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. Morale was extremely low, and lacking any strategy, the Satsuma forces dug in to wait for the next Imperial Army offensive. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History (1879) Author: Augustus Henry Mounsey. Gordon, Andrew. Each side had suffered more than 4,000 killed or wounded. Saigo and his army made a seven-day march south to Hitoyoshi, where they dug trenches and prepared for the imperial army to attack. 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. Contemporary illustrations show the cavalry armed with lances. However, the Imperial Army was likewise depleted, and fighting was suspended for several weeks to permit reinforcement. Following the repression of the Satsuma Rebellion, a samurai uprising in 1877, Japan again forged ahead toward political unity, but there was an increasing trend of antigovernment protest from below, which was epitomized by the Movement for Peoples Rights. Datasets available include LCSH, BIBFRAME, LC Name Authorities, LC Classification, MARC codes, PREMIS vocabularies, ISO language codes, and more. Imperial forces fell back, and Acting Major Nogi Maresuke of the Kokura Fourteenth Regiment lost the regimental colors in fierce fighting. The Satsuma rebellion is often presented as an assault by modernity on the noble samurai tradition, but this is an idealized view. One of the most noteworthy incidents in the history of Japan's transition from a feudal regime to a modern state was the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. The shogun's men were still hunting him, so Saigo went into a three-year internal exile on the small island of Amami Oshima. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/figures-and-events-in-asian-history-s2-3896549. However, the imperial government gradually sent more than 45,000 reinforcements to relieve Kumamoto, finally driving the Satsuma army away with heavy casualties. He went to the Emperor's court in Kyoto in March and was amazed to meet samurai from other domains who treated him with reverence for his defense of Gessho. While the year 1868 was crucial to the fall of the shogunate and the establishment of a new government . "How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion." The members of his retinue carried in cotton bags the swords they were no longer allowed to wear; and when, at the end of his journey, the gates of the yashiki at Kagoshima closed upon his palanquin, he may have realized that he had passed for ever out of the political life in which he had at one time played so conspicuous a role. shizoku rebellion. By HORACE WALLER, FRGS, Rector of Twywell, Northampton. . The Last Samurai's Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the iconic Japanese samurai Saig Takamori. . 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 . Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji government. Corrections? Founded by a saint named "Birbhan" in 1657 in Narnaul in Haryana. The Satsuma Rebellion book. Saigo Takamori had led the way in Meiji reforms including the creation of a conscript army and the end of daimyo rule. By 6 a.m., only 40 rebels were still alive. [10] Statues in Ueno Park, Tokyo and near the ruins of Kagoshima Castle stand in his memory. [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, also known as the Seinan War was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. when did the meiji restoration enddoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War (Japanese: , Hepburn: Seinan Sens, lit. The imperial government in Tokyo expected Saigo to come to the capital by sea or to dig in and defend Satsuma. The Last Samurai's Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the iconic Japanese samurai Saig Takamori. 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. The line infantry was divided into 14 regiments of three battalions each. 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. 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. Then, Japan attacked forcing the Joseon king to sign an unequal treaty, which eventually led to the outright annexation of Korea in 1910. On February 13 and 14, the Satsuma domain's army of 12,900 organized itself into units. On February 19, the first shots of the war were fired as the defenders of Kumamoto castle opened fire on Satsuma units attempting to force their way into the castle. The Satsuma Rebellion. This includes data values and the controlled vocabularies that house them. }, Page last modified: 0 Reviews. 0 references. His political organizing ran afoul of the new daimyo, however, who had him arrested and banished to a different small island just four months after his return from Amami. (2021, September 7). 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. The men were captured, and under torture, confessed that they were spies who had been sent to assassinate Saig. News article in Le Monde Illustr, 1877. date= January 29, 1877 to September 24, 1877 place= Kysh, Japan result=Imperial Victory combatant1= Empire of Japan combatant2=Satsuma domain Format: Hardcover. Satsuma rebeliion.svg 703 965; 1.09 MB. 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. 7. [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). A primary source of its causes and events. After the Restoration the condition of things became less unsettled in Mito, and to some extent also in Choshiu. Although all of the rebels were killed, the imperial troops managed to locate Saigo's buried head. In its central quarters in that town, and in branches elsewhere, the youth of the clan received a military training. Eventually Saig and his final remaining samurai were encircled and annihilated at the Battle of Shiroyama. Satsuma Rebellion. instance of. His letter indicated that he was not committed to rebellion and sought a peaceful settlement. The major religious activity of this sect is to chant and meditate the true names (Sat-Nam) of God, specially Rama and Krishna. Later, they would have said that he committed seppuku to preserve his status as a true samurai.[7]. By 1877, he sided with rebel forces and fought in what's now known as the Satsuma Rebellion. ISBN-13: 9781142113520. Undeniably, it was one of the most noteworthy incidents during Japan's transition from a feudal regime to a modern state. Saig was a strong proponent of war with Korea in the Seikanron debate of 1873. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. In the final battle, the Battle of Shiroyama, 30,000 imperial troops bore down upon Saigo and his few hundreds of surviving rebel samurai. imported from Wikimedia project. There were two "regiments" of line cavalry and one "regiment" of imperial guard cavalry. The Guard infantry was divided into 2 regiments of 2 battalions each. '", 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. Brilliant Essays. Tokyo intended to confiscate the weapons and take them to an imperial arsenal in Osaka. He argued that Japan should use diplomacy, rather than resorting to force, and offered to head a delegation himself. 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. 1794 by H.M. Brackenridge. In October, the prime minister announced that Saigo would not be allowed to travel to Korea as an emissary. The rebels fought two significant battles against the central government: the Siege of Kumamoto Castle and the Battle of Tabaruzaka. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 signaled the beginning of the end for Japan's samurai warriors. 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. The Commandant of Kumamoto Castle Major General Tani Tateki had 3,800 soldiers and 600 policemen at his disposal. 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. 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. Primary Sources 1. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned, returning power to the Emperor in what came to be known as the Meiji Restoration. However, Yamagata was determined to leave nothing to chance. "The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori." 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. Format: Paperback. 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.. Roused from his seclusion, Saigo felt that this treachery and wickedness in the imperial government required a response. Arguably one of the most influential samurai, especially during the fall of the samurai class during the transition into the Meiji period, he led the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877, which marked the last of a series of uprisings against the new Meiji government. Although Satsuma had been one of the key players in the Meiji Restoration and the Boshin War, and although many men from Satsuma had risen to influential positions in the new Meiji government, there was growing dissatisfaction with the direction the country was taking. 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. Public apprehension found free expression in the Press, which said that the nation was divided into two parties, one being for the Government, the other for Satsuma, and asked what could be done to preserve peace. 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 first prints portraying the rebellion did not appear until early March, likely due to government restrictions on coverage "prohibiting the 'publication in newspapers of material about the Army for Subjugation of the Kumamoto Rebels. [See the print, The outbreak of the rebellion is generally given as January 29, 1877 when "students", really samurai who attended Saig's private schools (, muda in Kagoshima. 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. Saig was defeated and killed at the . In April of 1871, Saigo was persuaded to return to Tokyo to organize the new national army. 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). Legend says that one of his followers, Beppu Shinsuke, acted as kaishakunin and aided Saig in committing seppuku before he could be captured. After his retirement, however, Saigo simply wanted to play with his kids, hunt, and go fishing. Battle of Tabaruzaka: Imperial troops on the left, rebel samurai troops on the right, Saigo's army clashes with the government's forces. Ten years passed after the Restoration, and during that time order was gradually restored within the country. Pro-emperor daimyo and radicals called for an end to the shogunate and the expulsion of all foreigners. Ravina, Mark J. Page 1 of 17 - About 161 Essays Improved Essays. Attempts at Constitutional Government > Satsuma Rebellion. In July, the Emperor's army encircled Saigo's men, but the Satsuma army fought its way free with heavy casualties. 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. Location. (2021, September 2). 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. French newsmagazine Le Monde Illustr / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. Format: Paperback. 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. The Satsuma Rebellion. At the start of the Satsuma Rebellion, the Imperial Japanese Army (including the Imperial Guard) numbered approximately 34,000 men. There are no published reports by eyewitnesses. List Price: $32.75. A famous bronze statue of Saig in hunting attire with his dog stands in Ueno Park, Tokyo. By . Publish Date: Dec 10, 2008. [citation needed]. However, he soon learned that 50 Tokyo police officers who were Satsuma natives had returned home with instructions to assassinate him in the case of an uprising. Illustration of the Navy Landing at Sukuchi Village (battle of Tabaruzaka Hill), Kagoshima Shinbun: Illustration of the Battle of Yamagaguchi, March 1877. Their artillery consisted of 28 5-pounders, two 16-pounders, and 30 mortars. These cookies track visitors across websites . Names, Romanizations, and Spelling (page 2 of 2), Satsuma Rebellion: Satsuma Clan Samurai Against the Imperial Japanese Army, Organization of Imperial and Satsuma Forces, Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office, Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors, Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, German preWorld War II industrial co-operation, International Military Tribunal for the Far East, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Satsuma_Rebellion&oldid=1121217754, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from January 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Buck, James H. "The Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. So Saigo went into a three-year internal exile on the noble samurai tradition, but Satsuma! Exile on the noble samurai tradition, but this is an idealized view persuaded to to. 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