English: Japanese Color Woodblock Print Portrait of Saigō Takamori by Hasegawa Sadanobu II, 1877. About this print: Issued in the beginning of November 1877, approximately six weeks after the end of the nine month Satsuma Rebellion (see the article Satsuma Rebellion and Saigō Takamori Prints) and the death of its leader, Saigō Takamori, this print portrays Saigō decked out in all his military finery from the days when he was one of the most powerful men in the new Meiji government. While it was not until the end of February 1889 that Saigō, the rebel, received his official state pardon and the restoration of his imperial court rank, he and his top commanders were portrayed as heroes by print makers and their publishers as soon as the rebellion was crushed.

Translation of text on print: Saigō Takamori was born in Satsuma. His former name was Zenbei, and he also used the sobriquet Nanshū. He was naturally endowed with unusual talent and an imposing appearance, such that all who saw him immediately recognized him as extraordinary. Enlisting early in the royalist cause he entered the Capital of Kyoto in the Kaei era [1848-54] and became a follower of the monk Gesshō, incumbent of the Hōjōin at Kiyomizu. Favored by the noble Lord Konoe he grieved at the desuetude into which the royal house had fallen, and plotted with Ijichi Masaharu and Kaieda Nobuyoshi to do great deeds. But then the shogunate sent forces to arrest and confine these idealists. Saigō fled to Kyushu with Gesshō, meaning to return to his own holdings, but when they were prevented, they made a pact to throw themselves into the sea. They leapt into the water in each other’s arms, but others on the boat pulled them out. Saigō was revived, but Gesshō perished. Having thus been returned mysteriously to life, Saigō assumed the name Kikuchi Gengo. His domain shunned his actions and banished him to the Great Island [Amami]. He spent several years there, his aspirations becoming ever firmer even as his learning grew broader. He was pardoned in Bunkyū 3[1863] and returned to his domain, where he changed his name to Kichinosuke and quickly rose in the domain’s government. In Keiō 1 [1865] he participated in the shogunate’s campaign against Chōshū but effected the release of imprisoned royalists in many domains. Not least of his deeds was done in the spring of Boshin [1868] when as deputee in charge of the imperial forces’ expedition tothe East he took Edo Castle. Subsequently he followed the Great Governor-General [Prince Arisugawa] in pacifying Hokuetsu, in which action he performed meritoriously. In further quelling brigand forces in Ezo his tactics were uniformly apt for the moment. For all of this the Court elevated him to the post of Councilor, but he refused and returned to his domain. Then on6/2/Meiji 2 [1869] it was decreed that for his aid in the great work of Restoring the government, for seizing Edo Castle and leading the Hokuetsu expedition, and for his stalwart performance of military deeds, his leadership, and his successful and foresighted planning, all of which had brought much comfort to His Majesty, he would be rewarded with a stipend of 2000 bales of rice. In Meiji 4 [1871] he was elevated to Third Rank, First Grade, at court and made Councilor. In 4/Meiji 6 [1873] he was made Commander in Chief of the Army. In the 10th month of that year he advocated on behalf of an Imperial expedition against Korea, and when that was refused he resigned his position and returned to his home country. He also attempted to refuse all his rewards and emoluments, but the court would not allow this, and so he devoted them to the establishment of private academies in the countryside. He sent several of his students abroad to study, without requiring reimbursement. In this way the young men of the prefecture came to support him. Then in the 2nd month of this year he joined with Kirino [Toshiaki], Shinohara [Kunimoto], and others to raise a great army with himself as commander in order to make inquiries of the Government. With violence they occupied the Higo Road, and the Government moved quickly to mount an expedition against them. By land and sea, forces flying the Imperial flag advanced upon Kyushu. Battles were fought in Bungo, Higo, Satsuma, and Kumamoto. In the 9th month the rebel forces again attacked Kagoshima, but then the Imperial forces surrounded them at Shiroyama with superior numbers. At 3:00 in the morning on 9/24, they began attacking from all sides. There was no way to fend them off now, and he, along with Kirino and Murata [Sansuke], slit his belly, dying at Shiroyama. The remaining rebels were all captured, and by 7:00 that morning the rebellion had been quelled. Once he had held lofty rank and position, but in this way, having enlisted with insurrectionists, he became a traitor to the Realm.