satsuma rebellion primary sources

List Price: $31.95. The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War (Japanese: , Hepburn: Seinan Sens, lit. Satsuma Rebellion Part of the ShizokuRebellions Map of the campaign Belligerents Empire of Japan Satsuma Domain Commanders and leaders Emperor Meiji Prince Arisugawa Yamagata Aritomo Kuroda Kiyotaka Tani Tateki Saig Takamori Kirino Toshiaki Beppu Shinsuke Strength 227,000 10 warships 25,000-35,000 Casualties and losses Ravina, Mark. Small-scale rebellions broke out around Japan, and the shogun's troops proved shockingly unable to put down the uprisings. They had, they considered, paid the piper, and they wished to call the tune. 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. Satsuma Rebellion. After the Boshin War, Saigo retired to hunt, fish, and soak in hot springs. In the end, the dispute with Korea came to a head only in 1875 when a Japanese ship sailed to Korean shores, provoking artillery there into opening fire. 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 Meiji Era controlled most of Japan, except for a small area in the southwestern part of Japan, which was the Satsuma. Saigo Takamori helped to usher in the modern era in Japan, serving as one of the three most powerful officials in the early Meiji government. However, despite their successes, the Satsuma army failed to take the castle, and began to realize that the conscript army was not as ineffective as first assumed. The rebellion of the Satsuma samurai involved about 12000 men, almost all of which were of that class and hence would have proper swords.Wikipedia states that there were about 1200 labourers. Datasets available include LCSH, BIBFRAME, LC Name Authorities, LC Classification, MARC codes, PREMIS vocabularies, ISO language codes, and more. By 1877, he sided with rebel forces and fought in what's now known as the Satsuma Rebellion. The rebellion was very expensive for the government, which forced it to make numerous monetary reforms including leaving the gold standard. 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. 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. imported from Wikimedia project. This was the end of the so-called Satsuma Rebellion. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History ; With Maps. SAIGO, who was then living in seclusion, had no choice but to rise to action after the private-school faction beseeched him to do so. 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). The province of Satsuma is situated in the southernmost portion of the island of Kyushu, and Kagoshima is the capital city. All three accounts report that the body was decapitated. [3], To help support and employ these men, in 1874 Saig established a private academy known as the Shi-gakk in Kagoshima. by W. W. McLaren (page images at HathiTrust) In August 1786, tensions culminated in what is now known as Shays' Rebellion, an uprising in Massachusetts that lasted until the summer of 1787. More critically, the defeat of the samurai displayed the power of modern artillery and rifles, against which a banzai charge had no appreciable effect. To aid in the air of legality, Saig wore his army uniform. After receiving reinforcements, the imperial force, now totaling 4,000 men, attacked the rear elements of the Satsuma army and drove them back. Then, Japan attacked forcing the Joseon king to sign an unequal treaty, which eventually led to the outright annexation of Korea in 1910. 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. Saigo Takamori: The Last Samurai. Located on the southern tip of Kyushu Island, more than 800 miles south of Tokyo, the Satsuma domain had existed and governed itself for centuries with very little interference from the central government. The true story that inspired the 2003 Tom Cruise film The Last Samurai, the Satsuma Rebellion (seinan sens, or "Southwestern War" in Japanese) was an 1877 rebellion of disaffected ex-samurai from Satsuma domain against the newly constituted Meiji government of Japan.Led by an erstwhile member of the government's highest circle, the legendary samurai Saigo Takamori, the . He famously opposed the construction of a railway network, insisting that money should rather be spent on military modernization.[4]. By 1877, he sided with rebel forces and fought in what's now known as the Satsuma Rebellion. Dr. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. Kumamoto, Fukuoka, Saga and other places in Kyushu, not to speak of Satsuma, his birthplace, responded to his call. 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. shizoku rebellion. 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. Not long after the wedding, both of Saigo's parents died, leaving Saigo as the head of a family of twelve with little income to support them. Publish Date: Jan 02, 2010. 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. Over the next several nights, they raided additional arsenals around Kagoshima, stealing weapons and ammunition, and to make matters worse, they discovered that the national police had sent a number of Satsuma natives to the Shigakko as central government spies. 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. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History (1879) Author: Augustus Henry Mounsey. 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. [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). Saig also started an artillery school. 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 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. Two describe a bullet wound to the hip or thigh. Economic effects of the Satsuma Rebellion resulted in the passing of the Act of February 4, 1877, which reduced the land tax from 3% to 2.5%. 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. Next, I stated the cause of the rebellion and the reaction of the Japanese government. 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. A battalion had 640 men in peacetime and theoretically 960 men in wartime. Down to about 3,000 men, the Satsuma forces made a stand on Mount Enodake. The Satsuma vanguard crossed into Kumamoto Prefecture on February 14. Ravina, Mark J. Originally, they were a militant sect of Hindu Worshippers. Saigo privately cheered on the rebels in other provinces, but stayed at his country house rather than returning to Kagoshima for fear that his presence might spark yet another rebellion. Reviews aren't verified, but Google checks for and removes fake content when it's identified. The Meiji Restoration of 1868 signaled the beginning of the end for Japan's samurai warriors. In either case, his retainer, Beppu Shinsuke, cut off his head to ensure that Saigo's death was honorable. Just four days after his return, he had an audience with the daimyo, Hisamitsu, who shocked him by appointing him commander of the Satsuma army in Kyoto. 7. Roused from his seclusion, Saigo felt that this treachery and wickedness in the imperial government required a response. By 1861, Saigo was well-integrated into the local community. 25,000 YEN TOSHIMOTO. 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. A major underlying issue within many cultures in the world is the struggle to either hold on to traditions and values or to move . 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. Determined not to let the rebels escape again, Yamagata sent in a large force which outnumbered the Satsuma army 7:1. Saig was initially confident of his ability to take Kumamoto Castle, but he had underestimated the effectiveness of the imperial conscripts defending the castle. Some children had pestered him into becoming their teacher, and the kind-hearted giant complied. On its march to Kumamoto castle, the army was divided into three divisions; a vanguard of 4,000 men, the main division of 4,000 men, and a rearguard of 2,000 men. Publish Date: Oct 08, 2018. In April of 1871, Saigo was persuaded to return to Tokyo to organize the new national army. Each side had suffered more than 4,000 killed or wounded. On September 24, 1877, at 3:45 am, the Emperor's army launched its final assault in what is known as the Battle of Shiroyama. On February 13 and 14, the Satsuma domain's army of 12,900 organized itself into units. As the siege wore on, the rebels ran low on munitions, prompting them to switch back to their swords. He was succeeded by his 15-year-old son, Mutsuhito, who would later become known as the Meiji Emperor. The Wealthy Chiefs Inspecting the Decapitated Heads of Enemies, Presentation of the Emperor's Gift Cup for the second time to commanders involved in pacifying Western Japan (Saigoku), 1877, Report: The Whole Nation Living in Perfect Contentment (Empress, Empress Dowager and Court Ladies in Waiting Sewing Pledgets), 1877, Iwai Hanshir VIII, Ichikawa Danjr IX and Ichikawa Sadanji in The Morning East Wind Clearing the Clouds of the Southwest, March 1878, Bronze Statue of Saig in Ueno Park, 1899, The Debate Over Invading Korea (Seikanron), http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20090913a6.html, http://www.wul.waseda.ac.jp/kosho/bunko10/b10_8333/index.html. Battle of Tabaruzaka: Imperial troops on the left, rebel samurai troops on the right, Saigo's army clashes with the government's forces. Three firsthand accounts of the condition of his deceased body exist. The imperial governments conscript levies were hard-pressed to defeat Saig, but in the end superior transport, modern communications, and better weapons assured victory for the government. 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. Early on February 22, the Satsuma attack began. into one of Japan's leading private universities, with a student body of nearly 14,000 and a multinational faculty of some 1,500 as of 2019. 0 references. 724 Words; 3 Pages; Themes In Keeper N Me. Tabaruzaka was one of the most intense campaigns of the war. Morale was extremely low, and lacking any strategy, the Satsuma forces dug in to wait for the next Imperial Army offensive. His letter indicated that he was not committed to rebellion and sought a peaceful settlement. 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. A famous bronze statue of Saig in hunting attire with his dog stands in Ueno Park, Tokyo. 28, No. However, the Imperial Army was likewise depleted, and fighting was suspended for several weeks to permit reinforcement. Blog. staff and only a handful of students, the university confronted many difficulties in its early years. Later woodcut prints depicted the rebel leader kneeling to commit traditional seppuku, but that would not have been possible given his filariasis and shattered leg. Saig did insist, however, that Japan should go to war with Korea in the Seikanron debate of 1873 due to Korea's refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the Emperor Meiji as head of state of the Empire of Japan, and insulting treatment meted out to Japanese envoys attempting to establish trade and diplomatic relations. Satire picture of Boshin War, diptych. "Southwestern War") was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. 2 See Augustus Mounsey, The Satsuma Re-bellion, London, 1879, p. 274 and appendices. 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. Saig expected both that a war would ultimately be successful for Japan and also that the initial stages of it would offer a means by which the samurai whose cause he championed could find meaningful and beneficial death. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. HOME > Initial Steps toward a Constitutional State > b. Szczepanski, Kallie. The Imperial Artillery consisted of 18 batteries divided into 9 battalions, with 120 men per battery during peacetime. How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion. 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. In all, about 12,000 Satsuma men marched north toward Tokyo, starting the Southwest War, or Satsuma Rebellion . Many former samurai from the area joined Saigo's army, increasing his force to 20,000. ThoughtCo. . 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. Forty-six other military officers from the southwest resigned as well, and government officials feared that Saigo would lead a coup. 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. 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. "How the Samurai Ended During the Satsuma Rebellion." On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Satsuma Rebellion. On the night of April 8, a force from Kumamoto castle made a sortie, forcing open a gap in the Satsuma lines and enabling desperately needed supplies to reach the garrison. The accounts of his subordinates claim that he stood up and committed seppuku after his injury or that he requested that his friend Beppu Shinsuke assist his suicide. The rebels fought two significant battles against the central government: the Siege of Kumamoto Castle and the Battle of Tabaruzaka. Made by Takamura Kun, it was unveiled on December 18, 1898. "Saigo Takamori: The Last Samurai." 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. Mark Ravina, the author of The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori, argued that "Satsuma Rebellion" is not the best name for the war because the English name does not well represent the war and its Japanese name. The Satsuma samurai fought on with fierce determination; meanwhile, the defenders ran out of artillery shells. 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. ISBN-13: 9781142113520. Legend says that one of his followers, Beppu Shinsuke, acted as kaishakunin and aided Saig in committing seppuku before he could be captured. when did the meiji restoration enddoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. Scene of Satsuma rebellion, triptych. Japanese Government Documents, 1867-1889 (special issue of Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan; 1914), by Japan, ed. Author: Augustus Henry Mounsey. "Southwestern War") was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Disaffected samurai against the new Imperial government required a response made by Takamura Kun it. Teacher, and the reaction of the condition of his deceased body exist vanguard crossed into Prefecture. 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