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Saigo Takamori (西郷 隆盛) was one of the most influential
samurai in Japanese history. He was recruited to travel to
Edo, modern day
Tokyo to assist the Lord Nariakira. He was later put in command of
over fifty thousand samurai, a large part of the imperial army.
As a leader of the Imperial forces in the
Boshin War, Saigo was one of the key figures in the
Meiji Restoration. In spite of his humble background, he became the
state councilor and army general of the new state.
Saigo disagreed with the modernization of Japan and the opening of
commerce with the West. He did insist, however, that Japan should try to
annex
Korea before the West realized that country's potential. Because the
other leaders of the restoration strongly opposed these plans, Saigo
resigned and returned to his hometown of
Kagoshima.
Shortly thereafter, he established a private academy in Kagoshima for
the faithful samurai that had also resigned their posts in order follow
him from Tokyo. In 1876, led by Saigo, they revolted against the central
government, which had just eliminated their rice stipends. The imperial
palace had recruited new guards who were nothing more than glorified rice
peasants and armed them with modern weapons. The samurai's swords were no
match for the soldiers' guns and the samurai were forced to retreat. Badly
injured in hip during the fierce battle, instead of being killed or
captured by the enemy, Saigo asked for his head to be cut off by a comrade
to preserve his honor.
Legend and art show that Saigo committed
seppuku a traditional form of suicide before this, though autopsy and
the original historical records deny this.
Many legends sprung up concerning Saigo, many of which denied his
death. Many people in Japan expected him to return from
India or
China or to sail back with
Russia's crown prince to overthrow injustice. Unable to overcome the
affection that that the people had for this hero of tradition, the
Meiji govenment recognized his bravery and pardoned him posthumously
on February 22, 1889.
A famous statue of Saigo walking his dog stands in
Ueno Park,
Tokyo. Saigo's last stand against the Meiji government was the
historical basis for the
2003 film
The Last Samurai.
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