Saigo Takamori and Nobeoka - Tracing his final stage
This story explores the "memories of decisions" that remain in Nobeoka.
Nobeoka was the location where Saigo Takamori made the momentous decision to disband his army.
The place where it all took place still quietly retains traces of that time and the emotions associated with it.
Why not trace the history and experience the journey of Takamori Saigo?
西南戦争
The end of the samurai era, Japan's final battle.
The Satsuma Rebellion was Japan's last civil war, fought in Kyushu in 1877. It was a revolt led by Saigo Takamori, fueled by discontent over the loss of samurai status and privileges due to the Meiji government's modernization policies.
The fighting spread from Kumamoto to various parts of Kyushu, with fierce battles continuing between the government forces and the Satsuma forces. Eventually, the government forces, superior in numbers, gained the upper hand, and the tide of the war shifted dramatically.
This battle marked a major turning point in Japan's transition from the samurai era to a modern nation.
The decisive battle over Wada
The final battle took place in Nobeoka.
On February 22, 1877, the fighting began in Kumamoto. The most famous battle, the "Battle of Taharazaka," lasted for 17 days from March 4, and was a fierce battle in which approximately 4,000 soldiers from both the Satsuma army and the government army were killed. After that, the Satsuma army retreated from Kumamoto and advanced north through Miyazaki Prefecture, passing through Kobayashi, Miyazaki, Sadowara, Takanabe, and Mimitsu, before entering Nobeoka on August 2.
The Satsuma army, having advanced to Nobeoka, confronted the government forces, which were continuing their northward advance, and clashed with them at Wadagoe on August 15th. The Satsuma army, led by Saigo Takamori, numbered approximately 3,000 men, while the government forces, led by Yamagata Aritomo, numbered about 50,000. A fierce battle unfolded amidst this overwhelming disparity in numbers, but the Satsuma army was gradually pushed back and retreated towards Kitagawa.
This battle became a crucial turning point that determined the course of the Satsuma Rebellion.
Disbandment of the Satsuma Army
The final decision to let go of everything.
Defeated in the Battle of Wada Pass, Saigo Takamori retreated to Kitagawa Town and took up residence at the home of Kodama Kumashiro at the foot of Kawai-dake Mountain. With only a few soldiers remaining, it was difficult to plan a comeback. Saigo held his final military council here to decide on his next course of action and made the decision to disband the Satsuma army.
Saigo burned the army general's uniform and important documents bestowed upon him by Emperor Meiji, demonstrating his resolve to cut off his own retreat. Afterwards, with a small number of soldiers, he carried out the "Kawai-dake Siege," crossing Mount Kawai, and headed for Kagoshima.
Currently, the former residence of Kodama Kumashiro is preserved as a museum, and through exhibits such as artifacts related to Saigo Takamori, war documents, and a recreation of the final military council, it conveys the tense atmosphere of the time.
A timeless encounter that saved Saigo Takamori
Reference site for the mausoleum of Ninigi-no-Mikoto
Located very close to the residence of Kodama Kumashiro is the Reference Site for the Mausoleum of Ninigi-no-Mikoto (Kawaiyama Mausoleum). It is said to be the final resting place of Ninigi-no-Mikoto, the descendant of the sun goddess who appears in Japanese mythology, and is managed by the Imperial Household Agency as a reference site for the mausoleum.
It is said that one of the reasons Saigo Takamori chose to encamp in this area was because it is a special place with mythological significance. It was thought that it would be difficult for the government forces to launch a fierce attack on this area, which is considered to be the burial ground of a being believed to be the ancestor of the imperial family, and for Saigo, it was a place of temporary rest.
The fact that Saigo Takamori was able to somehow make it back to Kagoshima was nothing less than a miracle brought about by this "encounter that transcended time and space" with the heavenly descendant Ninigi-no-Mikoto.
His great-grandson, Takao Saigo, speaks
My father, whom I respect the most, would tell me almost every day about the life and character of my great-grandfather, Saigo Takamori, whom he affectionately called "Saigo-san." Saigo, who loved to use the phrase "Respect Heaven, Love People," was loved and admired by many, but I believe that in Nobeoka, the site of the final battle of the Satsuma Rebellion, Saigo and the Satsuma army, who had become rebels, were loved and helped by the Nobeoka troops and the people living there, and that it was thanks to them that they were able to return to Kagoshima.
Furthermore, Nobeoka is also the place where Saigo Kikujiro (later the second mayor of Kyoto), the eldest son of Saigo Takamori, recuperated from a right leg injury sustained in the Satsuma Rebellion, and where father and son said their final goodbyes. We invite you to actually come to Nobeoka and experience its many dramas and firsthand history.
