Saigo Takamori
The military leader of Satsuma during the waning days of the Tokugawa Shogunate, Saigo played a pivotal role in the restoration of Imperial rule to Japan. While his daimyo, Shimazu Hisamitsu tended to vacillate on his position regarding supporting the Shogunate or not, Saigo was resolute in his hatred of the Tokugawa regime and was determined to completely crush Tokugawa power at almost any cost. Saigo was one of Sakamoto Ryoma's closest allies and friends, but some historians have speculated that he may have had a hand in Ryoma's assassination by leaking the location of Ryoma's hideout to Bakufu officials. The logic behind this speculation is that Saigo deemed that Ryoma would be a formidable roadblock in his plan to crush the Tokugawa. Surprisingly, Saigo went on to become the commander-in-chief of the Meiji army, laying the groundwork for what became the modern Imperial Japanese Army. Saigo left the government in 1873 after a falling out with his younger brother Saigo Tsugumichi, who was ardently against his plans to conquer Korea. He died leading the Satsuma Rebellion against the government he helped to establish.
References
- Jansen, Marius B. Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration. Columbia University Press, 1994.
- Lanman, Charles. Japan - Its Leading Men D. Lothrop & Co., Boston, 1886.
- Hillsborough, Romulus. RYOMA- Life of a Renaissance Samurai. Ridgeback Press, 1999