Saga Rebellion
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The Saga Rebellion was an 1874 uprising in Kyūshū against the new Meiji government of Japan. It was led by Etō Shinpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen.
An ukiyo-e of the Saga Rebellion
Etō and Shima on the run as fugitives
Head of Etō Shinpei on public display after his execution
Ōkubo Toshimichi
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Ōkubo Toshimichi was a Japanese statesman and samurai of the Satsuma Domain. Regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan, he was one of the "Three Great Nobles" who led the Meiji Restoration
Saga Rebellion
…to his native Saga where both the traditionists and the Seikantō samurai rallied to his support. Alarmed by growing rumors of unrest, Home Minister Ōkubo Toshimichi dispatched his henchman Iwamura Takatoshi to Saga to restore order. Iwamura only made the situation worse with his overbearing attitude. On the ship…
Ōkubo in 1872
Ōkubo as a young samurai
Ōkubo Toshimichi
Members of the Iwakura Mission in San Francisco, 1872. From left: Kido Takayoshi, Yamaguchi Naoyoshi, Iwakura Tomomi, Itō Hirobumi, and Ōkubo.