The major religious activity of this sect is to chant and meditate the true names (Sat-Nam) of God, specially Rama and Krishna. It threatened an all-out attack on Choshu, even though it did not have the military might to defeat that large domain. There are no published reports by eyewitnesses. Satsuma Rebellion. 20-11-2011 19:18:05 ZULU. 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. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Meiji Restoration leader's lessons of sincerity", Names, Romanizations, and Spelling (page 1 of 2), On Saig and the establishment of a railway, "The Apocryphal Suicide of Saig Takamori: Samurai, "Seppuku", and the Politics of Legend", Portraits of Modern Japanese Historical Figures, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Saig_Takamori&oldid=1130843774, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles lacking in-text citations from January 2018, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Saig Kichijir (younger brother): Killed in action in the, Saig Kohei (younger brother): Killed in action in the, This page was last edited on 1 January 2023, at 07:05. 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. [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. The Satsuma rebellion was a resist from the Meiji government and modern changes that took place in 1877. The Last Samurai's Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the iconic Japanese samurai Saig Takamori. Yates, Charles L. "Saigo Takamori in the Emergence of Meiji Japan." The Linked Data Service provides access to commonly found standards and vocabularies promulgated by the Library of Congress. Satsuma daimyo Shimazu Hisamitsu did not acknowledge the departing army when the men stopped to bow at the gates of his castle. Although all of the rebels were killed, the imperial troops managed to locate Saigo's buried head. 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. Has part or parts. 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. Despite Yamagata's efforts over the next several days, Saig and his remaining 500 men reached Kagoshima on September 1 and seized Shiroyama, overlooking the city. As the siege wore on, the rebels ran low on munitions, prompting them to switch back to their swords. They had, they considered, paid the piper, and they wished to call the tune. By ending the samurai class's privileges, the Meiji government had essentially abolished their identity, allowing small-scale rebellions to erupt all over Japan. After two days of fruitless attack, the Satsuma forces dug into the rock-hard icy ground around the castle and tried to starve the garrison out in a siege. Morale was extremely low, and lacking any strategy, the Satsuma forces dug in to wait for the next Imperial Army offensive. Saigo's nearly bloodless victory won him national fame, eventually leading to his appointment as an elder of Satsuma in September of 1866. by HistoryNet Staff 6/12/2006 However, Saig burned his private papers and army uniform on August 19, and slipped away towards Kagoshima with his remaining able-bodied men. [5] However, the other Japanese leaders strongly opposed these plans, partly from budgetary considerations, and partly from realization of the weakness of Japan compared with the western countries from what they had witnessed during the Iwakura Mission. 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. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History ; with Maps. In 1877, the samurai of the Satsuma Province rose up in the Satsuma Rebellion or Seinan Senso (Southwestern War), challenging the authority of the Restoration Government in Tokyo and testing the new imperial army. During the siege, many Kumamoto ex-samurai flocked to Saig's banner, swelling his forces to around 20,000 men. After his retirement, however, Saigo simply wanted to play with his kids, hunt, and go fishing. '", 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. Saig's death brought the Satsuma Rebellion to an end. [9], A Japanese hand fan commemorating the event, which survives in the collection of the Staten Island Historical Society in New York, features a depiction of Saig Takamori in a scene labeled (in English) "The Battle Near the Citadel of Kumamoto".[10]. 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. staff and only a handful of students, the university confronted many difficulties in its early years. The Shigakko students set out with him, bringing rifles, pistols, swords, and artillery. Gordon, Andrew. The few surviving samurai launched a suicide charge into the teeth of the imperial army's Gatling guns, and were shot down. This provoked open conflict, although with the elimination of samurai rice stipends in 1877, tensions were already extremely high. 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 furnishes themes for the illustrators. Dr. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. 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. Themes In Keeper N Me. 4, Sophia University, JSTOR, 1973. On his return to Kobe on February 12, Hayashi met with General Yamagata Aritomo and It Hirobumi, and it was decided that the Imperial Japanese Army would need to be sent to Kagoshima to prevent the revolt from spreading to other areas of the country sympathetic to Saig. Format: Paperback. OutOfFighters 3 yr. ago. Though in Satsuma the rivalry of individual leaders had stopped short of open hostilities, the division of feeling was not less marked. Saig initially disagreed with the modernization of Japan and the opening of commerce with the West. Advertisement Advertisement. The decision in 1938 25,000 YEN TOSHIMOTO. By . 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 line infantry was divided into 14 regiments of three battalions each. "Southwestern War") was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. 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. 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. However, the Satsuma army was able to cut its way free from encirclement. A battalion had 640 men in peacetime and theoretically 960 men in wartime. 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. 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. List Price: $32.75. 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". Down to about 3,000 men, the Satsuma forces made a stand on Mount Enodake. Ravina, Mark. In order to cut Saig off from his base, an imperial force with three warships, 500 policemen, and several companies of infantry landed in Kagoshima on March 8, seized arsenals, and took Satsuma's governor into custody. The spy leader confessed under torture that he was supposed to assassinate Saigo. The government, however, refused to negotiate. He also married a local woman namedAigana and fathered a son. On December 25, 1866, the 35-year-old Emperor Komei suddenly died. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Since the OP might be interested, here are the pages from the above reading on the Satsuma Rebellion and its aftermath. Rather than risk desertions or defections, Tani decided to stand on the defensive. Saigo and his army made a seven-day march south to Hitoyoshi, where they dug trenches and prepared for the imperial army to attack. SAIGO's army campaigned as far as Kumamoto and Miyazaki (both in Kyushu), but then returned to Kagoshima in September, where it holed up in Shiroyama. 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. In April of 1871, Saigo was persuaded to return to Tokyo to organize the new national army. The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War ( Japanese: , Hepburn: Seinan Sens, lit. Above all these classes were the Mikado, the secluded divinity of Ki6to, still theo- retically the source of all authority; . However, the exact manner of his death is unknown. The cavalry regiment consisted of 150 men. The rebellion was very expensive for the government, which forced it to make numerous monetary reforms including leaving the gold standard. Buck, James H. "The Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. Add to Wish List Link to this Book Add to Bookbag Sell this Book Buy it at Amazon Compare Prices. The shogun's men were still hunting him, so Saigo went into a three-year internal exile on the small island of Amami Oshima. 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. 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 . Each man was armed with a small firearmeither a rifle, a carbine, or a pistolas well as 100 rounds of ammunition and, of course, his katana. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History (1879) Author: Augustus Henry Mounsey. 1794 by H.M. Brackenridge. Many of the warrior Samurai during the Seinan war (Satsuma rebellion) used the tosei (modern / post 1540) style samurai armor which consisted of a ni-mai . Imperial reinforcements eventually forced their way through the rebel lines at the Battle of Tabaruzaka, lifting the siege. Saig resigned from all of his government positions in protest and returned to his hometown of Kagoshima. 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. Marching north, his army was hampered by the deepest snowfall Satsuma had seen in more than 50 years, which, because of the similarity to the weather that had greeted those setting out to enact the Meiji Restoration nine years earlier, was interpreted by some as a sign of divine support.[3]. The surviving rebels made a stand on the slopes of Mount Enodake, and were soon surrounded. Saig was severely wounded. Many former samurai from the area joined Saigo's army, increasing his force to 20,000. His childhood name was Kokichi and he received the given name Takamori in adulthood. The Commandant of Kumamoto Castle Major General Tani Tateki had 3,800 soldiers and 600 policemen at his disposal. Format: Hardcover. As was the tradition for samurai in the event of their lord's death, Saigo contemplated committing to accompany Shimazu into death, but the monk Gessho convinced him to live and continue his political work to honor Nariakira's memory instead. Just about 400 or 500 of the Satsuma samurai escaped the mountain slope on August 19, including Saigo Takamori. Despite the overwhelming odds, the Imperial Army did not attack immediately upon arrival on September 8 but instead spent more than two weeks carefully preparing for its final assault. Feb. 15, 2023. (2021, September 2). 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. In April 1877, Saig reorganized the army into nine infantry units of 350 to 800 men each. The Last Samurai's Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the iconic Japanese samurai Saig Takamori. [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 work is generally accurate and has much of . In its central quarters in that town, and in branches elsewhere, the youth of the clan received a military training. revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/the-satsuma-rebellion-195570. Because of the Satsuma Rebellion, the government faced serious financial difficulties., the greatest, revolt came in Satsuma in 1877. The samurai didn't hesitate to answer this questio. 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. Many native infantryman (sepoys) believed that these new cartridges introduced in early 1857 had been greased by cow and pig fat. Each entry is based on a primary source we analysed ; We used a website to compile the entries because it's easier to navigate with; HERE is the link to the primary documents/analysis In the about page there will be a video on the Satsuma Rebellion and a brief paragraph describing what was going on in the rebellion Then we have Luke's entry. Saigo spent a lot of time soaking in hot springs and strenuously avoiding politics. However, most of the garrison was from Kysh, while a significant number of officers were natives of Kagoshima; their loyalties were open to question. The Whiskey Rebellion: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Frontier Rebels who Challenged America's Newfound Sovereignty by William Hogeland. Takamori's parents also had to borrow money to buy farmland in order to have enough food for the growing family. Saig was defeated and killed at the . Roughly one-half of the work is devoted to the entire course of the rebellion. [1], Saig Kokichi ( ) was born in Kajiya, Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, the eldest son of samurai squire (koshkumi) Saig Kichib and his wife Masa. The Siege of Kumamoto Castle lasted until April 12, 1877. They resorted to digging up unexploded Satsuma ordinance and refiring it. Satsuma had no reserve of extra weapons and insufficient ammunition for an extended war. The Meiji Era controlled most of Japan, except for a small area in the southwestern part of Japan, which was the Satsuma. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/figures-and-events-in-asian-history-s2-3896549. Then I introduced the leader of the rebellion. After that I provided some background information on the samurai and the armor that they wore. At its head was Saig Takamori, a hero of the restoration who had directed the military campaign against the Tokugawa. [4], Word of Saig's academies was greeted with considerable concern in Tokyo. Town, and lacking any strategy, the imperial troops managed to locate Saigo 's buried head with! Small island of Amami Oshima down to about 3,000 men, the of! Him, so Saigo went into a three-year internal exile on the defensive rice stipends 1877! Students set out with him, so Saigo went into a three-year internal exile on the iconic Japanese samurai Takamori! 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