Takamori Saigo

A politician from the end of the Edo period and the early Meiji period. Born on December 7, 1821 in Shimokajiya Town, under the castle of Kagoshima in Satsuma Province. The eldest son of Satsuma feudal lord Saigo Kichibei Takamori. His childhood names were Kokichi and Kichinosuke. After his father's death, he took over as Kichibei and changed his name to Kichinosuke, and took the name Takanaga. After the Meiji period, he was called Takamori, just like his father. He spent his childhood in poverty, and his friends included Okubo Toshimichi and Ijichi Masaharu. In 1844 (the first year of the Koka era), at the age of 18, he became an assistant county clerk and then a clerk, a position he held until he was 27 years old. During that time, he was noticed by the feudal lord Shimazu Nariakira for his opinion paper calling for agricultural reform.

After Perry's arrival in 1854 (Ansei 1), he was selected as a gardener and became Nariakira's right-hand man, promoting the movement in Edo and Kyoto to support Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu as the Shogun's successor. In the process, he got to know Fujita Toko and Hashimoto Sanai, and became known throughout the country as a patriot. In 1858, the situation reversed with the emergence of the opposing (Kishu faction) Ii Tairo and the sudden death of Nariakira. In November, Saigo, who was cornered by pursuit from the shogunate, attempted suicide by jumping into Kagoshima Bay with his comrade, the monk Gessho, and only Saigo survived. It is said that this incident made him realize his divine mission. It can be said that his famous philosophy of "respecting heaven and loving people" was born around here. The clan government, which was afraid of the shogunate, renamed Saigo Kikuchi Gengo and hid him on Amami Oshima. He became a good confidant and was loved by the islanders.

In 1862 (Bunkyu 2), Shimazu Hisamitsu was summoned to Japan to carry out the will of his late brother, Nariakira, and to embark on the movement to unite the Imperial Court and the Shogunate. At this time, he changed his name to Oshima Sanemon. He was critical of Hisamitsu's plan, calling it sloppy, and he also traveled to Osaka on his own initiative to pacify the Sonnno Joi faction in Kyoto and Osaka, which incurred Hisamitsu's wrath. This time, he was exiled as a criminal to Tokunoshima and then to Okinoerabujima. It is said that the hardships of life on the island strengthened his character.

When the movement to unite the Satsuma and Shogunate came to a standstill after the failure of the Sanyo Kaigi in 1864 (Genji 1), he was recalled again to work on restoring the power of the domain. He was appointed as a military officer and engaged in political maneuvering in Kyoto, and led the Satsuma forces to victory in the Hamaguri Gomon Incident, improving the status of the Satsuma domain. In the same year, he was promoted to Sobayaku (aide-de-camp) and took the name Saigo Yoshinosuke. In the First Choshu Expedition that began shortly thereafter, he was appointed staff officer of the expeditionary Choshu army, and achieved the bloodless surrender of the Choshu domain, earning him a national reputation. Later, when relations between the Shogunate and Satsuma deteriorated, he moved to prevent the Second Expedition of Choshu, and in 1866 (Keio 2), he concluded the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance with Kido Takayoshi. In 1867, he decided to overthrow the shogunate, and together with Okubo, he rallied the domains in that direction, forming an alliance with the Tosa and Aki domains. When Tokugawa Yoshinobu attempted to return power to the Emperor, he turned the tables and initiated a coup to restore imperial rule, making a major contribution to the birth of the Meiji Restoration government. He was appointed counselor in December 1867, and in 1868 (Keio 4) he became a staff officer of the Tosei Daitokufu during the Boshin War, where he succeeded in bloodlessly surrendering Edo Castle in a meeting with Katsu Kaishu, and later earned the respect of the Shonai samurai and commoners for his lenient treatment in the subjugation of the Shonai domain. For his military achievements, he was awarded a stipend of 2,000 koku. After the war, he retired to Kagoshima, but was eventually asked by the feudal lord Shimazu Tadayoshi to become the domain's councilor and then chief councilor, where he led reforms to the domain's government to break down hierarchical clans.

In 1871 (Meiji 4), at the request of Iwakura Tomomi, Okubo and others who wanted to strengthen the government, he joined the government, worked hard to establish the Goshimpei, consisting of troops summoned from the three domains of Satsuma, Choshu and Tosa, was appointed councillor in June and played a leading role in the abolition of the domains and establishment of prefectures in July. After the Iwakura Mission departed for its tour of America and Europe in November, he led the radical reform policies promoted by the absent government as chief councillor and official adviser to the Ministry of Finance, and in 1872 accompanied Emperor Meiji on his tour of Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu, and after returning to Tokyo, he was appointed field marshal, councillor and commander of the Konoe guards. In 1873, he was appointed army general and councillor. In May of the same year, trouble arose between Japan and Korea over the Japanese Embassy in Busan, Korea. At a cabinet meeting, Councillor Itagaki Taisuke argued for sending troops, but Saigo opposed the idea and argued that he would like to travel to Korea himself as an envoy and normalize diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea through peaceful negotiations. In August, the cabinet accepted Saigo's request and decided to send an envoy to Korea. However, the Prime Minister Sanjo Sanetomi misunderstood Saigo's peaceful negotiations as a conquest of Korea, and in September, he conspired with the Minister of the Right Iwakura Tomomi, who had returned to Japan, to request a postponement of Saigo's dispatch, but Saigo refused. At a cabinet meeting on October 15, it was officially decided that Saigo would be dispatched to Korea, and Sanjo was so distressed that he lost consciousness and was unable to carry out his duties. Iwakura then became acting Prime Minister and, working with Okubo Toshimichi and Ito Hirobumi, urged the Emperor not to approve the Cabinet decision, thus scuttling the dispatch of the Saigo Mission. On the 23rd, Saigo submitted his resignation in protest of this action, and on the 24th, Councillors Itagaki Taisuke, Goto Shojiro, Eto Shinpei and Soejima Taneomi also resigned in protest, leaving the government in a great split. The conventional wisdom is that this political upheaval was caused by Saigo's resignation after losing the debate on the Korean Expedition, but the truth is as stated above. Saigo was opposed to the debate on the Korean Expedition, and wanted to normalize diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea through peaceful and moral negotiations, and he longed for a Korean mission.

Saigo returned to his hometown and retired to train his children in Kagoshima. However, in 1877, when the samurai who supported private schools were provoked by the government to start a rebellion (the Seinan War), he was unwillingly supported and was killed in battle on September 24th at Shiroyama in Kagoshima.

[Toshihiko Mori]

"The Complete Works of Saigo, compiled by the Complete Works of Saigo Publishing Committee, 3 volumes (1926-1927, Heibonsha)" ▽ "The Complete Works of Saigo Takamori, compiled by the Complete Works of Saigo Takamori Editorial Committee, 6 volumes (1976-1980, Yamato Shobo)" ▽ "The Political Crisis of Meiji 6th Year, by Mori Toshihiko (Chuko Shinsho)" ▽ "The Southwestern War - Saigo Takamori and Japan's Last Civil War, by Ogawara Masamichi (Chuko Shinsho)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末・明治初期の政治家。文政(ぶんせい)10年12月7日薩摩(さつま)国鹿児島城下の下加治屋(しもかじや)町に生まれる。薩摩藩士西郷吉兵衛隆盛(きちべえたかもり)の長男。幼名は小吉(こきち)、吉之介(きちのすけ)。父の死後吉兵衛を継ぎのち吉之助と改め、名を隆永、明治以後は父と同じ隆盛を称した。少年時代を貧苦のなかに過ごし、友人に大久保利通(おおくぼとしみち)、伊地知正治(いじちまさはる)らがいた。1844年（弘化1）18歳で郡方書役助(こおりかたかきやくすけ)、ついで書役となり27歳まで勤め、その間、農政改革を求める意見書で藩主島津斉彬(なりあきら)にみいだされた。

　ペリー来航後の1854年（安政1）庭方役(にわかたやく)に抜擢(ばってき)され、斉彬の片腕となって、江戸や京都で一橋慶喜(ひとつばしよしのぶ)を将軍継嗣(けいし)に擁立する運動を推進した。その過程で藤田東湖(ふじたとうこ)や橋本左内(はしもとさない)を知り、志士として天下に広く知られるようになった。1858年、反対派（紀州派）の井伊(いい)大老の登場と斉彬の急死で情勢が逆転し、幕府の追及で窮地にたった西郷は、11月同志僧月照(げっしょう)と鹿児島湾に投身自殺を試み、西郷のみ命を取り留めた。この事件で彼は天命を悟ったといわれる。彼の有名な「敬天愛人(けいてんあいじん)」の思想もこのあたりに胚胎(はいたい)したといえよう。幕府をはばかった藩庁は、西郷を菊池源吾(きくちげんご)と変名させ奄美(あまみ)大島に隠した。彼は島民のよき相談相手となって慕われた。

　1862年（文久2）島津久光(ひさみつ)が亡兄斉彬の遺志を継いで公武合体運動に着手するにあたって召還され、このとき大島三右衛門(おおしまさんえもん)と改名した。彼は久光の計画が杜撰(ずさん)であると批判的であり、また京坂(けいはん)の尊攘派(そんじょうは)鎮撫(ちんぶ)のため独断上坂したので久光の怒りに触れ、今度は罪人として徳之島ついで沖永良部(おきのえらぶ)島に流された。島での生活の辛苦は彼の人物を鍛えたといわれる。

　1864年（元治1）参予会議の失敗で薩藩公武合体運動が行き詰まると、ふたたび召還され藩勢の回復にあたることになった。彼は軍賦役(いくさくばりやく)に任命され京都での政治工作に従事、蛤御門(はまぐりごもん)の変で薩軍を指揮して快勝、薩藩の地位を向上させた。同年側役(そばやく)に昇進、西郷吉之助と名のった。まもなく始まった第一次長州征伐において、征長軍の参謀に任じられて長州藩の無血降伏を実現し天下に名をあげた。その後幕薩関係が悪化すると、今度は第二次征長の阻止に動き、1866年（慶応2）木戸孝允(きどたかよし)との間で薩長盟約を結んだ。1867年になると倒幕を決意し、大久保とともに藩をその方向にまとめ、土佐藩、安芸(あき)藩と提携し、徳川慶喜が大政奉還の挙に出ると、その逆をついて王政復古のクーデターに持ち込み、明治維新政府の誕生に大きな功績をたてた。1867年12月参与に任命され、1868年（慶応4）戊辰(ぼしん)戦争では東征大総督府参謀となり、勝海舟(かつかいしゅう)との会談で江戸城無血開城に成功、ついで庄内(しょうない)藩討伐にあたり寛大な処置で庄内士民に敬慕された。戦功により賞典禄(しょうてんろく)2000石。戦後は鹿児島に引退したが、やがて藩主島津忠義(ただよし)に請われて藩の参政のち大参事に就任、門閥打破の藩政改革を指導した。

　1871年（明治4）政府強化を期す岩倉具視(いわくらともみ)、大久保らの求めに応じて政府に入り、薩長土3藩から招致した軍隊による御親兵の設置に尽力し、6月参議に就任、7月の廃藩置県に主導的役割を果たした。11月岩倉使節団の米欧巡遊出発後、筆頭参議兼大蔵省御用掛として、留守政府が推進した急進的改革政策を指導、1872年明治天皇の中四国九州巡幸に随行し、帰京後、陸軍元帥兼参議、近衛都督(このえととく)。1873年陸軍大将兼参議。同年5月、朝鮮釜山(ふざん)の大日本公館をめぐって日朝間にトラブルが発生し、閣議で参議板垣退助(いたがきたいすけ)は出兵論を主張したが、西郷は反対し、自ら使節となって朝鮮に渡り平和的交渉によって日朝間の国交の正常化を実現したい旨を論じた。8月、閣議は西郷の要望をいれ朝鮮派遣使節に内定した。ところが太政大臣(だじょうだいじん)三条実美(さんじょうさねとみ)は西郷の平和的交渉論を征韓論と誤解し、9月に帰国した右大臣岩倉具視と謀って西郷派遣の延期を求めたが西郷に断られた。10月15日の閣議で西郷の朝鮮派遣が正式に決定され、三条は苦悩のあまり人事不省に陥り執務不能となった。そこで岩倉が太政大臣代理となり、大久保利通、伊藤博文(いとうひろぶみ)と組んで、天皇に閣議決定を裁可しないように求めて、西郷使節派遣を葬った。23日西郷はこの処置に抗議の辞表を出し、翌24日板垣退助、後藤象二郎(ごとうしょうじろう)、江藤新平(えとうしんぺい)、副島種臣(そえじまたねおみ)の各参議も抗議辞職して政府は大分裂した。この政変は、通説では西郷が征韓論に敗れて辞職したものとされているが、真相は以上のとおりであり、西郷は征韓論に反対し、平和的道義的交渉による日朝国交の正常化を求め、朝鮮使節を切望したのである。

　西郷は帰郷引退し鹿児島で子弟の訓育にあたった。しかし、1877年私学校派士族が政府に挑発されて反乱（西南戦争）を起こすと、心ならずも擁せられ、9月24日鹿児島城山(しろやま)で戦死した。

［毛利敏彦］

『大西郷全集刊行会編『大西郷全集』全3巻（1926～1927・平凡社）』▽『西郷隆盛全集編集委員会編『西郷隆盛全集』全6巻（1976～1980・大和書房）』▽『毛利敏彦著『明治六年政変』（中公新書）』▽『小川原正道著『西南戦争――西郷隆盛と日本最後の内戦』（中公新書）』

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