If we mention the Meiji Restoration, we have to mention the Fallen War and the Restoration Movement in Japan, as well as the stars that shone like stars in this turbulent era. Among them, the three masters of the Restoration are the most famous, namely: Okubo Ritsu, Kido Takayoshi, and Saigo Takamori, who was born in Satsuma. Among them, Saigo Takamori was undoubtedly a combination of contradictions, he once served the shogunate, and then he threw himself into the fall of the curtain, and also had many achievements in the Meiji Restoration. But it was one such man who eventually left the Meiji government he had established and launched a rebellion in his hometown of Kagoshima, known as the "Southwest War." So what kind of person is Saigo Takamori? What is the story of his life?
Saigo Takamori was born on January 23, 1828, in Shimokajiyacho Yamaguchi Racecourse, Kagoshima Castle, Satsuma Domain, Japan, the son of Takamori Saigo Kuro, the head of the Imperial Survey. As for why Saigo Takamori's name is the same as his father's, this is actually a misunderstanding, saigo Takamori has used several names such as "Longyong" and "Takeo" for a long time. However, when Saigo was knighted after the Fall war, his friend Yoshii Tomoshi mistakenly wrote his father's name, so saigo Takamori's name became widely known. Saigo himself also changed his name to Saigo Takamori. Of course, this is all an afterthought. (The following is written as Saigo Takamori for the sake of convenience)
After the rite of passage in 1841, Saigo Takamori began his career and in 1844 he served as a "County Clerk", a position he held for ten years. It was also during this period that he met Ōkubo Ritsu, who was also from satsuma domain, in the course of his studies. During his official duties, the county chief resigned because the famine year asked the domain government to reduce the annual tribute without approval, which made Saigo Takamori feel a lot. Because Saigo Takamori had been a low-level official for a long time, and he was also from a downcast lower-level samurai family, he was naturally familiar with the sufferings of the people. For this reason, he was extremely disappointed in the decay of the shogunate and determined to reform Japan, which he himself made a lifelong goal.
After the enlightened Lord of the Satsuma Domain, Shimazu Kibin, came to power, the "Makoto Group" organized by Saigo Takamori wrote a letter proposing to reduce taxes, which was approved by Shimazu Kibin, and Saigo Takamori himself was appreciated, and in 1854 became a close associate of Shimazu Kibin, and went with him to Edo to participate in the domain (now Tokyo). During this period, Saigo Takamori was inevitably a bit sharp, and the reform method was inevitably too radical, so after the death of Shimazu Qibin, the reform was forced to stop. He himself was arrested for the rise of the "Anzheng Prison" and was almost not executed. However, he was surprised that he was exiled by the Satsuma clan to Amami Oshima Island, but did not hand it over to the shogunate, so that he could also take his life.
After that, Shimazu's younger brother Shimazu Hisamitsu came to power and carried out shogunate reforms in the legacy of his late brother Shimazu. In order to strengthen his own power, Shimazu Hisamitsu followed the advice of Okubo Ritsuru and in 1862 recalled Saigo Takamori to Kagoshima by the Satsuma Clan, and ordered him to change his name to "Oshima Sanyoumon" and assist Shimazu Hisamitsu to go to Edo. Supposedly Saigo Takamori should have waited for orders at Shimonoseki, but because the radical faction was plotting to start a rebellion in Kyoto, saigo Takamori ignored the ban and went to see Shimazu Hisamitsu, hoping to put an end to the matter. However, this move unfortunately angered Shimazu Hisamitsu, and as a result, Saigo Takamori was once again sent to Tokunoshima and exiled, and his family's knowledge was confiscated, the family's life fell into hardship, and the radical shinobi also suffered heavy losses in the Teradaya Incident.
During the days when Saigo Takamori was exiled, the situation in Japan changed dramatically. The Satsuma Clan began to promote the reform of the Bunhisa shogunate in 1862 with the goal of combining the public and military forces and the reform of the shogunate, and the power of the shogunate was restored. On the other hand, the radical Yi faction, led by the Choshu clan, did not want to show weakness and launched a counterattack. Due to the lack of talent on hand, Shimazu Hisamitsu recalled Saigo Takamori in 1864 and was sent to Kyoto to take control of the Satsuma Domain. At this time, satsuma clan had a gap in relations with the shogunate and imperial court because the Ichisan regime led by Keiki Tetsukawa, Matsudaira Ronho, and Matsudaira Tsuneyoshi dominated the political situation in Kyoto and suppressed the clans that tried to participate in state affairs. It was also at this time that Saigo Takamori realized that the shogunate was already a decaying existence and had to be overthrown.
However, at this time, the Yi faction in Kyoto was eager to move, and if it was allowed to continue to develop, it would inevitably cause the fallen faction to be completely exposed. In order to avoid this situation, Saigo Takamori categorically united with the aizu domain army in Kyoto to defeat the Choshu domain in the "Forbidden Gate Rebellion" in July 1864, driving the Choshu domain forces out of Kyoto. Although this was done to avoid premature head-on clashes with the shogunate, the Choshu Clan was known as a "Satsuma clan" for losing its rival Satsuma and Aizu clans. This was followed by the Kyoto Imperial Court's order to attack the Choshu Domain, and Keihiko Tokugawa ordered the 21 clans in western Japan to jointly send troops to attack the Choshu Domain, known in history as the "First Choshu Crusade". At this time, the staff officer of the Conscription Army was Saigo Takamori, and was granted full authority to handle the affairs of the chief.
However, Saigo Takamori had no intention of eliminating the Satsuma clan at this time, but instead accepted Katsukai's suggestion and decided to adopt a strategy of détente against the Choshu clan, and on November 4, negotiations began with the Choshu clan. Previously, the combined fleet of Britain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States had shelled Shimonoseki in retaliation for choshu domain's raids, and forced choshu domain to sign an alliance under the castle. At this time, the Choshu domain fell into a situation of internal and external troubles, and the Choshu domain had no choice but to agree to negotiate peace with the shogunate and maintain apparent obedience.
As a result, the crusade against the Choshu Domain was over. After this, the relationship between the Choshu clan and the Satsuma clan eased somewhat, and Saigo Takamori promised Sakamoto Ryoma to help the Choshu clan buy weapons, and in turn, through Sakamoto Ryoma to buy military food for the Satsuma clan. These two events became the basis for the establishment of the "Sasaga Alliance", the main force that would later overthrow the shogunate.
The situation in Japan was further turbulent, and in June 1866 the shogunate launched another attack on the Choshu Domain, known as the "Second Choshu Crusade". However, in January 1866, Saigo Takamori had signed the "Six Secret Treaties" on behalf of the Satsuma Domain and the Choshu Domain, and the Sacho Alliance was officially formed. Therefore, when the shogunate was fighting against the Choshu Domain, the various clans headed by satsuma domain adopted a non-cooperative wait-and-see attitude, and the shogunate itself was not as effective as the Choshu domain, and naturally ended up with a defeat, which laid the foundation for the fall of the curtain. Coupled with the death of Shogun Tokugawa Iemo in Osaka on July 30 and the death of Emperor Takaaki, who supported the shogunate, in Kyoto on December 25, the shogunate's rule was crumbling, and Saigo Takamori felt that this was the time to attack the shogunate and decided to take further action.
On March 25, 1867, Saigo Takamori led 700 elite soldiers and Shimazu Hisamitsu to unify Shangjing and held the "Council of the Four Princes" with Matsudaira Harutake, Yamanamito, and Date Munjo Castle. In May, under the leadership of Saigo Takamori, he formed the "Satoru Alliance" with the Tosa Domain, which symbolized the fall of the armed forces. On October 14, 1867, at the suggestion of Theo Domain's lord Yamanami, Shogun Tokugawa Keiki wrote to the imperial court and formally proposed the return of the daisyo. On the same day, however, the imperial court issued a secret edict against the shogunate, Aizu, and Kuwamin by force.
On October 24, Tokugawa Keiki wrote another letter asking for his resignation as shogun. On December 9, the imperial court issued the "Imperial Retro Grand Order", announcing that he would accept Tokugawa Keiki's resignation, abolish the shogunate, and re-establish state power, and hold a meeting at the Koyogo Shrine to order Tokugawa Keiki to "resign from the government".
At this time, Tokugawa Keiki reacted strongly, talking with foreign envoys, retaining diplomatic power on the side of the shogunate, and asking the imperial court to withdraw the order of the imperial government, and the imperial court also recognized that Tokugawa Keiki still held national power because of pressure. However, Saigo Takamori secretly ordered the Satsuma clan to provoke the shogunate forces in Edo, and the provoked Shouchi clan also retaliated against the Satsuma clan mansion in Edo. This successfully provoked the anger of the shogunate, and the shogunate sent troops to Kyoto. On the other hand, the Choshu and Satsuma clans also deployed in Kyoto to meet the shogunate forces, which was the Battle of Toba Fushimi that broke out on January 3, 1868. In this battle, although the shogunate army had the superior strength, it was defeated by the sasaga alliance army, and the war broke out completely.
After the victory, the new government issued an order to attack Tokugawa Keiki, and the war between the shogunate army and the government army broke out completely. Saigo Takamori also threw himself into the war, first as the commander (commander) of the Satsuma brigade of the Tokaido Vanguard Army, and then as a staff officer under the Governor's Office of the Eastern Expedition, and led the vanguard army to advance. On February 28, 1868, Saigo Takamori led a vanguard army to attack Hakone on the Island of Tokai, and then met with Tokugawa Keiki's emissaries in Shizuoka and proposed the "Seven Articles of the Tokugawa Resettlement Case". On March 11, Saigo Takamori arrived at Edo Castle, and after negotiating with Tokugawa Keiki's negotiator, Katsukai Shuan, an agreement was reached that "Edo opened the city without blood", and Edo was taken without bloodshed.
During the Ueno War in May 1868, Saigo Takamori defeated the shogunate's remnants, the Shogi Brigade, and returned to his hometown of Kagoshima to recuperate. At this time, the Okuyu Yue Domain alliance in the northeast insisted on stubborn resistance to the new government forces, so on July 23 Saigo Takamori led his army to meet the battle. However, when his troops arrived in Echigo's Kashiwasaki in August, he received news that his brother Saigo Yoshijiro had been killed in battle. At this time, Saigo Takamori had to suppress his grief and led the government army to engage the rebels, and repeatedly won consecutive victories. After winning the victory known as the "Northeast War", Saigo Takamori did not retaliate, but adopted a lenient attitude towards the surrendered rebels, which made Saigo Takamori praise as a "benevolent person".
On May 1, 1869, Saigo Takamori went on another expedition in support of the Hakodate War, but returned to Tokyo due to the early end of the war. On June 2, 1869, he was awarded the 2,000 Stones for his exploits. However, after Saigo Takamori refused the order to remain an official in the imperial court, he returned to his hometown of Kagoshima to take up a local official position and implemented land reform (this move was also the reason why Okubo Ritsuru and others later became hostile to him, and he was the only one who threatened these people because he was too progressive).
However, in February 1870, Saigo Takamori and Oyama Iwa and others went to Choshu Domain to check on the riots of the Strange Soldiers, and after hearing about the suicide of The satsuma clan shiki Yokoyama Anbu, Saigo Takamori was greatly shocked. Saigo Takamori began to worry that the Satsuma people were infected with the extravagant and lavish habits of the new government officials, and began to turn their backs on the people's hearts, so he sent people to persuade satsuma-born soldiers and officials to return from Tokyo to get close to the people and stay away from the vices. And he himself is also in Iwakura. Under the repeated persuasion of Okubo Ritsu and Saigo Congdō, he became an official for political reform.
Serving Saigo Takamori and Okubo Ritsu and others, they began to carry out political reforms and established the "Imperial Guards", which became the armed backing of the new government's political reforms. On July 5, 1871, he became the speaker of the Council for the Adoption of the System, and with Okubo Ritsuru and others, he deliberated on major policies such as the new official system, cabinet personnel, and the abolition of feudal prefectures. Then, after a court meeting, the Emperor summoned the governor of the domain (the old lord) in Kyoto on the 14th and published an edict abolishing the prefecture. Later, from November 1871 to September 1873, when he led the remaining cabinet, he carried out measures such as the integration of prefectures and counties, the reform of the military system, the formulation of the school system, the promulgation of the National Bank Ordinance, and the issuance of conscription orders. It can be said that he made a lot of contributions to the Meiji Restoration, and was the first person who deserved to be the first of the restoration.
However, at this time, the domestic situation in Japan was not optimistic, and despite the implementation of the policy of equality of the four peoples (that is, the peasants, industrialists, and merchants), at this time, the Japanese Chinese and imperial families could have hundreds of thousands or even millions of stones. As a small producer, the highest of the warriors, who account for one-tenth of the country's population, is only three hundred stones, and the lowest is only five stones, and the soldiers are still like this, let alone the commoners. Under the huge gap between the rich and the poor, the new government expelled the soldiers and militia organizations that had made meritorious contributions to the fall of the curtain movement from the army, so that there was a factor of social instability.
In order to win a way for these people to survive, Saigo Takamori planned to reorganize the soldiers and militia organizations into the army under the guise of "conquest of Korea" as a pretext. However, Saigo Takamori's "Conquest of Korea" eventually went bankrupt, and he himself resigned in anger at the end of September 1873, along with more than 600 politicians, soldiers, and officials, known as the Meiji Six-Year Coup. Saigo Takamori then returned to his hometown of Kagoshima on November 10, and as Shimono's Kagoshima prefectural officers and police officers returned to their hometowns one after another, and the number of unemployed youth in the prefecture increased, Saigo Takamori set up a private school to restrain these people.
At this time, Saigo Takamori became the last samurai of the Satsuma Domain, and could only watch the deterioration of the domestic situation in his hometown, and lived a depressed and idle life. However, as his "private school" grew in power, many students also served as prefectural officials, and as far away as Tokyo, the Ministry of Internal Affairs was established, and he became the secretary of the interior, and Ōkubo Ritsuru, who created a dictatorial regime known as the "Aristocracy", began to fidget. Especially after the rebellions caused by the "abolition of the sword order" in 1876, Okubo Ritsu was even more worried that Saigo Takamori would also rebel and threaten him, so he sent people to Kagoshima to investigate Saigo Takamori, and even sent Nakahara Shoo to prepare to assassinate him.
These actions undoubtedly completely angered the students of Saigo Takamori's "private school", so they spontaneously resisted. At this time, Saigo Takamori had no way out, so he held a meeting in the "private school" on February 6, 1877, and decided to lead the army to Beijing to ask the government for his guilt. The war in the southwest was completely ignited, which became the last battle of Saigo Takamori and the beginning of his end.
There was no suspense, although the Satsuma Army led by Saigo Takamori was well-trained and battle-hardened, but the government army sent by Okubo Ritsu to suppress the rebellion had an unprecedented superiority in strength and material superiority, and Saigo Takamori was finally defeated in this 7-month southwest war. On September 24, 1877, Saigo Takamori led the remnants of the army to launch a suicidal attack, and when the general situation was over, Saigo Takamori, who was seriously wounded, sat in danger and ordered Beppu Shinsuke to take the wrong person for him. Beppu Shinsuke then raised his sword to make a mistake, and Saigo Takamori died at the age of 49 (51 according to the old Japanese calendar).
Saigo Takamori's death represented the complete demise of the progressive nature of the Meiji Restoration, and the future of Japan was completely dominated by the imperial family, the Chinese, such as Okubo Ritsuru, and the big bourgeoisie, forming a feudal militarist political system. In the end, the Meiji Restoration failed to bring a bright future to Japan, but instead led it into the abyss of evil. And Saigo Takamori, the demise of the last samurai of the Meiji era, has also become the sadness of an era. Although the Japanese government later restored Saigo Takamori's reputation, none of this has helped to change the status quo in Japan. The original intention of the Meiji Restoration also died with the last samurai.
Reference: "The Last Samurai - Saigo Takamori's Life King Road"
The Complete Works of Saigo Takamori
《Japan Meiji Era Shin》
《Modern Japanese History》