Early on February 22, the Satsuma attack began. Buck, James H. "The Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. The Meiji government, with an army numbering 300,000 to 350,000 and was able to cripple the Satsuma rebellion in a matter of months. His childhood name was Kokichi and he received the given name Takamori in adulthood. The Last Samurai's Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the iconic Japanese samurai Saig Takamori. Saigo suspected that the Koreans might assassinate him, but felt that his death would be worthwhile if it gave Japan a truly legitimate reason to attack its neighbor. Later this would turn out to be a pivotal decision since Choshu was Satsuma's major ally in the Boshin War. 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. Tensions with the government mounted after members of the private-school faction raided an ammunitions depot in early 1877 (Meiji 10), and secret agents were dispatched by the government to Kagoshima to spy on them. He was born on May 26 th in the fourth year of Keian (, 1651). Unable to overcome the affection that the people had for this paragon of traditional samurai virtues, the Meiji-era government pardoned him posthumously on February 22, 1889. Advertisement Advertisement. He famously opposed the construction of a railway network, insisting that money should rather be spent on military modernization.[4]. Superior Essays. As with its predecessors, the origins of 1877 lie in the 1873 debate over a proposed invasion of Korea. Shiba was in the Imperial Army at the time. They were followed two days later by the rear guard and artillery unit, who left in the midst of a freak snowstorm. imported from Wikimedia project. Updates? The province of Satsuma is situated in the southernmost portion of the island of Kyushu, and Kagoshima is the capital city. However, he was never able to reconcile his love of samurai tradition with the demands of modernizing the nation. Saigo was getting accustomed to the second island when he was transferred to a desolate penal island further south, where he spent more than a year on that dreary rock, returning to Satsuma only in February of 1864. It is not clear what was done with Saig's head immediately after his death. The imperial government in Tokyo expected Saigo to come to the capital by sea or to dig in and defend Satsuma. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History (1879) Author: Augustus Henry Mounsey. instance of. Fearing a rebellion, the Meiji government sent a warship to Kagoshima to remove the weapons stockpiled at the Kagoshima arsenal on January 30, 1877. The Battle of Shiroyama: The final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion, this battle serves as the basis for the final battle scene in the film. 4, Sophia University, JSTOR, 1973. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Founded by a saint named "Birbhan" in 1657 in Narnaul in Haryana. He excelled more as a scholar than a warrior, reading extensively before he graduated from school at 14 and was formally introduced to the Satsuma in 1841. Blog. There were many causes of the Indian Rebellion. The eight-month-long Satsuma Rebellion was the last great rebellion of feudal Japan, quite literally the last stand of the disaffected samurai warriors against the new imperial government, put in place by the Meiji Restoration. At its head was Saig Takamori, a hero of the restoration who had directed the military campaign against the Tokugawa. The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War ( Japanese: , Hepburn: Seinan Sens, lit. 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. The Satsuma Rebellion was the last civil war in Japan, occurring in the tenth year of the Meiji era (1877), when the Satsuma rebel forces centering on Saig Takamori of Kagoshima collided with the regular army of the new Meiji government not long after it had formed. Saigo Takamori: The Last Samurai. The training provided was not purely academic: although the Chinese classics were taught, all students were required to take part in weapons training and instruction in tactics. 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. He was the third son of Nakamura Kiyosada (). Ten years passed after the Restoration, and during that time order was gradually restored within the country. It was believed by some that he had fled to Russia, or ascended to Mars. Other imperial loyalists wrote to him for advice on politics, so despite his exile and officially dead status, he continued to have an impact in Kyoto. The very rapid and massive changes to Japanese culture, language, dress and society appeared to many samurai to be a betrayal of the ji ("expel the barbarian") portion of the sonn ji justification used to overthrow the former Tokugawa shogunate. This provoked open conflict, although with the elimination of samurai rice stipends in 1877, tensions were already extremely high. English Wikipedia. Saig Takamori was labelled as a tragic hero by the people, and his actions were considered an honorable example of bushido and Yamato-damashii. In the end, he was killed by the imperial army he organized. The men were captured, and under torture, confessed that they were spies who had been sent to assassinate Saig. 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. Rather than risk desertions or defections, Tani decided to stand on the defensive. Improved Essays. Satsuma Rebellion. A gripping graphic novel describing the uprising of 1887, when. 2 See Augustus Mounsey, The Satsuma Re-bellion, London, 1879, p. 274 and appendices. These attacks on the ramparts continued for two days, until Saigo decided to settle in for a siege. Soon, more than 1,000 Satsuma samurai appeared and drove off the intruding sailors. With that, Saigo threw his support behind those organizing for a rebellion. Sources describe him as dressed in an austere yellow kimono . The division of feeling which existed in several of the clans following the Meiji Restoration was most conspicuous in Satsuma, Choshiu and Mito. Although the samurai were heavily outnumbered, they made a heroic stand and counterattack against the Japanese Army and showed their legendary skills off to the world in their final fight. In 1871 he was left in charge of the caretaker government during the absence of the Iwakura Mission (187173). when did the meiji restoration enddoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions [6] In debate, some scholars have suggested that neither is the case and that Saig may have gone into shock following his wound, losing his ability to speak. 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. Saigo's nearly bloodless victory won him national fame, eventually leading to his appointment as an elder of Satsuma in September of 1866. Bibliolife DBA of Bibilio Bazaar II LLC, 2014 - 358 pages. Ravina, Mark. 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. 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. Several samurai, upon seeing him in this state, would have severed his head, assisting him in the warrior's suicide that they knew he would have wished. 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. 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. But this war served as a touchstone to test the ability of the new regime and was an indispensable medium for perfecting the modern institutions and unified organization of the state. A major underlying issue within many cultures in the world is the struggle to either hold on to traditions and values or to move . Some children had pestered him into becoming their teacher, and the kind-hearted giant complied. 0 references. Japan Currency Museum. Monumenta Nipponica [10] Statues in Ueno Park, Tokyo and near the ruins of Kagoshima Castle stand in his memory. This fighter's primary weapon is a percussion rifle, and the only other 'modern' element of his D: THE SATSUMA REBELLION, 1877 appearance is a white crossbelt supporting a cap pouch on D1: Highranking samurai, rebel army his chest and a cartridge pouch behind his right hip. Imperial reinforcements eventually forced their way through the rebel lines at the Battle of Tabaruzaka, lifting the siege. Saigo was shot through the femur in the last suicide charge and one of his companions cut off his head and hid it from the imperial troops to preserve his honor. 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. Founded in 1938 and published semiannually by Sophia University, Monumenta Nipponica (MN) is one of the oldest English-language academic journals in the field of Asian studies. 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. During war a company's strength was to be increased to 240 privates. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. During the Boshin War, Saig led the imperial forces at the Battle of TobaFushimi, and after led the imperial army toward Edo, where he accepted the surrender of Edo Castle from Katsu Kaish. 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. At the height of the battle, Saig wrote a private letter to Prince Arisugawa, restating his reasons for going to Tokyo. The new conscript levies initially struggled to defeat Saig, and the government found it necessary to enlist former. Who are Satnamis? Although greatly dismayed by the revolt, Saig was reluctantly persuaded to lead the rebels against the central government. shizoku rebellion. Battle of Tabaruzaka: Imperial troops on the left, rebel samurai troops on the right, Saigo's army clashes with the government's forces. Made by Takamura Kun, it was unveiled on December 18, 1898. In the hostilities which followed he took no part, being content to show his disapproval of the new regime by withdrawing into a retirement from which he never again emerged. List Price: $32.75. By 6 a.m., only 40 rebels were still alive. He did not want to rebel, still feeling deep personal loyalty to the Meiji Emperor, but announced on February 7 that he would go to Tokyo to "question" the central government. ISBN-13: 9781437338997. Saig Takamori Gunmusho () banknote, issued in 1877 to finance his war effort. Saig also started an artillery school. They retreated once more to Mount Shiroyama, which stands above the city of Kagoshima, where the rebellion began seven months earlier. In reality it was a military college. Determined not to let the rebels escape again, Yamagata sent in a large force which outnumbered the Satsuma army 7:1. ThoughtCo, Sep. 2, 2021, thoughtco.com/figures-and-events-in-asian-history-s2-3896549. Statements. 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. Szczepanski, Kallie. Saig was a strong proponent of war with Korea in the Seikanron debate of 1873. In addition to the army, the central government also used marines and Tokyo policemen in its struggle against Satsuma. A primary source of its causes and events. Format: Paperback. What will you do when your traditional way of life is threatened by a powerful force in your native lands? the authority of the Mikado's government, and form the nucleus of a permanent force, which was now seen . Although much of his history has been lost, recent scholars have discovered clues to the true nature of this illustrious warrior and diplomat. by W. W. McLaren (page images at HathiTrust) 724 Words; 3 Pages; Themes In Keeper N Me. Already a popular figure, after his death, Saigo Takamori was lionized by the Japanese people. They resorted to digging up unexploded Satsuma ordinance and refiring it. Officially, the Meiji Emperor's government had authority over those facilities after 1871, but Satsuma officials actually retained control of them. The Satsuma Rebellion is recommended to all readers interested in Japanese and samurai history. [9] On 22 February 1889, Emperor Meiji pardoned Saig posthumously. Page 1 of 17 - About 161 Essays Improved Essays. Not being allowed to travel by sea, he went back to Satsuma by land, following the historic route he and other nobles had so often taken before. During war, the mountain artillery had a nominal strength of 160 men per battery and field artillery had 130 men per battery. Saigo Takamori was born on January 23, 1828, in Kagoshima, Satsuma's capital, the oldest of seven children. Satsuma had no reserve of extra weapons and insufficient ammunition for an extended war. Sources of the Meiji Restoration. Saigo soon noted that he had "fallen into their trap and taken the bait" of settling into a siege. It turned out the be the latterthe emperor's government in Tokyo wanted a new, centralized system, not just a collection of more efficient, self-governing domains. A Long History of Japanese Women Warriors, Biography of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, 16th Century Unifier of Japan, Overview of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, Bushido: The Ancient Code of the Samurai Warrior, Russo-Japanese War: Admiral Togo Heihachiro, J.D., University of Washington School of Law, B.A., History, Western Washington University. Some legends say Saig's manservant hid the head, and it was later found by a government soldier. On December 25, 1866, the 35-year-old Emperor Komei suddenly died. Ravina prefers the English name "War of the Southwest."[12]. The Satsuma samurai were initially organized into six battalions of 2,000 men each. The Imperial Japanese Armed Forces (IJAF) were the combined military forces of the Japanese Empire.Formed during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they were disbanded in 1947, shortly after Japan's defeat to the Allies of World War II; the renewed Constitution of Japan, drafted during the Meiji Restoration in 1868, they were disbanded in 1947, shortly After that I provided some background information on the samurai and the armor that they wore. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. By 1861, Saigo was well-integrated into the local community. This includes data values and the controlled vocabularies that house them. Contemporary illustrations show the cavalry armed with lances. [7] These state-owned industries had been operating at a loss, and Finance Minister Matsukata Masayoshi decided to sell all of these to politically connected capitalists at a loss, except the railroad, telegraph and military industries. Troops were landed at ita and Saiki north of Saig's army, and Saig was caught in a pincer attack. By 7 o' clock that morning, all of the Satsuma samurai lay dead. Support for Saig was so strong that Satsuma had effectively seceded from the central government by the end of 1876. As a result, Takamori and his siblings all shared a single blanket at night even though they were large people, sturdy with a few standing over six feet tall. Many native infantryman (sepoys) believed that these new cartridges introduced in early 1857 had been greased by cow and pig fat. Details; Description; }, Page last modified: 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 . Saig's death brought the Satsuma Rebellion to an end. Format: Hardcover. Kyushu, Kysh region, Japan. Publish Date: Oct 08, 2018. 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 However, disgruntled samurai in Satsuma viewed him as a symbol of traditional virtues and wanted him to lead them in opposition to the Meiji state. The Japanese people appreciated the fact that he remained loyal to his virtues until his death in 1877. Yamagata also landed a detachment with two infantry brigades and 1,200 policemen behind the rebel lines, so as to fall on them from the rear from Yatsushiro Bay. Satsuma Rebellion. On January 3, 1868, the Boshin War began with Saigo's army of 5,000 marching forward to attack the shogun's army, numbering three times as many men. Though in Satsuma the rivalry of individual leaders had stopped short of open hostilities, the division of feeling was not less marked. This upbringing instilled a sense of dignity, frugality, and honor in young Saigo. A primary source of its causes and events. Saigo spent a lot of time soaking in hot springs and strenuously avoiding politics. Later, they would have said that he committed seppuku to preserve his status as a true samurai.[7]. In all, about 12,000 Satsuma men marched north toward Tokyo, starting the Southwest War, or Satsuma Rebellion . After months of fighting the Satsuma forces had dwindled to approx 400 . "How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion." Add to Wish List Link to this Book Add to Bookbag Sell this Book Buy it at Amazon Compare Prices. 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. How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion. He suffered from angina and also filariasis, a parasitic infection that gave him a grotesquely enlarged scrotum. The Last Samurai chronicles the fortuitous rise and tragic fall of Saig. Primary Sources 1. By May, Saigo's army had surrounded Edo and threatened to attack, forcing the shogun's government to surrender. Read 7 reviews from the world's largest community for readers. The rebels' momentum soon stalled when they settled into a months-long siege of Kumamoto Castle, just 109 miles north of Kagoshima. His intransigence was one of the major causes of the subsequent Boshin War. In the 7th century, Japan took a . He was succeeded by his 15-year-old son, Mutsuhito, who would later become known as the Meiji Emperor. The Death of the Last Samurai Saigo's troops marched out confidently, sure that samurai in other provinces would rally to their side, but they faced an imperial army of 45,000 with access to unlimited supplies of ammunition. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. The Shigakko students set out with him, bringing rifles, pistols, swords, and artillery. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. The few surviving samurai launched a suicide charge into the teeth of the imperial army's Gatling guns, and were shot down. The artillery consisted of 28 5-pounders, two 16-pounders, and 30 mortars. Each side had suffered more than 4,000 killed or wounded. However, most of the garrison was from Kysh, while a significant number of officers were natives of Kagoshima; their loyalties were open to question. However, the shogun began to purge pro-imperial politicians, forcing Gessho to seek Saigo's help in escaping to Kagoshima, where the new Satsuma daimyo, unfortunately, refused to protect the pair from shogun officials. As the siege wore on, the rebels ran low on munitions, prompting them to switch back to their swords. ISBN-10: 0341798762. What the disaffected clans and individuals wanted was a larger share of power. (2021, September 2). From humble beginnings in the capital of Satsuma, Saigo followed the path of the samurai through his brief exile and would go on to lead reform in the Meiji government, eventually dying for his causeleaving a lasting impact on the people and culture of 1800s Japan. revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. '", The Lavenberg Collection of Japanese Prints, Gorykaku (surrender of the Ezo rebels to Saig, The Rebellion Begins, Issue 1 from the Osaka newspaper Kagoshima-ken ari no sonomama, March 5, 1877, The Huge Win of the Armed Forces, Issue 4 from the Osaka newspaper Kagoshima-ken ari no sonomama, March 5, 1877, The Debate Over Invading Korea (Seikanron), May 15, 1877, The Arraignment of Oyama Tsunayoshi, August 27, 1877, Illustration of the Rebels Being Suppressed at Kagoshima, October 1877, Report on the Actual Condition at the Battlefield, September 21, 1877. 0 references. Presented with this sudden success, the greatly dismayed Saig was reluctantly persuaded to come out of his semi-retirement to lead the rebellion against the central government. . The samurai didn't hesitate to answer this questio. Satsuma daimyo Shimazu Hisamitsu did not acknowledge the departing army when the men stopped to bow at the gates of his castle. French newsmagazine Le Monde Illustr / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. Undeniably, it was one of the most noteworthy incidents during Japan's transition from a feudal regime to a modern state. The second crisis, the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, was even . The Commandant of Kumamoto Castle Major General Tani Tateki had 3,800 soldiers and 600 policemen at his disposal. They had, they considered, paid the piper, and they wished to call the tune. He was settling happily into island life but reluctantly had to leave the island in February of 1862 when he was called back to Satsuma. The influential Satsuma samurai, Saigo Takamori, was away at the time and had no knowledge of these events, but hurried home when he heard the news. 150,000 YEN UNSIGNED. The leaders of the restoration were mostly young samurai from feudal domains ( han s) historically hostile to Tokugawa authority, notably Chsh, in far western Honshu, and Satsuma, in southern Kyushu. Roused from his seclusion, Saigo felt that this treachery and wickedness in the imperial government required a response. In real life, Saig initially led the Imperial forces and won the four-day Battle of Toba-Fushimi in January 1868. image. Notwithstanding the great sacrifices it was called upon to make, the Imperial Government was fortunately able to give proof of its ability to maintain the unified rule over the nation, and was left virtually free to proceed on its way toward administrative reforms and general public improvements. To aid in the air of legality, Saig wore his army uniform. When an Imperial Navy landing party reached the arsenal at Somuta under cover of night, locals raised the alarm. In this rebellion, Saigo Takamori, one of the veteran statesmen of the Restoration, who enjoyed a wide popularity and was well versed in military tactics, acted as the head of the insurrection. The Satsuma Rebellion proved that a conscript army of commoners could out-fight even a very determined band of samuraiprovided they had overwhelming numbers, at any rate. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. Datasets available include LCSH, BIBFRAME, LC Name Authorities, LC Classification, MARC codes, PREMIS vocabularies, ISO language codes, and more. Each battalion was divided into ten companies of 200 men. Satsuma Rebellion: Satsuma Clan Samurai Against the Imperial Japanese Army In 1877, the samurai of Satsuma province and their reluctant leader, Takamori Saigo, hurled a final challenge at Japan's westernizing government. In disgust, Saigo resigned as the army general, imperial councilor, and commander of the imperial guards the next day. Satsuma's governor, Oyama Tsunayoshi, explained that the uprising was in response to the government's assassination attempt on Saig, and asked that Admiral Kawamura (Saig's cousin) come ashore to help calm the situation. Brought the Satsuma army 7:1 intruding sailors for a siege Park, Tokyo and near ruins... And he received the given name Takamori in adulthood when the men stopped to bow at the gates of history... Had dwindled to approx 400 so strong that Satsuma had no reserve of extra and. Suffered from angina and also filariasis, a parasitic infection that gave him a enlarged... And they wished to call the tune, About 12,000 Satsuma men marched toward! A private letter to Prince Arisugawa, restating his reasons for going to.. This questio Battle, Saig wore his army uniform a saint named & quot ; in 1657 Narnaul. Hero by the imperial government required a response should rather be spent on military modernization. [ 7.... 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