Background of the Satsuma Rebellion
For centuries prior to the push for modernization in Japan, the shoguns and the samurai constituted the primary administrative, political, economic, and military rulers of feudal Japan. After a period of conflict ending in 1868, the last Tokugawa shogun was defeated, and an emperor named Meiji took his place. This led to the start of the Meiji Restoration.
Under the shoguns and samurai, Japan was a pre-industrial country that relied primarily upon agriculture for its economy. The Meiji Restoration ushered in an era of modernization that aimed to develop a modern infrastructure within the country, as well as:
- Create a strong military
- Increase the number of educated people in Japan
- Form a centralized government
- Develop industries to bolster the economy
To facilitate this transition from a feudal to a modern state, the Empire of Japan forced the shoguns to relinquish control of their domains, geographic areas defended by a local army, to the central government. One of these domains, the Satsuma Domain, would become key to the rebellion instigated by the samurai.
Starting in the 1860s, many samurai forced into retirement moved to Satsuma Domain. In the Satsuma Domain, the samurai worked together with other local leaders to plant the seeds for the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877.
Causes of the 1877 Rebellion
There were numerous causes of the Southwest War in 1877. One of the main catalysts for the conflict was the elimination of the samurai class under the Meiji Restoration. This led to insurrections against the imperial government starting in the 1860s due to dissatisfaction with the emperor and the government.
When Japan tried to take over the Korean Peninsula with less than successful results, former samurai commanders pushed for a restoration of their class. To press for this restoration, samurai living in Satsuma Domain joined forces with the governor of the prefecture—Oyama Tsunayoshi. Together, they attempted to pressure the imperial government into conceding to their demands by setting up a series of private academies that employed former samurai.
Worried by the establishment of these academies, the imperial government led a raid to confiscate armaments held at these private academies. Along with this raid, the government sent spies to report on the activities of the samurai. While the retired samurai class was originally provided with a monthly stipend to compensate for their unemployment, the imperial government also responded by reducing the monthly stipend to a much smaller annual payment.
The samurai responded by calling upon Saigo Takamori, a member of the imperial government who expressed concerns over the political actions taken by the Emperor, to address the concerns of the samurai.
The Samurai at War
In response to the samurai at war, the Imperial government sent officials to assess the situation in Satsuma Domain. When rebel forces harassed these officials, the Imperial government sent the Imperial Japanese Army to Satsuma Domain on February 12, 1877, in an effort to prevent the rebellion from spreading. At the same time, Saigo Takamori also left for Tokyo to demand explanations for the government's actions.
On February 22, 1877, the Satsuma forces laid siege to Kumamoto Castle under the command of Major General Tani Tateki. Despite numerous surges undertaken by the Satsuma army, they were unable to take the castle and decided to prevent the forces inside the castle from acquiring food and ammunition.
Illustration of Saigo attacking Imperial forces during the Satsuma Rebellion
 |
Retreat of the Samurai
The Siege of Kumamoto Castle lasted through March 1877, with Saigo and his army forced to retreat to Hitoyoshi. Saigo's forces carried out a series of guerilla attacks on the Imperial Army. Throughout July 1877, the Imperial Army continued to force the retreat of the samurai, depleting their forces to only 500 soldiers. In September 1877, Saigo and his forces took control of Shiroyama, ultimately leading to the final skirmish of the Satsuma Rebellion, the Battle of Shiroyama. This caused some rebels to carry out seppuku, a form of ritual sacrifice designed to save the honor of the soldier.
Battle of Shiroyama
At the Battle of Shiroyama, Saigo's forces were outnumbered 60 to one by the Imperial Army. General Yamagata Aritomo of the Imperial Army ordered his troops to build a series of elaborate trenches to prevent Saigo's forces from escaping. When Saigo rejected Yamagata's request for his immediate surrender, Yamagata conducted a full-scale raid of the Shiroyama.
In the aftermath of the raid, which led to the loss of several thousand lives on both sides of the battlefield, only 40 of Saigo's forces remained, and Saigo Takamori himself was gravely injured. To evade capture, Saigo committed seppuku, which is also known as hara-kiri. After Saigo's death, several of the remaining soldiers rushed the Imperial Army and were subsequently killed, thus ending the Satsuma Rebellion.
Impact of the Satsuma Rebellion
The Satsuma Rebellion ultimately led to the end of the samurai class and the development of an Imperial Army manned by conscripts chosen from all social classes. Because the Imperial government's efforts to crush the rebellion represented a monetary strain to the country, Japan had to switch to paper currency rather than the gold standard for its economy. Nearly a decade later in 1889, Emperor Meiji pardoned Saigo Takamori as a "tragic hero" in an effort to bring an end to further conflict with the former samurai class.
Lesson Summary
The Satsuma Rebellion was carried out by former members of the samurai class in Japan during the Meiji Restoration in 1877. With the defeat of the shoguns and the installation of Emperor Meiji as the ruler of Japan, the Meiji Restoration ushered in an era of modernization involving the building of new infrastructure and a new economy based on the development of modern technology. During the Meiji Restoration, shoguns were forced to relinquish control of their domains, a geographic area under the protection of a local army. Many retired samurai retired to Satsuma Domain, where they organized with the local governor to have their concerns addressed by the new Imperial government.
After the Imperial government raided a private academy to confiscate weapons belonging to the samurai, the Satsuma Rebellion began in full earnest. Starting in February 1877, rebels under the leadership of Saigo Takamori began to revolt against the Imperial government. After the Siege of Kumamoto, Saigo and his army were forced to retreat to Shiroyama, where they engaged in a final battle with the Imperial Army. Upon their defeat and the loss of several thousand lives, Saigo Takamori was gravely injured and committed seppuku, a type of ritual sacrifice also known as hara-kiri. Saigo was granted a posthumous pardon by Emperor Meiji in 1889.
