The Satsuma Rebellion book. In Kagoshima prefecture (formerly Satsuma domain), the samurai of the 'private-school faction' (referring to graduates of the private school set up by SAIGO Takamori and his disciples), organized by KIRINO Toshiaki, et al., joined forces with the Prefectural Governor OYAMA Tsunayoshi to advance their own policies. The Satsuma Rebellion (also known as "seinan sens" - the Southwestern War) was a turning point in Japanese history. Japan Currency Museum. Legend says that one of his followers, Beppu Shinsuke, acted as kaishakunin and aided Saig in committing seppuku before he could be captured. Historian Ivan Morris described him as "the quintessential hero of modern Japanese history". Saigo Takamori likely was killed in the initial barrage, although tradition holds that he was just gravely injured and committed seppuku. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. The samurai were armed with traditional weapons including katanas, naginata and yari polearms, yumi bows, and Sengoku era gunpowder weapons such as tanegashima, baj-zutsu, and wooden cannons. Like all other times in his life, though, his retirement was short-livedin January of 1869, the Satsuma daimyo made him a counselor of the domain's government. 0 references. Economic effects of the Satsuma Rebellion resulted in the passing of the Act of February 4, 1877, which reduced the land tax from 3% to 2.5%. Small-scale rebellions broke out around Japan, and the shogun's troops proved shockingly unable to put down the uprisings. As commander of Satsuma's troops, Saigo led an 1864 punitive expedition against the Choshu domain, whose army in Kyoto had opened fire on the Emperor's residence. "How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion." In the 7th century, Japan took a . The shogunate's troops were well-armed, but their leaders had no consistent strategy, and they failed to cover their own flanks. However, Northeastern domains led by Aizu continued to fight on the shogun's behalf until September., when they surrendered to Saigo, who treated them fairly, furthering his fame as a symbol of samurai virtue. On February 13 and 14, the Satsuma domain's army of 12,900 organized itself into units. The rebellion lasted from January 29, 1877, until September of that year, when it was decisively crushed, and its leader, Saig Takamori, was shot and mortally wounded. Fearing a rebellion, the Meiji government sent a warship to Kagoshima to remove the weapons stockpiled at the Kagoshima arsenal on January 30, 1877. Morale was extremely low, and lacking any strategy, the Satsuma forces dug in to wait for the next Imperial Army offensive. By . . Sophia University was established in Tokyo in 1913 by the Society of Jesus. Ravina said that the war's scope was much farther than Satsuma, and he characterizes the event as being closer to a civil war than a rebellion. image. Meanwhile, the Joseon Dynasty in Korea refused to recognize the Mutsuhito as an emperor, because it traditionally recognized only the Chinese emperor as suchall other rulers were mere kings. However, other evidence contradicts this, stating that Saig in fact died of the bullet wound and then had his head removed by Beppu in order to preserve his dignity. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji government. The samurai then attacked imperial facilities around the province, seizing weapons and parading them through the streets of Kagoshima. Roughly one-half of the work is devoted to the entire course of the rebellion. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Although all of the rebels were killed, the imperial troops managed to locate Saigo's buried head. Publish Date: Oct 08, 2018. These attacks on the ramparts continued for two days, until Saigo decided to settle in for a siege. The Korean government even went as far as having a prefect publicly state that by adopting western-style customs and clothing, Japan had become a barbarian nation. The five government warships in Kagoshima harbor added their firepower to Yamagata's artillery, and began to systematically reduce the rebel positions. RF HA13E4 - The donjon or central keep of the castle is a reconstruction built in the 1970s of the original sacked and burned during the AD.1877 Satsuma rebellion RM P3P0W0 - Battle of Seinan (1877)from Dainihon Rekishi Nishikie, published between late Edo and early Meiji period, Artist Yoshusai (Toyohara) Chikanobu, Private Collection. Format: Hardcover. Zargabraath 3 yr. ago. After Saigo's death, Beppu and the last of the "ex-samurai" drew their swords and plunged downhill toward the Imperial positions and to their deaths. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History; with Maps - Primary Source Edition. The end of the Satsuma Rebellion also marked the end of the samurai era in Japan. On September 1, Saigo and his 300 surviving men moved to Shiroyama mountain above Kagoshima, which was occupied by 7,000 imperial troops. In Satsuma and the rest of Japan, though, it was not clear whether reforms like these were sufficient, or if the entire social and political systems were due for a revolutionary change. On January 30, 1877, the central government launched a raid on the arms and ammunition storage areas in Kagoshima, without any prior warning to the Satsuma authorities. Gordon, Andrew. Warbox|conflict=Satsuma Rebellion caption= Saig Takamori (seated, in Western uniform), surrounded by his officers, in traditional attire. Each battalion was divided into ten companies of 200 men. The Wealthy Chiefs Inspecting the Decapitated Heads of Enemies, Presentation of the Emperor's Gift Cup for the second time to commanders involved in pacifying Western Japan (Saigoku), 1877, Report: The Whole Nation Living in Perfect Contentment (Empress, Empress Dowager and Court Ladies in Waiting Sewing Pledgets), 1877, Iwai Hanshir VIII, Ichikawa Danjr IX and Ichikawa Sadanji in The Morning East Wind Clearing the Clouds of the Southwest, March 1878, Bronze Statue of Saig in Ueno Park, 1899, The Debate Over Invading Korea (Seikanron), http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090913a6.html, http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko10/b10_8333/index.html. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. A battalion was 672 men strong and was organized as per the line battalions. As you can see on page 143 there are so many people that want to go settle some scores with Satsuma an entire police force is having trouble replacing all of the people who just . With a smaller force, and unsure about the loyalty of his Kyushu-native troops, Tani decided to stay inside the castle rather than venture out to face Saigo's army. During 1867, Saigo and officials from Choshu and Tosa made plans to bring down the Tokugawa bakufu. The rebellion was very expensive for the government, which forced it to make numerous monetary reforms including leaving the gold standard. The Satsuma Rebellion. By August 17, the Satsuma army had been reduced to 3000 combatants, and had lost most of its modern firearms and all of its artillery. Then, Japan attacked forcing the Joseon king to sign an unequal treaty, which eventually led to the outright annexation of Korea in 1910. The Rebellion reduced Japan's yearly expenditure from 13,700,000 to 10,250,000, and it raised Japan's national debt from 28,000,000 to 70,000,000. Japan was divided into six military districts: Tokyo, Sendai, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima and Kumamoto, with two or three regiments of infantry, plus artillery and other auxiliary troops, assigned to each district. The main Imperial Army, under General Kuroda Kiyotaka with the assistance of General Yamakawa Hiroshi arrived in Kumamoto on April 12, putting the now heavily outnumbered Satsuma forces to flight. The spy leader confessed under torture that he was supposed to assassinate Saigo. Three years later, he began work in the local bureaucracy as an agricultural adviser, where he continued to work through his brief, childless arranged marriage to 23-year-old Ijuin Suga in 1852. Since the OP might be interested, here are the pages from the above reading on the Satsuma Rebellion and its aftermath. English Wikipedia. Monumenta Nipponica In the end, he was killed by the imperial army he organized. Request Permissions. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Kumamoto castle, built in 1598, was among the strongest in Japan, but Saig was confident that his forces would be more than a match for Tani's peasant conscripts, who were still demoralized by the recent Shinpren rebellion. traffic source, etc. During the latter years of the Tokugawa shogunate, just prior to the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma clan began to invest heavily in armaments, building a new shipyard at Kagoshima, two weapons factories, and three ammunition depots. Forty-six other military officers from the southwest resigned as well, and government officials feared that Saigo would lead a coup. They were armed with breech-loading Snider rifles and could fire approximately six rounds per minute. [1], Saig Kokichi ( ) was born in Kajiya, Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, the eldest son of samurai squire (koshkumi) Saig Kichib and his wife Masa. The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War (Japanese: , Hepburn: Seinan Sens, lit. [3], Saig Takamori, one of the senior Satsuma leaders in the Meiji government who had initially supported the reforms, was especially concerned about growing political corruption - popular prints depicted the rebel army with banners bearing the words shinsei-ktoku (, new government, high morality). The rebellion also effectively ended the samurai class, as the new Imperial Japanese Army built on heimin conscripts had proven itself in battle. ode to the vampire mother results; national asset mortgage lawsuit; green tuna paper; mary davis sos band net worth However, Saig was one of the most vocal and vehement opponents to the negotiated solution, demanding that the Tokugawa be stripped of their lands and special status. 2 Army, Colt M1861 Navy, and the Russian Model 1857 Six Line muzzleloading rifles that could fire approximately one round per minute. "Saigo Takamori: The Last Samurai." By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. @media only screen and (min-device-width : 320px) and (max-device-width : 480px) { However, most of the garrison was from Kysh, while a significant number of officers were natives of Kagoshima; their loyalties were open to question. All three accounts report that the body was decapitated. revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. In December 1876, the Meiji government sent a police officer named Nakahara Hisao and 57 other men to investigate reports of subversive activities and unrest. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Add to Wish List Link to this Book Add to Bookbag Sell this Book Buy it at Amazon Compare Prices. Saig was initially confident of his ability to take Kumamoto Castle, but he had underestimated the effectiveness of the imperial conscripts defending the castle. The work is generally accurate and has much of . Satsuma Rebellion The first test of the young Meiji government came with the revolt of the powerful Satsuma clan based in the southern region of the island of Kyushu. When the attack finally came, the Satsuma forces withdrew, leaving small pockets of samurai to hit the larger army in guerrilla-style strikes. "Southwestern War") was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Multiple legends sprang up concerning Saig, many of which denied his death. A battalion had 640 men in peacetime and theoretically 960 men in wartime. While the year 1868 was crucial to the fall of the shogunate and the establishment of a new government . However, he was never able to reconcile his love of samurai tradition with the demands of modernizing the nation. The Shigakko students set out with him, bringing rifles, pistols, swords, and artillery. 4, Sophia University, JSTOR, 1973. by HistoryNet Staff 6/12/2006 Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and became home to unemployed samurai after military reforms rendered their status obsolete. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History (1879) Author: Augustus Henry Mounsey. }, Page last modified: [10] Statues in Ueno Park, Tokyo and near the ruins of Kagoshima Castle stand in his memory. Saig resigned from all of his government positions in protest and returned to his hometown of Kagoshima. But in Satsuma the division of feeling remained unaltered, a circumstance which, added to separatist tendencies that stood in the way of combined action, was, in the sequel, of much benefit to the Government. Main article: Satsuma Rebellion Portrait of Saig Takamori, faithful depiction by the acquaintance Tokonami Masayoshi in 1887 Saig preparing for war Shortly thereafter, a private military academy known as the Shi-gakk was established in Kagoshima for the faithful samurai who had also resigned their posts to follow him from Tokyo. HOME > Initial Steps toward a Constitutional State > b. What will you do when your traditional way of life is threatened by a powerful force in your native lands? The division of feeling which existed in several of the clans following the Meiji Restoration was most conspicuous in Satsuma, Choshiu and Mito. Outraged by the government's tactics, 50 students from Saig's academy attacked the Somuta Arsenal and carried off weapons. By early 1873, Japanese militarists who interpreted this as a grave affront called for an invasion of Korea but in a July meeting that year, Saigo opposed sending warships to Korea. The Apocryphal Suicide of Saig Takamori: Samurai, Seppuku, and the Politics of Legend. Journal of Asian Studies 69.3 (2010): 691-721. This influential clan was headed by the Shimazu family, which had been founded by Shimazu Tadahisa, son of Minamoto Yoritomo, in the Kamakura period. Saig and his remaining samurai were pushed back to Kagoshima where, in a final battle, the Battle of Shiroyama, Imperial Army troops under the command of General Yamagata Aritomo and marines under the command of Admiral Kawamura Sumiyoshi outnumbered Saig 60-to-1. imported from Wikimedia project. Friction among the Cabinet members over the question of Korean conquest, added to the local disturbances, made the already confused state of things worse confounded, and the result was the famous Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. Although Nakahara later repudiated the confession, it was widely believed in Satsuma and was used as justification by the disaffected samurai that a rebellion was necessary in order to "protect Saig". Blog. Saig initially disagreed with the modernization of Japan and the opening of commerce with the West. Although much of his history has been lost, recent scholars have discovered clues to the true nature of this illustrious warrior and diplomat. At the start of the Satsuma Rebellion, the Imperial Japanese Army (including the Imperial Guard) numbered approximately 34,000 men. There were many causes of the Indian Rebellion. At one point, he offered to visit Korea in person and to provoke a casus belli by behaving in such an insulting manner that the Koreans would be forced to kill him. The Meiji Era controlled most of Japan, except for a small area in the southwestern part of Japan, which was the Satsuma. The myth stems from the fact that the legions used a phalanx system with spears as primary system before the manipel system was introduced and the Gladius became thr primary weapon for most of the empire. However, a government garrison at Kumamoto Castle stood in the Satsuma rebels' path, manned by about 3,800 soldiers and 600 police under Major General Tani Tateki. Brilliant Essays. Ever since his retirement from office, and his withdrawal to his native province in 1873, the elder Saigo had remained in Kagoshima, the chief town of Satsuma. Armed uprisings erupted successively in the Chugoku Region (western Honshu) and Kyushu, with the protagonists arguing for going through with the conquest of Korea and restoring samurai privileges. The Satsuma Rebellion which took place in 1877was the most famous, and the final major instance out of a series of shizoku rebellionsled in the late 1870s by former samuraiof southwestern Japan against the prospect of the Meiji governmentabolishing their elite status and the rice stipends which had traditionally been the samurai's chief or sole Satsuma Rebellion. They had, they considered, paid the piper, and they wished to call the tune. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. The Satsuma Rebellion was a samurai rebellion against the imperial government of Japan which occurred from 29 January to 24 September 1877 on the island of Kyushu. revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. After Saig rejected a letter dated September 1 from Yamagata drafted by a young Suematsu Kench asking him to surrender, Yamagata ordered a full frontal assault on September 24, 1877. The imperial government in Tokyo expected Saigo to come to the capital by sea or to dig in and defend Satsuma. The conflict of opinions between the conservative internal policy party and the strong foreign policy party resulted in a vehement controversy over the question of an invasion of Korea, and finally led to the great Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. In real life, Saig initially led the Imperial forces and won the four-day Battle of Toba-Fushimi in January 1868. The situation was especially desperate for the defenders as their stores of food and ammunition had been depleted by a warehouse fire shortly before the rebellion began. What the disaffected clans and individuals wanted was a larger share of power. The Satsuma samurai fought on with fierce determination; meanwhile, the defenders ran out of artillery shells. On March 4, Imperial Army General Yamagata ordered a frontal assault against Tabaruzaka, guarding the approaches to Kumamoto, which developed into an eight-day-long battle. Even before the Restoration the contentions of rival parties had led in Choshiu to grave disorders, which had weakened that clan in its conflict with the Tokugawa Government; while in Mito the struggle of opposing factions, supporting, respectively, the Shogunate, and the Court party represented by the old Prince of Mito, had resulted in prolonged and fierce fighting. His letter indicated that he was not committed to rebellion and sought a peaceful settlement. 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