Seinan Rebellion (2/2)The final battle of the samurai: Takamori Saigo vs. the government

The Satsuma army struggled with old-fashioned equipment while preparing its own troops against the government army, which was equipped with the latest weapons and attacked. In hand-to-hand combat, the Satsuma Jigen-ryu defeated government army soldiers one after another. The government army responds with snipers, but it is difficult to get over the hill. It is said that as many as 320,000 bullets were rained down on the area in one day, and the scene of the fierce battle is described in the folk song ``Tabaruzaka,'' which goes, ``The rain falls, but the rain falls, the wetter the better, the Tabarazaka.''

The Satsuma army continues to struggle, but due to the continuous rain, their old-fashioned guns are not working properly and are gradually being worn out. Furthermore, as a countermeasure against hand-to-hand combat, the government army organized the ``Metropolitan Police Department Battō-tai'' consisting of former samurai police officers who excelled in swordsmanship. Its members were samurai from Kagoshima Prefecture who had joined Okubo Toshimichi during the Coup in 1896, and were capable of fighting on equal terms with the Satsuma army. Thanks to the efforts of the battō tai, the government army regained its strength and launched a fierce attack on the Satsuma army. Then, on March 20th, under cover of the morning mist, they launched an all-out attack on the Satsuma army. They defeat the Satsuma army, which was taken by surprise, and finally succeed in breaking through Tabaruzaka.

The Battle of Tabarazaka, in which more than 13,000 people died on both sides, was a turning point in the Seinan Rebellion, and from then on the battle progressed in favor of the government army.

Seinan War ③ Takamori Saigo dies at Shiroyama

The Satsuma army, which had broken through Tabaruzaka, gradually retreated. On April 14th, part of the government army entered Kumamoto Castle, and Saigo Takamori lifted the siege of Kumamoto Castle and retreated to Kagoshima. Furthermore, regarding this battle of Kumamoto Castle, Takamori said, ``I don't think Oido lost to the government army, but I think he lost to Prince Kiyomasa.''

After that, the Satsuma army was based in the Hitoyoshi region in the southern part of Kumamoto Prefecture and fought against the government army, but they continued to lose to the government army's state-of-the-art equipment. Then, on August 15, at the Battle of Wada Pass in Nobeoka, northern Miyazaki Prefecture, 3,500 Satsuma troops fought against about 50,000 government troops commanded by Aritomo Yamagata and were defeated. Then, on April 16, Takamori Saigo announced the disbandment of the military. By saying, ``Those who surrender should surrender, those who are prepared to die in battle should remain,'' many people surrendered, and only 1,000 people remained.

Takamori Saigo departs for Kagoshima with the remaining elite soldiers with high morale. Perhaps thinking of dispersing in his hometown, he arrived in Kagoshima on September 1st and holed up in Shiroyama in the central part of Kagoshima city. At first, with the cooperation of the residents, the Satsuma army succeeded in taking control of most of Kagoshima city, but the government army fought back and on September 6, Shiroyama was surrounded by the government army. At this point, the Satsuma army had decreased to about 350 soldiers.

The Satsuma army holds out for a while, but is defeated. On September 19th, Issuke Yamanoda and Shuichiro Kono appealed for Takamori Saigo's life, lying to Takamori that they were trying to convince Takamori of his intention to raise an army. He went to the source and was captured. When Takamori learned of this, he announced on the 22nd that Shiroyama was determined to die. He stated that the purpose of sending the two men was to ``convey to the enemy camp the determination of our allies to die,'' and that they ``intended to die for the cause.'' He inspired the Satsuma army and expressed his determination to die in battle, saying, ``We should use this castle as our pillow to fight a decisive battle.We must be even more inspired and fight with determination and leave no shame to future generations.'' Furthermore, Takamori received a letter from Aritomo Yamagata asking him to commit suicide before a full-scale attack, but Takamori ignored it.

Then, in the early morning of September 24th, the final all-out attack by the government army began. As military leaders fall one after another, Takamori Saigo is also wounded by a bullet. He told Shinsuke Beppu, who had been following Takayoshi until the end, ``Shindon, I'm fine here,'' and prepared to commit seppuku. Shinsuke yelled, "I'm sorry," and intervened with Takamori. Thus Takamori ended his life at the age of 51.

Shinsuke committed seppuku on the spot after being assisted by Saigo Takamori. The remaining executives, including Toshiaki Kirino, continued the war and either died in battle or committed suicide. Thus, the Seinan War came to an end, and the Satsuma army was almost completely annihilated, with the exception of a few, such as Beppu Kuro, who had insisted that their intention to raise an army should be asserted in court.

Saigo Takamori's body and head were carefully buried, but he remained elevated to official rank as a commander of the rebel army. However, many of the government leaders who were hostile to Takamori, including Kiyotaka Kuroda, regret his personality, and even Emperor Meiji said, ``We have lost a great man.'' After the war, a movement was launched to restore Takamori's honor, and in 1889, Takamori was promoted to Shosanmi.

Samurai and the Freedom and Civil Rights Movement after the Seinan War

The end of the Seinan War had a great impact on the disgruntled samurai tribes. In other words, it spread the awareness that ``it is impossible to oppose the government by force.'' Taking advantage of the Seinan Rebellion, the samurai decided to fight against the government using the power of speech.

The person I would like to spotlight here is Taisuke Itagaki, who was a junior at the same time as Takamori Saigo. He was involved in the Freedom and People's Rights Movement, which sought the right for common people to speak freely and participate in politics, and challenged the government through speech. Taisuke issued a petition in 1874 requesting the establishment of a popularly elected parliament, and thereafter the idea of freedom and civil rights spread throughout the country. The dissatisfied samurai tribes also came to support this movement for freedom and civil rights.