Source # 1 - Map showing Japanese expansionism and natural resources.
Biography - Saigo Takamori
Saigo Takamori was born to a poor samurai family in Japan in 1828. When he was six, Siago began his samurai training. He excelled more as a scholar than a warrior, reading extensively.~ After completing his education, he began to work for the local samurai lord or daimyo as an agricultural adviser.
In 1854, Siago travelled with his daimyo lord to the Japanese capital of Edo and saw the American fleet under Commodore Perry, which was demanding that Japan open itself to foreign powers. As an adviser to his daimyo lord, Saigo worked to support the emperor, who wanted to open and modernize Japan, and the Shogun, or “general of the army”, who wanted to fight the Americans. In Japan at the time, the Shogun had the power and the emperor was a figurehead. After his daimyo lord died in 1858, Saigo had to flee Edo to escape the Shogun’s samurai. For several years he lived in different parts of Japan under threat from the Shogun. However, he remained in contact with the emperor’s advisers.
In 1865, the Emperor died and his young son became the new emperor. Siago was made a military commander of forces loyal to the emperor in civil war between the emperor and the Shogun. For several years, he battled the Shogun and finally defeated him in 1868. Siago gained fame and respect in this war because he allowed the Shogun to surrender with honor. Saigo’s victory made the emperor the unchallenged leader of Japan. After the war, Siago retired and took up a life of hunting, fishing and soaking in hot springs.
However, the Meiji government’s process of modernization begun with the defeat of the Shogun quickly caused problems across Japan as the government reduced the power and rights of the samurai and encouraged the development of modern industry. In 1871, Saigo was recalled from retirement by the emperor to form a new national army. Saigo oversaw the modernization of the army that was made up of average people without any special privilege for the samurai. In 1873, he resigned his position after a dispute with the emperor’s advisors over going to war with Korea. Saigo was opposed to the war.
In 1876, the emperor’s government banned samurai from carrying swords, which essentially ended their identity. This action caused small samurai rebellions across Japan. Saigo supported these, but refused to become involved in the rebellion because he still felt deep personal loyalty to the Emperor. Trying to resolve the conflict between the Emperor and the samurai, Saigo announced that he would go to Tokyo, the capital city, to "question" the government. As he travelled to the capital, about 12,000 young men joined him and the event became known as the Satsuma Rebellion. For over a year, Saigo’s army fought against the larger national army that was much better armed. In his final stand, Saigo and 300 of his followers were surrounded by 7000 soldiers of the national army. Saigo was killed in a final suicide charge against the emperor’s national army, the army that he had organized.
Biography - Toshimichi Okubo
Toshimichi Okubo was born to a samurai family in Japan in 1830. After his samurai education, Okubo began to work as an adviser to the leader of the region of Satsuma. In this position, Okubo argued for Japan to adopt European ways and that the government needed to bring together the power for the emperor and the shogun. In 1867, Okubo helped plan the surrender of the Shogun and full power being given to the Meiji emperor.
After the Meiji Restoration, Okubo was a leader in the new national government and he worked to end the power and special rights of the samurai. In 1871, as the Finance Minister, Okubo enacted a tax on land (which was held by the noble samurai) and then in 1876 he enacted the laws that banned the samurai from wearing their swords in public. This sparked rebellions by Samurai across Japan.
In 1873, Okubo participated in the Iwakuru Mission, where he traveled with a group of Japanese leaders on a two-year trip to the United States and Europe to gather ideas for the modernization of Japan and to negotiate treaties with these countries. After this, he used the government powers to promote the development of Japanese industry, based on the European model using modern technology, and the building of roads, bridges and sea ports. He also worked to develop a modern constitutional government for Japan and recruit bright and talented young men into the government, regardless of their background. This meant that any Japanese man could become a government official or military leader. These positions were traditionally held only by the samurai. This loss of prestige angered many samurai. For many Japanese people, especially the Samurai, Okubo was a symbol of the speed with which the new imperial government had moved as well as the willingness of the government to push aside traditional Japanese culture in its process of modernizing the country. In 1878, an angry samurai assassinated Okubo as he was walking to the imperial palace.
Source # 2 - Japanese painting of an one of the American ships that "Opened Japan" in 1853.
Source # 3 - Japanese print of foreigners trading silk with Japanese merchants.
Source # 4 - Photograph of the Japanese city of Nagoya in 1870.
Source # 5 - Photos of the Japanese Emperor Meiji. The picture on the left is him in 1872 and the one of the right is from 1873.
Source # 6 - Japanese print of a Japanese harbor with steam ship.
Source # 7 - Japanese print of a Japanese train on railroad.
Source # 8 - Video on Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War (you have to be logged into your Bedford Google account to watch this video) - click here
Source # 9 - Japanese print of victory in the Sino-Japanese War.
Source # 10 - Japanese print of victory in the Sino-Japanese War.
Source # 11 - Japanese print of victory in the Russo-Japanese War.
