Takamori Saigo (1827-77) 1827 Born the first son of Saigo Kichibee, a petty retainer of the Satsuma clan. His childhood name was Kokichi. 1854 Served as close adviser to the lord of the clan, Shimazu Nariakira. Ousted and sent into exile upon the sudden death of Nariakira, when chief minister Ii Naosuke rose to prominence. 1864 Staged a comeback and head the army to punish the Choshu clan. 1867 As head of the Satsuma-Choshu alliance, took advantage of the collapse of the Edo Shogunate to lead a successful coup d'etat restoring Imperial rule. 1871 Received by the new Meiji government and installed as a councillor. Enacted numerous reforms, including the introduction of conscription, reform of the land tax and promulgation of an educational system. 1873 In search of a solution to a diplomatic problem in Korea, offered his services as envoy to that country and was so approved in Cabinet. However, he was brought down by a conspiracy of Iwakura Tomomi and Okubo Toshimichi. These two returned from an observation tour of Western countries determined to persuade the government to make industrialization its top priority. Returning to Kagoshima, Saigo founded a private school, where he spent his days educating his disciples. 1877 Provoked by the government, his disciples started a rebellion (the Satsuma Rebellion), which was defeated by the government forces' superior weaponry. Committed suicide in Shiroyama at the age of 50.

[The Legend of Saigo ] A giant of a man standing 180 cm tall and weighing 112 kg, Saigo Takamori was a man of few words, with bulging eyes and an affable smile that would play across his face from time to time. Saigo was one of the most popular politicians in Japan's modern era. His clean-hearted, guileless personality, stormy career and tragic demise touch the hearts of many Japanese people, inspiring fervent reverence for Saigo. The story of Saigo is immortalized in several "legends of Saigo," testifying to widespread dissatisfaction with the state of politics today and a psychological need for heroes. In fact, 1877, the year of Saigo's death, was a year in which Mars reached its closest approach to the Earth. The people of the time saw this bright, blood-red star and said it was Saigo's star, a sign that Saigo was still alive somewhere. Today a bronze statue of Saigo stands in Tokyo's Ueno Park. The statue was created by Koun Takamura, father of renowned poet Kotaro Takamura, in 1898. The dog accompanying Saigo was cast by Sadayuki Goto. in the property of Kumamoto Museum

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