Saigo Takamori

2017/11/11

Image: Statue of Saigo Takamori (Kagoshima City)

There is no record of Fukuzawa Yukichi and Saigo Takamori ever meeting face-to-face. However, why did Fukuzawa, amidst the suppression of free speech at the time, risk danger to write "Meiji Junen Teichu Koron" (A Public Discourse on the Tenth Year of Meiji), a pamphlet defending Saigo, who had been branded a rebel due to the Satsuma Rebellion? On the other hand, Saigo, living in his hometown of Kagoshima in his later years, asked his cousin Oyama Iwao to send for Fukuzawa's books from Tokyo to read. In a letter, Saigo stated, "(Reading Fukuzawa's works) is truly an eye-opening experience. Since ancient times, various wise men have written about national defense strategies, but none surpass Fukuzawa. Please continue to send only these kinds of books from Tokyo" (Letter dated December 11, 1874; modern translation by the author below). Fukuzawa was reportedly delighted to hear that Saigo was reading his books. Furthermore, Saigo encouraged the young men from Satsuma to enroll in Keio University and even listed himself as their guarantor.

What was it that drew these two men together, despite never having met?

Saigo Takamori (commonly known as Kichinosuke) was born in 1827 in Shimokajiya-cho, a district where many poor samurai families lived near Kagoshima Castle. He was the eldest son of Saigo Kichibei, a minor official (Okoshogumi Kanjokata Kogashira). Although the Okoshogumi belonged to the Jokashi (castle-town samurai) rank of the Satsuma Domain, it was the second lowest rank among them. In addition, Takamori had three younger brothers and three younger sisters, and the large family lived in extreme poverty. It is said that during the cold winter months, the siblings would fight over a single futon, and at mealtimes, Takamori would always give his food to his younger brothers and sisters, never eating his fill.

In the autumn when Takamori was 13, an upper-class samurai friend picked a fight with him, and unfortunately, the friend's blade slashed into Takamori's right arm. Due to this injury, Takamori's arm would never move normally again. This tragedy closed the path of martial arts to Takamori, leading him to pursue the path of a civil official.

Like Fukuzawa, Saigo was born into a lower-class samurai family. Through his impoverished life in a large family and the setback caused by his right arm injury, he learned to endure adversity without a taste for luxury and developed a kindness that cared for the weak. The two would eventually fight against the feudal system in different ways.

The Satsuma Domain produced many talented individuals, including Saigo, at the dawn of modern Japan during the Meiji Restoration. Behind this was the traditional Satsuma philosophy of "building a castle out of people" and the "Goju education," a unique system of youth education in mixed-age groups. This educational method gradually took shape over the 250 years of the Edo period, and its traditions were passed down to the school education of Kagoshima Prefecture before World War II.

A key characteristic was that it was a form of collective education based on "learning while teaching, teaching while learning," carried out spontaneously by the local community (Goju). Another major difference from other domains was that Satsuma traditionally had a spirit of freedom and independence; even if there were differences in the ranks of the samurai families, they were completely equal in this educational setting.

Goju was a local association where Satsuma youth were divided by age into Chigo-gumi, Nise-gumi, and Osenshi. They engaged in collective activities covering not only martial arts and academics but all aspects of life. Their motto was simplicity, fortitude, and discipline; young people were trained mentally and physically to become strong feudal warriors within the Goju education. Saigo also received guidance from the Nise (young men), was instilled with the importance of faith and the basics of Bushido, and at the age of 20, became the leader (Nisegashira), a name that became known throughout the various Goju of the castle town. The Nisegashira was not just a leader of the Nise group but a leader for the entire Goju. Saigo was seven years older than Fukuzawa, and ten years later, Fukuzawa would become the President of Tekijuku at the age of 22. Though the time and place differed, both Saigo and Fukuzawa were in positions of leadership, likely discussing the future of Japan with their peers.

The Abolition of the Han System in 1871 is cited as the most significant reform in modern Japanese history. It was this very event that deeply connected Saigo and Fukuzawa.

The plan for the abolition had apparently been ready two years before it was issued, but there was no one responsible for carrying it out. The only person capable of executing it was Saigo, who said, "The great work of the state cannot be achieved except by a person who is difficult to deal with because they want neither official rank nor money" (Nanshu-o Ikun). Fukuzawa also stated in "Teichu Koron," "It is clear that if Saigo had not given his consent at that time, this great undertaking could not have been easily accomplished."

The Abolition of the Han System was an act of stripping land ownership and subjects from the daimyo, and great opposition from the daimyo and samurai was expected. To implement this, Saigo, who had returned to Kagoshima, was summoned, and it was realized by establishing the Imperial Guard and using military force as a backdrop. Fukuzawa, who had long held the personal view that the Han system should be abolished, was overjoyed. For Fukuzawa, who boasted that "the lineage system is my father's enemy," the feudal system that had lasted for hundreds of years had vanished from the world. Fukuzawa later recorded his joy, saying, "At that time, when my colleagues and I met, we would celebrate together and shout that after seeing this great achievement of the new government, we would have no regrets even if we died" (Fukuon Hyakuyowa).

Thus, the Abolition of the Han System was decreed, but such a major reform is useless by decree alone. At least for the following year or two, enforcement and monitoring were necessary. Okubo Toshimichi, the Minister of Finance who was most needed for the post-abolition financial reorganization, pushed the unpopular role onto Saigo and left for Europe and America as part of the Iwakura Mission. However, during the two years the mission was away, under Saigo's leadership, the caretaker government worked on various reforms such as the education system, the conscription law, and land tax reform, and Japan steadily progressed toward modernization.

It was during this period of the caretaker cabinet in 1872 that the first volume of "Gakumon no susume (An Encouragement of Learning)" was published. Fukuzawa sincerely rejoiced at the emergence of Saigo—a man who had returned his highest honors and was a person who "did not try to be above others"—and placed his expectations on Saigo as a revolutionary politician for the modernization of the nation and the equalization of the people through his political skill.

However, after the Iwakura Mission returned, a struggle for domain-clique leadership broke out between the caretaker government and the returning group in the form of an objection to Saigo's proposal for a peaceful diplomatic mission (Seikanron). Indignant, Saigo resigned from all his posts and returned to his hometown of Kagoshima.

After leaving office following the Political Crisis of 1873 and returning to Kagoshima, Saigo founded the Shigakko (Private School) in 1874. While the main schools were the infantry and artillery schools, branch schools were also built the following spring, with 12 in the castle town and 136 throughout the prefecture. The Shigakko mainly conducted military training and the reading of Chinese classics, and could be described as a form of Goju education for young adults. Additionally, five students were sent to study in France, actively incorporating Western civilization. It is said that the original purpose was to raise soldiers to face national crises, anticipating conflicts with foreign powers out of a sense of alarm regarding the Western powers' expansion into Asia.

In 1876, a series of rebellions by disgruntled samurai occurred. Disgruntled samurai across the country looked forward to Saigo's uprising. Triggered by an outburst from Shigakko students, in February 1877, Saigo and a total of 13,000 men departed Kagoshima, stating their justification as "Having matters to inquire of the government..." (Seinan Kiden), and the Satsuma Rebellion—Japan's last civil war—began.

Upon hearing this news, Fukuzawa wrote a petition with the intent that "it is truly unbearable to brand Saigo, the primary hero of the Restoration, as a rebel and suppress him; therefore, the order for suppression should be suspended for a while, and if he says he has matters to inquire of the government, those points should be verified before taking any action." He attempted to have this submitted to the Emperor's temporary residence in Kyoto with the joint signatures of samurai from the former Nakatsu Domain. However, due to delays in shipping, the suppression order was issued before it could arrive.

Eventually, the government forces, superior in weaponry and personnel, gradually overwhelmed the Satsuma army. In September, the government forces launched an all-out assault on Saigo and his men who were entrenched on Mount Shiroyama in Kagoshima, and the Satsuma Rebellion ended with Saigo's suicide (at the age of 51).

Fukuzawa's efforts did not bear fruit, and "Meiji Junen Teichu Koron" is the editorial that defended the position of Saigo, who had vanished like dew on Shiroyama. This editorial, which condemned the government by stating that its policy errors caused the great rebellion and needlessly drove a rare hero of Japan to his death, could not be published under the press regulations of the time. Fukuzawa kept it as a secret treasure and did not show it to others indiscriminately. Later, in 1901, when he published "Yasegaman no Setsu" in the "Jiji Shinpo," Fukuzawa remembered for the first time that he had written this long ago. He consented to its publication on his deathbed, and it was finally released to the world 24 years after it was written.

In the introduction, Fukuzawa wrote, "I do not dare to defend Saigo, but the reason I drafted this piece and named it a public discourse is not for personal reasons for someone's sake, but to ensure fairness for the nation. I wish to leave a record of today's actual situation for future descendants, to preserve the spirit of resistance of the Japanese people and ensure that its pulse is not cut off."

In 1883, six years after Saigo died at Shiroyama, Fukuzawa, who was the representative of the promoters for the Saigo bronze statue, praised Saigo's great achievements in the construction prospectus: "In the great undertaking of the Meiji Government's Restoration, his sincere loyalty and his distinguished service are beyond dispute in the world. I believe that the Great Man's utmost sincerity remained unashamed in his heart from beginning to end. This is what we admire most." However, the construction of the statue did not happen at that time. The current statue in Ueno Park was erected in December 1898, but Fukuzawa was not involved in it.

Saigo's motto was the phrase "Keiten Aijin" (Revere Heaven, Love People). This is interpreted as: "The Way is a thing of Heaven and Earth and Nature, and since humans are those who practice it, the goal is to revere Heaven. Since Heaven loves both others and myself equally, one should love others with the same heart that loves oneself." These words encapsulate the thoughts of the last samurai, Saigo, who lived a life of many ups and downs, overcoming various hardships and setbacks.

Saigo and Fukuzawa. Though the two never met, they shared common ground in their thoughts on freedom and equality, their spirit of resistance, and their eyes looking toward the future. Living through similar circumstances, they lived their respective destinies straight and true, continuing to chase the ideal form of Japan in their own ways at the risk of their lives; they could truly be called "comrades."