[7] Defeated in the Sino-Japanese War, China signed the April 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding part of the Liaotung Peninsula to Japan. Within the week, however, Russia, Germany, and France intervened to block Japan from taking possession. This "retrocession" of the peninsula forced upon the Japanese caused a public outcry against the "triple intervention" and is mentioned several times in the following chapters.
The essay's actual title, "Gashin shotan ron," referred to the slogan used by the Japanese government to counter public criticism of its handling of the affair and alluded to a prince in ancient China who was said to keep a container of gall by his side the better to nurse his vengeance against victorious enemies.