Saigo Takamori, often hailed as "The Last Samurai," emerged from humble beginnings as a minor samurai official born in Kajiya-cho, nestled within the castle town of Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, on January 23, 1828. His prominence surged during Japan's transition away from feudalism and toward Imperial restoration. Takamori's journey began as part of a delegation dispatched to Edo (present-day Tokyo) to aid Satsuma daimyo Shimazu Nariakira in fostering relations with the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Intrigues within the Shimazu clan propelled Saigo Takamori from a low-ranking assistant to the esteemed position of the lord's personal attendant, owing to Nariakira's need for loyal aides. The untimely demise of Shimazu Nariakira due to heatstroke in 1858, coupled with the Ansei Purge—ousting over 100 dissenting samurai from governmental and court positions due to opposition to Shogunate trade policies—forced Takamori to flee to Kagoshima. There, he was apprehended and exiled by the new Satsuma daimyo, Shimazu Hisamitsu.
However, Hisamitsu later pardoned Takamori in 1864, dispatching him as the domain's envoy to the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Assuming command of Satsuma forces, Takamori allied with Aizu troops to suppress a rebellion by rival Choshu samurai planning to seize the Imperial Palace. Despite being designated commander of a Tokugawa-aligned army against the Choshu domain, Takamori clandestinely negotiated with the Choshu clan to unify their forces and topple the Tokugawa regime.
The resignation of Shogun Yoshinobu and the subsequent restoration of power to Emperor Meiji set the stage for the Boshin War, pitting Imperial loyalists against pro-Tokugawa factions. Takamori led Imperial forces in pivotal battles, including the Battle of Toba-Fushimi and the acceptance of Edo Castle's surrender from Katsu Kaishu.
Renowned for his role in ending feudalism and instituting a conscript army, Takamori advocated for military modernization while harboring ambitions for a Korean expedition. Despite his opposition to Japan's westernization and railroad development, Takamori contemplated a self-sacrificial mission to instigate war with Korea. Upon abandoning this plan, he retired to Kagoshima, where a contingent of samurai loyalists rallied around him.
Perceiving government intervention as a declaration of war, Takamori led a revolt against Imperial forces, culminating in the Battle of Shiroyama. Outnumbered and outgunned, his samurai adherents, reduced to traditional weaponry, fought valiantly until only a handful remained. Takamori himself succumbed to grave injuries, purportedly choosing the honorable death of seppuku, though some accounts suggest he died from bullet wounds.
Saigo Takamori's legacy endures, immortalized in Ueno Park, Tokyo, through a statue believed to depict him, though recent revelations cast doubt on its accuracy. Despite controversies surrounding his demise, Takamori's unwavering commitment to samurai principles and his pivotal role in Japan's modernization remain indelibly etched in history.
See also
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Ouchi Yoshioki
Ouchi Yoshioki, the ruler of the provinces of Suo, Nagato, and Iwami, was one of the most capable military commanders and politicians of the late 15th and early 16th centuries. The son of Ouchi Masahiro, he governed from his residence in Yamaguchi in the province of Suo. In 1499, Yoshioki gave refuge to Shogun Ashikaga Yoshitane, who had been driven out of Kyoto by Hosokawa Masamoto. Shogun Yoshizumi, Masamoto’s protégé, ordered the lords of Kyushu to unite their forces against Yoshioki; however, they did not dare to do so, fearing the power of a man who by that time controlled six provinces. Having gathered a substantial army, Yoshioki marched from his native Suo toward Kyoto in order to restore Shogun Yoshitane to power.
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Otomo Sorin
Ōtomo Yoshishige came from a noble lineage, being the eldest son of Ōtomo Yoshiaki, the ruler of Funai Province. The roots of the Ōtomo family traced back to Fujiwara Hidesato, the adopted son of Nakahara Chikayoshi. Fujiwara served Minamoto Yoritomo during the Genpei War and took part in battles in Mutsu Province in 1189. In 1193, he was appointed shugo of Buzen and Bungo Provinces, after which he adopted a new surname—Ōtomo.
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Okudaira Sadamasa
Sadamasa was the son of Okudaira Sadayoshi and took part in several battles under Tokugawa Ieyasu, distinguishing himself in the Battle of Anegawa in 1570, where he took two heads. Around 1572 he was forced to enter the service of the Takeda clan, but after the death of Takeda Shingen in 1573 he returned to Tokugawa, leaving Tsukude Castle together with his men. As a result of this defection, Takeda Katsuyori ordered the execution of Sadamasa’s wife and brother, who were being held as hostages.
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Okubo Tadatika
Tadatika, the son of Okubo Tadayō, entered the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu at the age of eleven, and took his first head in battle when he was sixteen. After the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate, he was appointed as a rōjū — a senior bakufu official — and was regarded as one of Ieyasu’s most trusted advisors, alongside Honda Masanobu. He is also known for his military chronicle Mikawa Monogatari, which describes Ieyasu’s rise to power and the early years of the Tokugawa shogunate.
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Okubo Nagayasu
Nagayasu was the second son of Okura Nobuyasu, a sarugaku theater actor from the Takeda clan. Takeda Shingen recognized the young man’s potential and took him into service, appointing him as a vassal to his general, Tsuchiya Masatsugu. During this period, Nagayasu changed his family name to Tsuchiya. He was entrusted with developing the Takeda clan’s gold mines as well as handling matters related to taxation.
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Nitta Yoshisada
Nitta Yoshisada was a loyal soldier of Emperor Go-Daigo, who in the 1330s attempted to restore direct imperial rule in Japan. The Nitta family was related to the Ashikaga house and was older in lineage. However, they did not join Minamoto Yoritomo at the start of his war with the Taira, as the Ashikaga did, and therefore did not receive high positions in the Kamakura shogunate. This may have been one of the reasons why Yoshisada rose against the Hōjō clan in 1333.
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Natsume Yoshinobu
Yoshinobu, a long-time vassal of the Matsudaira and Tokugawa clans, governed Hamamatsu Castle on behalf of the Tokugawa house. During the clashes between the Imagawa, Takeda, and Matsudaira clans, he served in the garrison of Nagasawa Castle and in 1562 took part in raids under the command of Itakura Shigezane. When, in 1563, a revolt of the Sōtō-shū sect followers broke out in Mikawa Province, Yoshinobu joined the rebels together with Honda Masanobu and Hachiya Sadatsugu.
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Nambu Nobunao
The Nambu clan was an ancient and powerful family that traced its lineage back to the Minamoto shoguns and had controlled a significant part of the Tohoku region in northern Honshu since the 12th century. Nobunao was born in Ikatai Castle, located in what is now the city of Iwate. He was the second son of Ishikawa (Nambu) Takanobu, the 22nd head of the Nambu clan. In 1565, Nobunao’s uncle, Nambu Harumasa, adopted him, brought him to Sannohe Castle, and named him his heir, later giving his daughter in marriage to him.
