sailors of a launch and a group of samurai and farmers , in which one farmer was killed and one samurai , who soon committed suicide , was captured by the Russians . In mid - July , Foreign Magistrate Muragaki Narimasa went directly to the Russian Consulate in Hakodate , demanding the departure of the ship to the Russian Consul Goshkevitch . Russian retreat . As this strategy did not work , the Japanese asked the British to intervene , as they also had an interest in preventing the Russians from extending their influence in Asia . Admiral Hope arrived in Tsushima with two warships on 28 August , and on 19 September 1861 the " Posadnik " finally had to leave Tsushima . Russian version of events . Background . The late 1850s saw a period of Russian expansion into the Sea of Japan , with the setting up a post in the estuary of the Amur in 1850 , the acquisition of the present Primorsky Krai by the Treaty of Aigun ( 1858 ) and the Convention of Peking ( 1860 ) , and the establishment of Vladivostok in 1860 . In 1858 the Imperial Russian Navy leased a strip of Nagasaki Bay coastline across the village of Inasa as a winter anchorage for the Chinese Flotilla ' s emerging Pacific Fleet ( all domestic anchorages froze up in winter ) . Flotilla commander Admiral Ivan Likhachev realized the dangers of basing the fleet in a foreign port , and settled on establishing a permanent base in Tsushima . He was aware that the British had attempted to set their flag there in 1859 and had conducted hydrographic surveys around the island in 1855 . In 1860 he requested a go - ahead from the government in Saint Petersburg ; the cautious foreign minister , Alexander Gorchakov , ruled out any incursions against British interests , while General Admiral Konstantin Nikolayevich suggested making a private deal with the head of Tsushima - Fuchū Domain , as long as it did not disturb " the West " . In case of failure the Russian authorities would deny all knowledge of the expedition . Landing . In line with Likhachev ' s will and Konstantin ' s advice " Posadnik " left Hakodate February 20 , 1861 and on March 1 reached the village of Osaki on the western coast of Aso Bay ( Tatamura Bay in historical reports ) . Mune Yoshiori , head of Tsushima clan , immediately informed the Bakufu government , however , the cautious cabinet of Andō Nobumasa delayed their response and Yoshiori had to act on his own . Birilev , captain of the " Posadnik " , made personal contact with Mune , exchanged courtesy gifts , and secured Yoshiori ' s consent to survey the Imosaki Bay ; " Posadnik " arrived there on April 2 . The crew disembarked , raised the Russian flag , and began building temporary housing , a landing jetty and prepared to refit the ship which needed repairs to propeller and stern tube . Japanese officials tacitly agreed with de facto establishing a naval base and even assigned a team of fifteen local carpenters to help the Russians ; the latter rewarded Mune with a gift of small naval cannons . Likhachev inspected the bay twice , March 27 on board the " Oprichnik " and April 16 on board the " Svetlana " and recorded friendly behaviour of the Japanese , however , in April the situation irreversibly changed . Clash . On April 12 , 1861 when the Russians disembarked from their launches , a group of local peasants led by one Yasugoro attempted to bar entrance and drive the Russians back . In the ensuing clash Yasugoro was killed , two Japanese peasants taken hostage , the rest fled ; no Russian fatalities were recorded . Mune appeased the population , ordering them to wait for a Bakumatsu pronouncement , and did not take any action . Russian sources say nothing about presence of Japanese or British warship in the area . Aftermath . Oguri Tadamasa , the messenger of Bakumatsu arrived in Tsushima in May and politely told Birilev to leave ; Birilev explained that he would not move unless the Admiral orders retreat . After 13 days of waiting in vain Oguri left ; he left a letter allowing contacts between Birilev and local administration without prejudices against further radical action by the Japanese . Birilev used the permit to the full , and persuaded the council of Japanese officials to issue a charter agreeing with Russian naval presence in Tsushima . Tsushima elders granted the coastline between Hiroura and Imosaki exclusively to the Russians and agreed to bar entrance to any other foreign nation . The charter , however , clearly said that all these concessions depended on good will of the central government . The latter vehemently opposed the deal and called the British envoy Rutherford Alcock for help . Alcock immediately dispatched two ships under command of Vice Admiral James Hope . Retreat . Likhachev , as instructed by Konstantin , ordered a general retreat and sent the message to Tsushima with the " Oprichnik " . Birilev and " Posadnik " left Tsushima on September 7 , 1861 , while " Oprichnik " and " Abrek " stayed in the harbor ; both finally left at the end of September 1861 . Likhachev later said that the failure had its upside : " We did not allow the British conquest of the islands " , an opinion indirectly supported by contemporary personal meetings between Gorchakov and ambassador Francis Napier ; the latter , however , never gave a definite answer about British plans in Tsushima . Likhachev was demoted from his command and tendered a voluntary resignation , which was rejected ; the admiral was given command of a Baltic Fleet squadron . The Russian Navy stayed at Nagasaki until the completion of the Port Arthur base in China .