When the plan was rejected, Saig resigned from all of his government positions in protest and returned to his hometown of Kagoshima, as did many other Satsuma ex-samurai in the military and police forces. Initial Steps toward a Constitutional State, Preview of [Report of the Artillery Attack Against (Saigo Forces) in Shiroyama], Larger image of [Report of the Artillery Attack Against (Saigo Forces) in Shiroyama], Next ( Petition by Risshisha to Establish a National Assembly ), Chapter1 Initial Steps toward a Constitutional State, a. Conceptions of the Form of Government circa the Meiji Restoration, Chapter4 Crisis in Constitutional Politics. The cavalry regiment consisted of 150 men. 0 references. However, he was never able to reconcile his love of samurai tradition with the demands of modernizing the nation. The conflict effectively ended the samurai class and ushered in modern warfare fought by conscript soldiers instead of military nobles. The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War (Japanese: , Hepburn: Seinan Sens, lit. The samurai didn't hesitate to answer this questio. The Shigakko students set out with him, bringing rifles, pistols, swords, and artillery. 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. By 1877, he sided with rebel forces and fought in what's now known as the Satsuma Rebellion. In October, the prime minister announced that Saigo would not be allowed to travel to Korea as an emissary. The schools resembled paramilitary political organizations more than anything else, and they enjoyed the support of the governor of Satsuma, who appointed disaffected samurai to political offices, where they came to dominate the Kagoshima government. Meanwhile, however, a crisis was developing in the government itself. Over the next three days, more than 1000 students staged raids on the naval yards and other arsenals.[3]. Faced with 21,000 imperial army troops, the majority of the rebels ended up committing seppuku (surrendering by suicide). . There, the situation was complicated by the existence of no less than three parties two conservative groups led, respectively, by the old noble Shimadzu, the father of the young ex-daimio, and by the elder Saigo, the latter being at once the most influential and most numerous; and a thirdthe party of reformwhich looked for guidance, among other prominent men, to Okubo, Kuroda, Matsugata, Kawamura and the younger Saigo. 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. At the same time, the shogun's government in Edo was increasingly tyrannical, trying to keep a hold on power. From Kagoshima Through the Siege of Kumamoto Castle." Monumenta Nipponica In the 7th century, Japan took a . Soon, Saigo was Daimyo Shimazu Nariakira's closest adviser, consulting other national figures on affairs including the shogunal succession. 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. After Oyama departed, a flotilla of small ships filled with armed men attempted to board Takao by force, but were repelled. 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. There are no published reports by eyewitnesses. The Satsuma Rebellion book. The remnants of Saig's army retreated before the advancing imperials, who whittled it down relentlessly. [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 men were captured, and under torture, confessed that they were spies who had been sent to assassinate Saig. After months of fighting the Satsuma forces had dwindled to approx 400 . Saigo soon noted that he had "fallen into their trap and taken the bait" of settling into a siege. The second crisis, the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, was even . 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. Dr. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. It signaled the beginning of the Japanese Imperial Army's rise to domination in eastern Asia, which would end only with Japan's eventual defeat in World War II almost seven decades later. It was the final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion, . The formal ceremony took place on April 4, 1868, and the former shogun was even allowed to keep his head! Though in Satsuma the rivalry of individual leaders had stopped short of open hostilities, the division of feeling was not less marked. On July 24, the Imperial Army forced Saig out of Miyakonoj, followed by Nobeoka. In order to concentrate power, Tokyo needed a national military, rather than relying on the domain lords to supply troops. The head was somehow retrieved by government forces and was reunited with Saig's body, which was laid next to that of his deputies Kirino and Murata. There were many causes of the Indian Rebellion. Tabaruzaka was one of the most intense campaigns of the war. . 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. SAIGO's forces were crushed on September 24, 1877 (Meiji 10) in the face of a general attack by government forces. They retreated once more to Mount Shiroyama, which stands above the city of Kagoshima, where the rebellion began seven months earlier. Ravina, Mark. At the height of the battle, Saig wrote a private letter to Prince Arisugawa, restating his reasons for going to Tokyo. The five government warships in Kagoshima harbor added their firepower to Yamagata's artillery, and began to systematically reduce the rebel positions. French newsmagazine Le Monde Illustr / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. [10] Statues in Ueno Park, Tokyo and near the ruins of Kagoshima Castle stand in his memory. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. 4, Sophia University, JSTOR, 1973. Officially, the Meiji Emperor's government had authority over those facilities after 1871, but Satsuma officials actually retained control of them. The Satsuma advance guard, 4,000 strong, set out on February 15, marching north. imported from Wikimedia project. 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. Made by Takamura Kun, it was unveiled on December 18, 1898. 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. Roughly one-half of the work is devoted to the entire course of the rebellion. The Last Samurai's Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the iconic Japanese samurai Saig Takamori. A gripping graphic novel describing the uprising of 1887, when. ISBN-13: 9781142113520. Multiple legends sprang up concerning Saig, many of which denied his death. A primary source of its causes and events. However, most of the garrison was from Kysh, while a significant number of officers were natives of Kagoshima; their loyalties were open to question. [8] It was even recorded that his image appeared in a comet near the close of the 19th century, an ill omen to his enemies. Omissions? Eventually Saig and his final remaining samurai were encircled and annihilated at the Battle of Shiroyama. Financially, crushing the Satsuma Rebellion cost the government a total of 420,000,000 (8,400,000),[5] forcing Japan off the gold standard and causing the government to print paper currency. 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. As the siege wore on, the rebels ran low on munitions, prompting them to switch back to their swords. Szczepanski, Kallie. The traditional explanation of the offensive rifle cartridges causing the initial outbreak of mutiny is only part of the story. In all, about 12,000 Satsuma men marched north toward Tokyo, starting the Southwest War, or Satsuma Rebellion . Saigo, however, had no regard for the conscripted farm boys who made up the imperial army. These attacks on the ramparts continued for two days, until Saigo decided to settle in for a siege. During the siege, many Kumamoto ex-samurai flocked to Saig's banner, swelling his forces to around 20,000 men. The Satsuma rebellion is often presented as an assault by modernity on the noble samurai tradition, but this is an idealized view. At its head was Saig Takamori, a hero of the restoration who had directed the military campaign against the Tokugawa. Rejecting large numbers of volunteers, he made no attempt to contact any of the other domains for support, and no troops were left at Kagoshima to secure his base against an attack. More critically, the defeat of the samurai displayed the power of modern artillery and rifles, against which a banzai charge had no appreciable effect. . Satsuma Rebellion. The Imperial Artillery consisted of 18 batteries divided into 9 battalions, with 120 men per battery during peacetime. Saig Takamori (Takanaga) ( (), January 23, 1828 September 24, 1877) was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. [11], Modern weapons that were used by the Imperial Army include the Smith and Wesson Model 3, Colt 1851 Navy Revolver, Winchester Model 1873, Enfield Pattern 1853, Mauser Model 1871, as well as the Gatling and Armstrong guns. The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era.. Call Number: E315 .H64 2006. 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. Next, I stated the cause of the rebellion and the reaction of the Japanese government. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. Saigo supported a stronger role for the Emperorbut distrusted the others' millennial rhetoric. Format: Paperback. With an army in place, the Meiji government summoned the remaining daimyo to Tokyo in mid-July, 1871 and abruptly announced that the domains were dissolved and the lords' authorities abolished. instance of. By HORACE WALLER, FRGS, Rector of Twywell, Northampton. 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 It is not clear what was done with Saig's head immediately after his death. 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. Although much of his history has been lost, recent scholars have discovered clues to the true nature of this illustrious warrior and diplomat. 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. Small-scale rebellions broke out around Japan, and the shogun's troops proved shockingly unable to put down the uprisings. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions Superior Essays. 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. Format: Paperback. Tabaruzaka was held by some 15,000 samurai from Satsuma, Kumamoto and Hitoyoshi against the Imperial Army's 9th Infantry Brigade (some 9,000 men). Szczepanski, Kallie. 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. How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion. By ending the samurai class's privileges, the Meiji government had essentially abolished their identity, allowing small-scale rebellions to erupt all over Japan. 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. Saig met the noted British diplomat Ernest Satow in the 1860s, as recorded in the latter's A Diplomat in Japan, and Satow was present at the unveiling as recorded in his diary. After his failure to take Kumamoto, Saig led his followers on a seven-day march to Hitoyoshi. The division of feeling which existed in several of the clans following the Meiji Restoration was most conspicuous in Satsuma, Choshiu and Mito. The Daimyo of Satsuma was one of the most powerful and aggressive of the . On February 13 and 14, the Satsuma domain's army of 12,900 organized itself into units. 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