Saigō Takamori (Takanaga) was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods.
Background
Saigō Takamori was born in the Satsuma Domain (modern Kagoshima Prefecture) on January 23, 1828, or December 7 in the lunar calendar in the tenth year of the Bunsei era. His childhood name was Kokichi. He was also known as Kichinosuke, and later took on the pseudonym (gô) Nanshû.
Education
As a youth, he studied at the Zôshikan, but suffered a serious injury at age 13, and turned away from martial arts, towards a greater focus on academic study.
Career
From early youth he took a prominent part in the politics of his clan, and owing to his extreme opinions with regard to the expediency of abolishing the Tokugawa administration, he was banished (1858) to the island of Oshima (Satsuma), where he attempted unsuccessfully to commit suicide. Ultimately he rose to high rank in the newly organized imperial government, but in 1873 he retired from the cabinet by way of protest against its decision not to take armed action against Korea. Thenceforth he became the rallying point of a large number of men dissatisfied with the new administration, and in 1877 he headed a rebellion which taxed all the resources of the central government. After several months of desperate fighting, Saigo and a small remnant of his followers made a swift retreat to Kagoshima, and fell fighting (September 14) within sight of their homes.