After the inauguration of the Meiji government, as a result of advancing modernization policies, the privileges of the former samurai class were deprived one after another.
Also, some of the samurai who joined the new government army during the Boshin War were dissatisfied with the government because their claims were not reflected in the policies of the new government.
Saga Rebellion and dissatisfaction with the samurai
1873 Saigo Takamori, Itagaki Taisuke, Eto Shinpei, Goto Shojiro who lost the controversy over Korea The members of the Seikanron faction will go down all at once.
Following Takamori Saigo, Rear Admiral Kirino Toshiaki And other Army and Navy personnel returned to Kagoshima all at once. As a result, the opposition to the new government against the background of the dissatisfaction of the samurai will increase in various places.
The beginning of the armed conflict is Saga Rebellion is.
Shinsuke Eto who returned to Saga and became leader of the Seikanron Party Is Yoshitake Shima I will go to Kyo with the complaining warriors including. About 12000 people The complainers uprised and occupied the Saga Prefectural Office. However, Lord of Home Affairs Okubo Toshimichi The front of the new government army under the command of is thoroughly suppressed.
The new government, which has succeeded in suppressing the rebellion, will further abolish the privileges of the samurai.
Abolition of the feudal clan Even after that, the order system was virtually abolished by giving public bonds equivalent to several years of each of the rituals, which had been provided to the Kazoku and Shizoku.
This disposition The average of Kazoku is about 64,000 yen On the other hand, the samurai were 5,000 yen . Many of the samurai were in distress because it was just not enough.
In addition, the new government will issue a sword abolition order.
The swords other than military personnel and police officers were banned, and even the swords, which are the souls of samurai, were taken up by the samurai.
In October 1876, the rebellion of the Keishin Party broke out in Kumamoto, triggered by this abolition sword order. This turbulence triggered the Akizuki turbulence in Fukuoka and the Hagi turbulence in Yamaguchi one after another. However, both turmoil will be subdued before the new government forces with modern weapons.
Satsuma Rebellion
1877 In addition, the rebellion of the largest samurai in Japan occurs when the former feudal lords push Saigo and raise troops.
Unlike the rebellions of the samurai that have occurred in various places, the army led by Saigo was a full-fledged army with a cannon corps, but conscription The Saigo army will be killed before the new government army, which was developed as a modern army by.
The biggest mountain of the Satsuma Rebellion was the Battle of Tabaruzaka, and the Saigo army defended Tabaruzaka and fought well, but it fell in 17 days in front of the elite of the new government army.
The fierceness of this battle was reported in the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun at that time, and it was stated that the new government used 350,000 bullets a day at times. Also, in the fierce battlefield of Tabata, the bullets collided in the air and became one [ Crashing bullet . ] Was discovered in large numbers, suggesting that it was a very fierce battle.
The battle extended to the entire southern part of Kyushu, but the Saigo army was defeated repeatedly, and only 300 people stayed in Shiroyama, Kagoshima. However, it was destroyed by the government's total attack Saigo Takamori Suicided.
With the defeat of Saigo in the Satsuma Rebellion, the largest rebellion of the samurai, the resistance of the armed forces by the samurai rapidly diminished. Okubo Toshimichi assassination case after the Satsuma Rebellion Finally, the rebellion of the samurai closed the curtain and reached a break from the Meiji Restoration.