satsuma rebellion primary sources

satsuma rebellion primary sources

30.12.2020, , 0

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. By early 1873, Japanese militarists who interpreted this as a grave affront called for an invasion of Korea but in a July meeting that year, Saigo opposed sending warships to Korea. Saig initially disagreed with the modernization of Japan and the opening of commerce with the West. The Satsuma Rebellion - Free ebook download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read book online for free. During war, the mountain artillery had a nominal strength of 160 men per battery and field artillery had 130 men per battery. . This provoked open conflict, although with the elimination of samurai rice stipends in 1877, tensions were already extremely high. This rebellion was led by the restoration hero Saig Takamori and lasted six months. Author: Mounsey, Augustus Henry. In all, about 12,000 Satsuma men marched north toward Tokyo, starting the Southwest War, or Satsuma Rebellion . 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 . 4, Sophia University, JSTOR, 1973. They had, they considered, paid the piper, and they wished to call the tune. After centuries of samurai rule, however, many members of the warrior class were understandably reluctant to give up their status and power. The Meiji Era controlled most of Japan, except for a small area in the southwestern part of Japan, which was the Satsuma. Two describe a bullet wound to the hip or thigh. Since the OP might be interested, here are the pages from the above reading on the Satsuma Rebellion and its aftermath. Friction among the Cabinet members over the question of Korean conquest, added to the local disturbances, made the already confused state of things worse confounded, and the result was the famous Satsuma Rebellion of 1877. After the Boshin War, Saigo retired to hunt, fish, and soak in hot springs. Kumamoto castle, built in 1598, was among the strongest in Japan, but Saig was confident that his forces would be more than a match for Tani's peasant conscripts, who were still demoralized by the recent Shinpren rebellion. 2 See Augustus Mounsey, The Satsuma Re-bellion, London, 1879, p. 274 and appendices. Satsuma Rebellion. By HORACE WALLER, FRGS, Rector of Twywell, Northampton. The Whiskey Rebellion: George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and the Frontier Rebels who Challenged America's Newfound Sovereignty by William Hogeland. Warbox|conflict=Satsuma Rebellion caption= Saig Takamori (seated, in Western uniform), surrounded by his officers, in traditional attire. The Daimyo of Satsuma was one of the most powerful and aggressive of the . 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. Format: Hardcover. This costly defeat put Saigo on the defensive for the remainder of the rebellion. [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]. HOME > Initial Steps toward a Constitutional State > b. 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.. Saigo's retirement project was the Shigakko, new private schools for young Satsuma samurai where the students studied infantry, artillery, and the Confucian classics. By 1877, he sided with rebel forces and fought in what's now known as the Satsuma Rebellion. At its head was Saig Takamori, a hero of the restoration who had directed the military campaign against the Tokugawa. The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War (Japanese: , Hepburn: Seinan Sens, lit. 7. He funded but was not directly involved with the schools, so did not know that the students were becoming radicalized against the Meiji government. From Kagoshima Through the Siege of Kumamoto Castle." Themes In Keeper N Me. His letter indicated that he was not committed to rebellion and sought a peaceful settlement. Japan Currency Museum. She has taught at the high school and university levels in the U.S. and South Korea. "Saigo Takamori: The Last Samurai." 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. The Death of the Last Samurai Saigo's troops marched out confidently, sure that samurai in other provinces would rally to their side, but they faced an imperial army of 45,000 with access to unlimited supplies of ammunition. Saigo was disgusted by this treacherous tactic as well. The second crisis, the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, was even . About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. The Tokugawa regime was falling apart, but it had not yet occurred to Saigo that a future Japanese government might not include a shogunafter all, the shoguns had ruled Japanfor 800 years. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned, returning power to the Emperor in what came to be known as the Meiji Restoration. country. 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". Szczepanski, Kallie. These attacks on the ramparts continued for two days, until Saigo decided to settle in for a siege. 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. Meanwhile, however, a crisis was developing in the government itself. Call Number: E315 .H64 2006. Saigo Takamori had led the way in Meiji reforms including the creation of a conscript army and the end of daimyo rule. Although the Satsuma Rebellion far exceeded the next largest disturbance, the 1874 Saga Rebellion of 2, 500 samurai, it followed a general pattern of samurai protest. Yates, Charles L. "Saigo Takamori in the Emergence of Meiji Japan." Location. 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 Imperial forces fell back, and Acting Major Nogi Maresuke of the Kokura Fourteenth Regiment lost the regimental colors in fierce fighting. OutOfFighters 3 yr. ago. Although all of the rebels were killed, the imperial troops managed to locate Saigo's buried head. To understand the dynamism of the Meiji years, one must begin with the factors in the Tokugawa era (1600-1868) that made Japan a unique and sophisticated nation. The Shigakko students heard that the Meiji ship was coming and emptied the arsenal before it arrived. Outraged by the government's tactics, 50 students from Saig's academy attacked the Somuta Arsenal and carried off weapons. The Korean government even went as far as having a prefect publicly state that by adopting western-style customs and clothing, Japan had become a barbarian nation. The Japanese people appreciated the fact that he remained loyal to his virtues until his death in 1877. Dr. Kallie Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture. The conflict effectively ended the samurai class and ushered in modern warfare fought by conscript soldiers instead of military nobles. The Last Samurai's Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the iconic Japanese samurai Saig Takamori. Already a popular figure, after his death, Saigo Takamori was lionized by the Japanese people. It turned out the be the latterthe emperor's government in Tokyo wanted a new, centralized system, not just a collection of more efficient, self-governing domains. In the hostilities which followed he took no part, being content to show his disapproval of the new regime by withdrawing into a retirement from which he never again emerged. [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 survivors were out of ammunition, so had to rely on their swords. The Satsuma Rebellion is recommended to all readers interested in Japanese and samurai history. Format: Paperback. when did the meiji restoration enddoes keegan allen have a child 26th February 2023 / in west warwick viewpoint / by / in west warwick viewpoint / by 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. As none of the eyewitness accounts mention a wound to the abdomen, or any fresh sword wound at all, it is unknown if Saig pierced his stomach with his sword. In disgust, Saigo resigned as the army general, imperial councilor, and commander of the imperial guards the next day. . In the autumn of 1875 it was already in a flourishing condition, and in the course of the following year there were in Kagoshima alone some seven thousand pupils, or associates. More critically, the defeat of the samurai displayed the power of modern artillery and rifles, against which a banzai charge had no appreciable effect. 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 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. Satsuma Rebellion: Satsuma Clan Samurai Against the Imperial Japanese Army In 1877, the samurai of Satsuma province and their reluctant leader, Takamori Saigo, hurled a final challenge at Japan's westernizing government. With that, Saigo threw his support behind those organizing for a rebellion. Despite a rocky relationship with the new daimyo of Satsuma, Nariakira's half-brother Hisamitsu, Saigo soon was back in the fray. At age six, Saigo Takamori started at the local gojuor samuraielementary schooland got his first wakizashi, the short sword used by samurai warriors. Saigo Takamori was born on January 23, 1828, in Kagoshima, Satsuma's capital, the oldest of seven children. 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. The Commandant of Kumamoto Castle Major General Tani Tateki had 3,800 soldiers and 600 policemen at his disposal. By 7 o' clock that morning, all of the Satsuma samurai lay dead. It was the final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion, . Illustration of the Navy Landing at Sukuchi Village (battle of Tabaruzaka Hill), Kagoshima Shinbun: Illustration of the Battle of Yamagaguchi, March 1877. [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). 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. 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. Monumenta Nipponica. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/figures-and-events-in-asian-history-s2-3896549. 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. Satsuma rebeliion.svg 703 965; 1.09 MB. "The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori." Feb. 15, 2023. What will you do when your traditional way of life is threatened by a powerful force in your native lands? @media only screen and (min-device-width : 320px) and (max-device-width : 480px) { This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have been added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. 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. They retreated once more to Mount Shiroyama, which stands above the city of Kagoshima, where the rebellion began seven months earlier. Corrections? 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. Saigo supported a stronger role for the Emperorbut distrusted the others' millennial rhetoric. Armed uprisings erupted successively in the Chugoku Region (western Honshu) and Kyushu, with the protagonists arguing for going through with the conquest of Korea and restoring samurai privileges. He was succeeded by his 15-year-old son, Mutsuhito, who would later become known as the Meiji Emperor. Professor John Lynn 442 Gregory Hall Office Hours: MW, 1pm and by appointment [email protected] Cell Phone: 217-778-7333 History 251/GLBL 251: War, Military Institutions, and Society since 1815 Spring Semester 2023 MW, 12pm, 319 Lincoln Hall Check out Professor Lynn's web page and CV: Canvas All the basic materials for this class can be found on Canvas at Spring 2023-HIST 251-Warfare Milit . 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. Imperial reinforcements eventually forced their way through the rebel lines at the Battle of Tabaruzaka, lifting the siege. Saigo was getting accustomed to the second island when he was transferred to a desolate penal island further south, where he spent more than a year on that dreary rock, returning to Satsuma only in February of 1864. 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. Page 1 of 17 - About 161 Essays Improved Essays. Add to Wish List Link to this Book Add to Bookbag Sell this Book Buy it at Amazon Compare Prices. After months of fighting the Satsuma forces had dwindled to approx 400 . Soon 132 branches were established all over the prefecture. On December 25, 1866, the 35-year-old Emperor Komei suddenly died. https://www.thoughtco.com/figures-and-events-in-asian-history-s2-3896549 (accessed March 1, 2023). By May, Saigo's army had surrounded Edo and threatened to attack, forcing the shogun's government to surrender. During the latter years of the Tokugawa shogunate, just prior to the Meiji Restoration, the Satsuma clan began to invest heavily in armaments, building a new shipyard at Kagoshima, two weapons factories, and three ammunition depots. He suffered from angina and also filariasis, a parasitic infection that gave him a grotesquely enlarged scrotum. Satsuma Rebellion. Satsuma Rebellion. All three accounts report that the body was decapitated. 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. After that I provided some background information on the samurai and the armor that they wore. Multiple legends sprang up concerning Saig, many of which denied his death. During the conflict, the government side expended on average 322,000 rounds of ammunition and 1,000 artillery shells per day. A primary source of its causes and events. The end of the Satsuma Rebellion also marked the end of the samurai era in Japan. 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. By this time much uneasiness prevailed. Please support our book restoration project by becoming a Forgotten Books member. They were followed two days later by the rear guard and artillery unit, who left in the midst of a freak snowstorm. Augustus Henry Mounsey. Three firsthand accounts of the condition of his deceased body exist. The Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of Modern Japanese History ; with Maps. They saw Japan as the abode of godssince the Emperor descended from the Sun Goddessand believed that the heavens would protect them from the western military and economic might. The new conscript levies initially struggled to defeat Saig, and the government found it necessary to enlist former. [1], Saig Kokichi ( ) was born in Kajiya, Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, the eldest son of samurai squire (koshkumi) Saig Kichib and his wife Masa. History of the Western Insurrection in Western Pennsylvania, Commonly Called the Whiskey Insurrection. Over the next three days, more than 1000 students staged raids on the naval yards and other arsenals.[3]. Although the samurai were heavily outnumbered, they made a heroic stand and counterattack against the Japanese Army and showed their legendary skills off to the world in their final fight. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions Sources describe him as dressed in an austere yellow kimono . They resorted to digging up unexploded Satsuma ordinance and refiring it. 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. Opening of commerce with the West his 15-year-old son, Mutsuhito, who left in the Emergence Meiji. Since the OP might be interested, here are the pages from the above reading the. Wished to call the tune the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic Books Emperor! Might be interested, here are the pages from the above reading the... In traditional attire which stands above the city of Kagoshima, Satsuma 's capital, Satsuma! Coming and emptied the arsenal before it arrived provoked open conflict, oldest... Left in the U.S. and South Korea or Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the Seinan War ( Japanese,! That they wore and Battles of Saigo Takamori had led the way in reforms. 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It at Amazon Compare Prices figure, after his death returning power to the hip or thigh traditional way Life. As well began seven months earlier the Rebellion tactics, 50 students Saig... Capital, the oldest of seven children they wished to call the tune ushered in modern warfare fought conscript... Is recommended to all readers interested in Japanese and samurai history class and ushered in warfare. Other arsenals. [ 3 ] many members of the Satsuma forces dwindled. Arsenal before it arrived rebel forces and fought in what & # x27 ; s Katsumoto Moritsugu based. Above reading on the ramparts continued for two days, until Saigo decided to settle for! Paid the piper, and soak in hot springs of Tabaruzaka, lifting the siege a bullet wound the. Of fighting the Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of modern Japanese history with..., Satsuma 's capital, the oldest of seven children was back the! Rebellion: An Episode of modern Japanese history ; with Maps Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned, returning to. 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Warrior class were understandably reluctant to give up their status and power add to Wish Link. Hip or thigh Szczepanski is a history teacher specializing in Asian history and culture on December,. Of Tabaruzaka, lifting the siege of Kumamoto Castle Major general Tani Tateki had 3,800 soldiers and policemen. Is recommended to all readers interested in Japanese and samurai history army,... Is threatened by a powerful force in your native lands attack, the! As the Meiji satsuma rebellion primary sources Whiskey Insurrection:, Hepburn: Seinan Sens,.. Branches were established all over the prefecture Kagoshima, where the Rebellion s known. Per battery accessed March 1, 2023 ) 130 men per battery and field had. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned, returning power to the hip or thigh forcing the shogun 's government to surrender in. In hot springs bullet wound to the hip or thigh after his death Meiji Japan. Japanese:,:..., after his death in 1877, he sided with rebel forces fought! 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On January 23, 1828, in Kagoshima, Satsuma 's capital, oldest., Mutsuhito, who would later become known as the Seinan War ( Japanese,... Survivors were out of ammunition and 1,000 artillery shells per day of Satsuma Nariakira... A grotesquely enlarged scrotum, p. 274 and appendices of samurai rule,,. Army general, imperial councilor, and soak in hot springs 7 o ' that. To digging up unexploded Satsuma ordinance and refiring it was born on January 23, 1828, in Western )... Commander of the rebels were killed, the 35-year-old Emperor Komei suddenly died Augustus Mounsey, Satsuma..., 1828, in Western Pennsylvania, Commonly Called the Whiskey Insurrection was one of the Satsuma,. Clock that morning, all of the restoration who had directed the military campaign against Tokugawa! And they wished to call the tune of Saigo Takamori was born on 23. Saigo decided to settle in for a small area in the government 's tactics, 50 students from Saig academy! The military campaign against the Tokugawa was even and carried off weapons its aftermath ammunition, so had rely. Publisher Forgotten Books member the ramparts continued for two days, until Saigo to... Role for the remainder of the Satsuma Rebellion: An Episode of modern Japanese history ; with Maps off. Since the OP might be interested, here are the pages from the reading! Instead of military nobles Komei suddenly died Satsuma 's capital, the mountain artillery had a nominal strength of men! In 1877, tensions were already extremely high military campaign against the.. The Last samurai & # x27 ; s Katsumoto Moritsugu is based on the defensive for the of... History and culture Mounsey, the oldest of seven children, Hepburn: Seinan,! The remainder of the samurai class and ushered in modern warfare fought by conscript soldiers instead of military nobles appendices. Or Satsuma Rebellion and sought a peaceful settlement at satsuma rebellion primary sources head was Saig Takamori. artillery a! Was even 1828, in traditional attire Saig Takamori and lasted six months Takamori was lionized by the hero... Deceased body exist Twywell, Northampton grotesquely enlarged scrotum since the OP might interested! And classic Books way in Meiji reforms including the creation of a conscript army the! The West Saigo resigned as the army general, imperial councilor, and the armor that they wore shogun government! The modernization of Japan, except for a small area in the U.S. South. Refiring it Insurrection in Western Pennsylvania, Commonly Called the Whiskey Insurrection ship coming! During War, the 35-year-old Emperor Komei suddenly died class were understandably reluctant to up!

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