Saigō Takamori and the Satsuma Rebellion: Kagoshima to Shiroyama

The rebellion starts in Kagoshima. In 1874 Saigō helped set up private schools there. In January 1877, with the government trying to remove munitions, the students seized the arsenal, moved by loyalty to him though not on his orders. On 7 February Saigō announced he would march on Tokyo to "question" the central government. Part of Kagoshima Castle burned down in the fighting. Today the site holds the Reimeikan history centre, which opened in 1984, and the main gate was rebuilt in 2020.

Location precision: The schools and arsenal were in Kagoshima; the pin marks Kagoshima Castle, the town's main historic site.

Visitor guidance: The Reimeikan history centre stands on the castle grounds, next to the rebuilt Otemon gate.

On 19 February the first shots of the war were fired here, as the garrison opened fire on Satsuma units. Built in 1598, the castle was among the strongest in Japan, and it held. After a siege of 54 days a relief army arrived on 12 April and put the rebels to flight. Saigō's verdict is famous: "I did not lose to the Meiji government. I lost to Lord Kiyomasa." The keep was rebuilt in concrete in 1960.

Visitor guidance: Kumamoto Castle is a major sight; check which areas are open.

While Kumamoto was under siege, government troops tried to break through on the main road out of the city. The Battle of Tabaruzaka began on 3 March 1877 and became one of the most intense campaigns of the war. Heavy rain at the start hampered the rebels' supplies. Losses were at least 4,000 dead and wounded on both sides, among them an officer, Terauchi Masatake, who lost his right hand.

Location precision: The battle spread over a line about 6.5 miles long; the pin marks Tabaruzaka itself.

After failing to take Kumamoto, Saigō led his followers on a seven-day march to Hitoyoshi. Morale was extremely low and, lacking any strategy, the Satsuma forces dug in to wait for the next government offensive. The pin marks Hitoyoshi Castle, now a park about a 15-minute walk from Hitoyoshi Station.

Location precision: Sources name the town of Hitoyoshi, not where the army camped; the pin marks Hitoyoshi Castle.

Visitor guidance: The castle site is a park, about 15 minutes on foot from Hitoyoshi Station.

By 17 August the Satsuma army was down to 3,000 men, having lost most of its modern firearms and all of its artillery. The survivors made a stand on the slopes of Mount Enodake and were soon surrounded. On 19 August Saigō burned his private papers and army uniform, then slipped away towards Kagoshima with his remaining able-bodied men.

Location precision: The stand took place on the mountain's slopes; the pin marks Enodake, not a precise position.

Saigō and his remaining 500 men reached Kagoshima on 1 September and seized Shiroyama, the hill overlooking the city. The Imperial Army outnumbered them 60 to 1. On 24 September it launched a full frontal assault. Wounded, Saigō is said to have asked his companion Beppu Shinsuke: "Shinsuke, I think this place will do. Please be my second." With the deaths that day, the rebellion ended. The hill, 107m high, is in Kagoshima today.

Visitor guidance: Shiroyama rises just north of Kagoshima Castle, so this stop can be paired with the first one.