The Satsuma Rebellion was a samurai rebellion against the imperial government of Japan which occurred from 29 January to 24 September 1877 on the island of Kyushu. Led by Saigo Takamori, the Satsuma Domain's uprising marked the last revolt of disaffected samurai against the modernizing imperial government, and its defeat heralded the fall of the samurai order and the rise of modern Japan.
History[]
The Satsuma Domain played a key role in the Meiji Restoration but refused to accept plans for a standing army structured along European lines. In early 1877 Saigo Takamori, their leader, angry at the rejection of his proposal for an invasion of Korea, marched on Kumamoto Castle in southern Kyushu. The government responded swiftly, sending a unit to disarm the rebels, then, when they refused to back down, the full army to crush them. The conflict dragged on for six months, until the battle of Shiroyama in September. The mainly conscript Imperial Japanese Army was well equipped and organized. Saigo's troops, with just a white cloth tied to their arms to identify themselves, fought with their swords. They also had Enfield rifles, but these were no match for modern heavy artillery and they were blasted to pieces. The old samurai order was finished.
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