Takamori Saigo

Takamori Saigo was born in 1828 in Satsuma Province (now Kagoshima Prefecture) as the eldest son of a low-ranking samurai in the Satsuma Domain.
With a household of 16 including family and servants, he grew up in modest circumstances.
From an early age, he pursued both learning and martial arts: he began studying Confucianism at age five, and at seven he joined the Satsuma “goju” (a local samurai youth group for education and training), where he received a solid education.
There he studied with talented peers, including his close childhood friend Toshimichi Okubo, who would later rise to key government posts.
But clashes with other groups were common. One day, while trying to break up a fight, the 11-year-old Saigo injured his right arm and could no longer grip a sword freely.
This prompted him to give up the path of a warrior and devote himself to scholarship.

At 16, Saigo took a post as a “Korikata Kakiyaku Tasuke,” an assistant clerk role handling rural administration.
Working under his driven superior Toshinari Sakoda, he learned professional discipline and came to feel the harsh realities and contradictions of society: poverty, corruption, and misrule.
He began frequently sending policy proposals on agricultural administration to the domain.
These writings caught the eye of Shimazu Nariakira, the 11th lord of the Satsuma Domain, and Saigo’s life took a major turn.
Appointed as a close aide (“Nakaokosho,” a personal attendant handling errands), he even joined the lord’s sankin-kotai procession to Edo.
Soon after arriving, he was promoted to “Niwakata-yaku” (secretary and bodyguard), an unusually rapid rise while serving Nariakira.
Sent on missions by his lord, Saigo met influential figures such as Toko Fujita and Sanai Hashimoto, who shaped his character and thinking.
As he built connections and political skill, Nariakira suddenly died.
Though Saigo considered following him in death, he was persuaded by the monk Gessho and resolved to dedicate himself to the country once more.

In 1858, the Ansei Purge began under the leadership of Ii Naosuke, targeting opponents of the shogunate. Gessho, aligned with the Hitotsubashi faction, became a wanted man.
Saigo and others sheltered him, but the Satsuma Domain disliked protecting Gessho and ordered his exile to Hyuga, effectively a death sentence.
Understanding what that meant, the two prepared to die and threw themselves into the sea.
Gessho died, but Saigo survived. To hide, he was exiled to Amami Oshima and took the alias Gengo Kikuchi.
Later, through Okubo’s maneuvering, he returned to Satsuma, only to anger Shimazu Hisamitsu, the domain’s power holder. Saigo was exiled again, to Tokunoshima and then Okinoerabu Island.
Meanwhile, Japan grew increasingly tense as major incidents unfolded.
In 1862, the Namamugi Incident, in which a Satsuma samurai killed a British man, led to the following year’s Anglo-Satsuma War as Britain retaliated.
Relations with the Choshu Domain also worsened after the August 18 Coup, when pro-imperial factions including Satsuma forced the Sonno Joi faction out of Kyoto.
As Hisamitsu hit a dead end and Satsuma struggled with a shortage of capable leaders, Saigo was pardoned to meet the domain’s needs.
About a year and a half after his return, he was appointed “Gunpu-yaku” and “Shuhan Ossetsu-gakari” (commander-in-chief and diplomatic liaison), becoming a senior retainer of the Satsuma Domain.

After returning to Satsuma, Saigo took command during the Kinmon Incident in Kyoto and successfully suppressed Choshu forces.
This deepened the feud between Satsuma and Choshu, and the shogunate issued an imperial order to punish Choshu (the First Choshu Expedition).
Assigned as a strategist, Saigo met Katsu Kaishu, a senior shogunate retainer, and chose a path of de-escalation.
After persuading both the shogunate and Choshu, the order was lifted and the First Choshu Expedition ended without major fighting.
But voices within the shogunate soon revived calls to attack Choshu again, leading to the Second Choshu Expedition.
Around the same time, mediated by Ryoma Sakamoto, the rival Satsuma and Choshu domains moved closer.
With terms that benefited both sides, they reconciled and formed the Satcho Alliance.
As a result, Satsuma chose not to join the Second Choshu Expedition.
Despite being outnumbered, Choshu pressed forward with high morale, and after the sudden death of the 14th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, the shogunate forces failed and the Second Choshu Expedition ended.

After Tokugawa Iemochi’s death, Tokugawa Yoshinobu became the 15th shogun.
As momentum to overthrow the shogunate grew, leaders from Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa gathered at the Shiko Kaigi to plan, but they struggled to unite.
Around then, Okubo and others obtained a secret imperial order to topple the shogunate. However, Yoshinobu moved first and submitted Taisei Hokan, returning governing authority to the imperial court.
Not only did this derail the plan to overthrow the shogunate, but with few capable leaders on the court side, court nobles close to the shogunate took power, leaving real control in Yoshinobu’s hands.
In response, Saigo and Tomomi Iwakura planned a coup to purge Yoshinobu-aligned nobles. By imperial order of Emperor Meiji, they issued the Proclamation for the Restoration of Imperial Rule.
It succeeded: the Edo shogunate was abolished, the new leadership structure (sosai, gijou, and sanyo) was set up, and the new government was formed.
That same day, the Kogosho Conference also decided “Jikan Nouchi,” requiring Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return his court rank and lands to the imperial court.

After losing power, Tokugawa Yoshinobu and the former shogunate forces based themselves at Osaka Castle and began marching toward Edo under orders to punish Satsuma.
In 1868, the new government forces confronted them, and the Boshin War (including the Battle of Toba-Fushimi) broke out.
As the new government gained the upper hand, Yoshinobu attempted to flee to Edo Castle, and the imperial court issued an order to pursue him.
The stage shifted to Edo. Saigo, serving as a staff officer under the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Expedition, prepared for a full assault from Sunpu Castle.
Just before the attack, Yoshinobu’s envoy Tesshu Yamaoka appeared before Saigo with a letter expressing submission.
Saigo agreed to negotiate, presented the “Seven Terms for Tokugawa Disposition,” and after extensive discussion, reached an understanding.
Based on this, Saigo held two meetings with Katsu Kaishu, and under conditions including Yoshinobu’s confinement in Mito and the surrender of weapons, Edo Castle was handed over.
The planned assault on Edo was canceled, and Saigo achieved the “bloodless surrender of Edo Castle.”
Afterward, resistance such as the Ueno War broke out, but the Boshin War ended after the Hakodate War and the final surrender.

After the Meiji government was established, Saigo initially declined to remain in the central government, stayed in his home region, and took part in Satsuma’s domain administration.
Meanwhile, the Meiji government quickly faced corruption among officials and uprisings, losing authority and struggling to secure revenue.
The government then asked Saigo, widely respected by the public, to return and help carry out the administrative reform known as Haihan Chiken, abolishing the domains and placing them under direct central control.
Persuaded largely by Okubo, Saigo accepted and joined a military organization called the Goshinpei.
Expecting resistance from domain lords, Saigo was prepared to use force if necessary, and Haihan Chiken was carried out in 1871 (Meiji 4).
That same year, the Iwakura Mission, including Tomomi Iwakura and Takayoshi Kido, departed for the West to renegotiate the unequal treaties.
Saigo, remaining in Japan, became the de facto leader of the “caretaker government” and pushed policies such as conscription, the education system, and land tax reform.
However, because the Iwakura Mission and the caretaker government had agreed to a pledge not to push major reforms, tensions grew between the two sides.

As tensions grew, the Meiji government also faced foreign-policy challenges, especially the dispute over Korea known as Seikanron.
Saigo insisted on going to Korea himself and brought the plan to a cabinet decision, but under pressure from opponents, the expedition was reversed and postponed.
Furious, Saigo resigned and returned to Kagoshima. About 600 officials and military officers who agreed with him also resigned one after another (the Political Crisis of 1873).
Back home, Saigo lived quietly, spending time hunting and visiting hot springs, until he was approached about founding a private school.
He helped establish it, and the Shigakko gradually grew into a force that influenced prefectural politics.
At the time, uprisings by former samurai, stripped of their privileges, were happening across Japan. The government watched Kagoshima closely, while dissatisfied former samurai hoped for action.
Both sides held each other in check, but in 1877 Saigo decided to raise an army.
This led to the Satsuma Rebellion, a war between Saigo’s forces and the government’s punitive army in Kumamoto, with fierce fighting lasting about seven months.
When defeat became inevitable, Saigo died at age 49, assisted by a retainer.
Though he had been a key contributor to the Meiji Restoration, his court rank was stripped and he was labeled a rebel after death.
Later, thanks to efforts by Emperor Meiji and others who admired him, he was posthumously restored in 1889 with the rank of “Shosanmi.”

Saigo was famous as a dog lover, and it’s said he sometimes kept more than 10 dogs.
His Satsuma dog “Tsun” is well known, even depicted with him in statues.
Dogs were usually kept for hunting at the time, so keeping them with such affection already says a lot, but more stories remain.
One famous tale says he would give eels and chicken meant for people to his dogs before feeding himself.
It’s also said he brought dogs to war, including to the battlefield of the Satsuma Rebellion where he met his end.
In his final moments, he reportedly removed their collars and let them go, hoping at least the dogs would survive, a very Saigo-like gesture.

Ueno Park is home to a bronze statue of Saigo, considered one of Tokyo’s three great bronze statues.
After his name was cleared in 1889, plans to build the statue took shape, and it was completed in 1898.
A well-known story says his wife, Itoko, attended the unveiling and angrily remarked, “That’s not what my husband looked like,” leaving his younger brother Judo Saigo at a loss.
Her complaint was the statue’s outfit: Saigo in a yukata, wearing sandals, and walking a dog.
Despite his achievements, he wasn’t shown in formal dress, and she is said to have meant he would never have gone out dressed like that.

Saigo didn’t drink alcohol, but he loved fatty pork, eel, and sweets like castella sponge cake.
With little exercise and an extremely busy schedule during the Meiji Restoration, he grew to a large build, reportedly exceeding 100 kg.
Concerned, Emperor Meiji ordered a German doctor to examine him, and what we’d now call metabolic syndrome was discovered.
Saigo then began weight-loss treatment through diet, medication, and hunting and walks, and successfully reduced his weight to 80 kg over three years.

Located in Taito City, Tokyo, Ueno Park’s official name is Ueno Onshi Park. Managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Bureau of Construction, it covers about 530,000 square meters, making it a vast park with a long history.
In spring, visitors from Japan and abroad come for the famous cherry blossoms, making it one of Tokyo’s top sightseeing spots.
As mentioned earlier, it’s also home to Saigo’s statue, a popular photo spot.

Shiroyama offers views of the city, Kinko Bay, and Sakurajima from an observation deck at an elevation of approx. 107 m.
The surrounding area was the final battlefield of the Satsuma Rebellion, with traces of Saigo’s footsteps throughout, making it an essential place for understanding Kagoshima’s history. You’ll find sites such as the Saigo Takamori statue, the former Saigo army headquarters, Saigo Cave where he spent the five days before his death, and the site where Takamori Saigo met his end.

A spacious park selected as one of Japan’s “100 Best Historical Parks.”
Its grounds feature many historic sites, including a National Treasure five-story pagoda.
The top highlight is the National Treasure Rurikoji Five-story Pagoda, the 10th oldest existing five-story pagoda in Japan.
Also worth seeing is Chinryutei, a reconstructed building said to recall gatherings of late Edo leaders such as Takamori Saigo and Toshimichi Okubo of Satsuma, and Takayoshi Kido of Choshu.