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64-559: After the Meiji Restoration and the overthrow of the Shogunate in 1868, the newly formed Meiji government embarked on reforms to centralize and modernize Japan. The Imperial side did not pursue its objective to expel foreign interests from Japan instead adhering to the treaties signed during the bakumatsu period with the ultimate goal of revising them and building up the nation's strength by continuing with reforms begun under

128-467: A high level of education and social skills also helped to lubricate and cement friendships between the member of the domains. In January 1869, the four south western domains of Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, and Hizen had submitted a petition to the court stating that they be permitted to return their registers of their domains to the imperial government. By the time the court formally accepted the four-domain petition on July 25, 1869, and made it compulsory, most of

192-509: A large part of former Tokugawa Navy's best warships embarrassed the Meiji government politically. The imperial side had to rely on considerable military assistance from the most powerful domains as the government did not have enough power, especially naval power, to defeat Enomoto on its own. Although the rebel forces in Hokkaido surrendered, the government's response to the rebellion demonstrated

256-707: A letter requesting to establish a goodwill mission between the two countries; the letter contained the seal of the Meiji government rather than the seals authorized by the Korean Court for the Sō family to use. It also used the character ko (皇) rather than taikun (大君) to refer to the Japanese emperor. The Koreans only used this character to refer to the Chinese emperor and to the Koreans it implied ceremonial superiority to

320-643: A minimum of two to a maximum of seven, and six other samurai held office at one time or another - Kido Koin of Chōshu, Ōkuma Shigenobu of Hizen, Saigō Takamori of Satsuma, and Sasaki Takayuki , Saito Toshiyuki, and Itagaki Taisuke , all from Tosa. Under the Dajokan there were six departments or ministries that had been established: Civil Affairs ( Mimbushō ), Finance ( Ōkurashō ), War ( Hyōbusho ), Justice ( Kyōbushō ), Imperial Household ( Kunaishō ) and Foreign Affairs ( Gaimushō ). They were usually headed by imperial princes, Court nobles, or daimyo, but generally it

384-544: A new set of diplomatic symbols and practices, the Japanese began to change them unilaterally. To an extent, this was a consequence from the abolition of the domains in August 1871, whereby it meant that was simply no longer possible for the Sō family of Tsushima to act as intermediaries with the Koreans. Another, equally important factor was the appointment of Soejima Taneomi as the new minister of foreign affairs, who had briefly studied law at Nagasaki with Guido Verbeck . Soejima

448-461: A serious threat to the power of the daimyō , and the peace and order of the domain; the shogunal ban on Christianity was enforced more strictly and brutally in Satsuma, perhaps, than anywhere else in the archipelago. The ban on smuggling, perhaps unsurprisingly, was not so strictly enforced, as the domain gained significantly from trade performed along its shores, some ways away from Nagasaki , where

512-539: A year and died in early 1871, but two more Court nobles were appointed to this office in December 1869 and November 1870, respectively. Next came the Councillors ( Sangi ), all of whom were samurai: initially two - Soejima Taneomi of Hizen and Maebara Issei of Chōshu, then four with the addition of Ōkubo Toshimichi of Satsuma and Hirosawa Saneomi of Chōshu. During the next two years the number of Sangi varied, from

576-456: A year, and to spend some portion of the year there, away from his domain and his power base. The Shimazu were granted permission to make this journey only once every two years. These exceptions thus allowed Satsuma to gain even more power and wealth relative to the majority of other domains. Though arguably opposed to the shogunate, Satsuma was perhaps one of the strictest domains in enforcing particular policies. Christian missionaries were seen as

640-433: Is not questioned. The Shimazu continually made efforts to emphasize their unique position as the only feudal domain to claim an entire foreign kingdom as its vassal, and engineered repeated increases to their own official Court rank, in the name of maintaining their power and prestige in the eyes of Ryukyu. In 1871, however, Emperor Meiji abolished the han system , and the following year informed King Shō Tai that he

704-742: The Kokudaka system and its value peaked at 770,000 koku , the second-highest domain in Japan after the Kaga Domain . The Satsuma Domain was one of the most powerful and prominent of Japan's domains during the Edo period, conquering the Ryukyu Kingdom as a vassal state after the invasion of Ryukyu in 1609, and clashing with the British during the bombardment of Kagoshima in 1863 after

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768-732: The Aikoku Kōtō , a liberal political party, and rebelled against the Iwakura clique through legal means. Sonn%C5%8D j%C5%8Di Sonnō jōi ( 尊 王 攘 夷 , "revere the Emperor, expel the barbarians") was a yojijukugo (four-character compound) phrase used as the rallying cry and slogan of a political movement in Japan in the 1850s and 1860s, during the Bakumatsu period. Based on Neo-Confucianism and Japanese nativism ,

832-533: The Battle of Toba–Fushimi 1868. The shōgun, defeated, escaped to Edo. Saigo Takamori then led his troops to Edo, where Tenshō-in was instrumental in the bloodless surrender of Edo castle . The Boshin War continued until the last of the shogunate forces were defeated in 1869. The Meiji government , which was established in the aftermath of these events, was largely dominated by politicians from Satsuma and Chōshū. Though

896-507: The Empire of Japan , and insulting treatment meted out to Japanese envoys attempting to establish trade and diplomatic relations. The war party also saw the issue in Korea as an ideal opportunity to find meaningful employment for the thousands of out-of-work samurai , who had lost most of their income and social standing in the new Meiji social and economic order. These samurai posed a threat to

960-750: The Namamugi Incident . The Satsuma Domain formed the Satchō Alliance with the rival Chōshū Domain during the Meiji Restoration and became instrumental in the establishment of the Empire of Japan . The Kagoshima-han was dissolved in the abolition of han and establishment of ken in 1871 by the Meiji government when Kagoshima-han became Kagoshima-ken , with some parts of the domain separated as part of Miyakonojō Prefecture ( Miyakonojō-ken ). The first prefectural governor of Kagoshima

1024-461: The bombardment of Kagoshima by the Royal Navy the following year. Even though Satsuma was able to withstand the attack, this event showed how necessary it was for Japan to import western technology and reform its military. Meanwhile, the focus of Japanese politics shifted to Kyoto, where the major struggles of the time occurred. The shogunate entrusted Satsuma and Aizu with the protection of

1088-587: The 1630s, Satsuma's ability to enjoy a trade in Chinese goods, and information, via Ryukyu, provided it a distinct and important, if not entirely unique, role in the overall economy and politics of the Tokugawa state. The degree of economic benefits enjoyed by Satsuma, and the degree of their influence in Ryukyu, are subjects debated by scholars, but the political prestige and influence gained through this relationship

1152-464: The Chinese feudal lords to strike down the threat of barbarians from China. For it, Confucius himself praised Guan Zhong for the preservation of Chinese civilization through the example of the contrast in the hairstyles and clothing styles between them and barbaric peoples. Through the Analects of Confucius, the Chinese expression came to be transmitted to Japan as sonnō jōi . The origin of

1216-679: The Imperial court, against attempts of the Sonnō jōi faction to take over, as in the Kinmon Incident of 1864. The shogunate decided to punish Chōshū for this event with the First Chōshū expedition , under the leadership of a Satsuma retainer, Saigō Takamori . Saigō, however, avoided a military conflict and allowed Chōshū to resolve the issue with the Seppuku of the three perpetrators behind

1280-622: The Iwakura Mission believed that Japan was too weak to attract international attention and needed to focus on internal reforms, the latter because the separation of the government between the caretaker government and the Iwakura groups allowed power-struggle between them. ( Ōkubo , for example, had no real position of power at that time, seeing as his position was taken up after his departure). The arguments against invading Korea were outlined in Ōkubo Toshimichi's "7 Points Document", dated October 1873, in which he argued that action against Korea

1344-522: The Korean monarch, which would make the Korean monarch a vassal or subject of the Japanese ruler. The Japanese were however just reacting to their domestic political situation where the Shōgun had been replaced by the emperor. The Koreans remained in the sinocentric world where China was at the centre of interstate relations and as a result refused to receive the envoy. Unable to force the Koreans into accepting

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1408-480: The Ryukyus and sought not only trade, but formal diplomatic relations. To increase his influence in the shogunate, Nariakira engineered a marriage between Shōgun Tokugawa Iesada and his adopted daughter, Atsu-hime (later Tenshō-in ). In 1854, the first year of Iesada's reign, Commodore Perry landed in Japan and forced an end to the isolation policy of the shogunate. However, the treaties signed between Japan and

1472-467: The Shimazu then formed sub-fiefs within their domain, and doled out castles to their vassals, administering the domain in a manner not unlike a mini-shogunate. They also received special exceptions from the shogunate in regard to the policy of sankin-kōtai , another policy meant to restrict the wealth and power of the daimyō. Under this policy, every feudal lord was mandated to travel to Edo at least once

1536-503: The Shogunate had no intention of enforcing the order, it nevertheless inspired attacks against the Shogunate itself and against foreigners in Japan, the most notable incident being the killing of the trader Charles Lennox Richardson . Other attacks included the shelling of foreign shipping in Shimonoseki . Rōnins (masterless samurai) also rallied to the cause, assassinating Shogunate officials and Westerners. This turned out to be

1600-494: The Shogunate, permitting the rebel provinces to ally and overthrow it, bringing about the Meiji Restoration . The slogan itself was never actually a government or rebel policy; for all its rhetoric, Satsuma in particular had close ties with the West, purchasing guns, artillery, ships and other technology. After the symbolic restoration of Emperor Meiji , the sonnō jōi slogan was replaced with fukoku kyōhei ( 富国強兵 ), or "enrich

1664-469: The War Party, including Saigō and Itagaki, resigned from their government positions in protest. Saigō returned to his hometown of Kagoshima , although he never officially resigned from his role in the palace guard. Some historians (mainly orthodox) suggests that this political split paved the way for the 1874 Saga rebellion and the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion . Itagaki, on the other hand, became involved with

1728-404: The attack on the Imperial palace. When the shogunate decided to finally defeat Chōshū in a Second Chōshū expedition the next year, Satsuma, under the lead of Saigo Takamori and Ōkubo Toshimichi , decided to switch sides. The Satchō Alliance between Satsuma and Chōshū was brokered by Sakamoto Ryōma from Tosa . This second expedition ended in a disaster for the shogunate. It was defeated on

1792-409: The backbone of the Meiji regime and that gave the government its power, authority and its money. The daimyo of these domains were still very much a factor, and the domain elders were jealous of their institutional and parochial interests. As a consequence, local and national loyalties were frequently at odds. Many in the restoration coalition had recognized the need for centralized authority. Although

1856-527: The barbarians" portion of sonnō jōi , changed into a reaction against the Convention of Kanagawa of 1854, which opened Japan to foreign trade. Under military threat from United States Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry 's so-called " black ships ", the treaty was signed under duress and was vehemently opposed in samurai quarters. The fact that the Tokugawa Shogunate was powerless against

1920-483: The battlefield, and Shōgun Iemochi died of illness in Osaka Castle . The next shōgun , Tokugawa Yoshinobu , brokered a cease fire. Despite attempts by the new shōgun to reform the government, he was unable to contain the growing movement to overthrow the shogunate led by Satsuma and Chōshū. Even after he stepped down as shōgun and agreed to return the power to the Imperial court, the two sides finally clashed in

1984-570: The best warships of the Shōgun's navy and joined the northeastern alliance. After the defeat of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei, he had fled farther north to Hokkaido where he occupied the city of Hakodate and set up the Republic of Ezo . In the spring of 1869, the central government began operations against the last stronghold of military opposition and in May 1869 opposition forces surrendered. Enomoto Takeaki's refusal to surrender and his escape to Hokkaido with

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2048-511: The foreigners despite the will expressed by the Imperial court was taken as evidence by Yoshida Shōin and other anti-Tokugawa leaders that the sonnō (revere the Emperor) portion of the philosophy was not working, and that the Shogunate must be replaced by a government more able to show its loyalty to the Emperor by enforcing the Emperor’s will. The philosophy was thus adopted as a battle cry of

2112-419: The government, and as a samurai himself Saigō sympathized with their situation. According to orthodoxy, "Saigō himself volunteered to go to Korea as a special envoy, inviting an assassination attempt that would provide justification, if any were needed, for a punitive expedition ." However Saigō's statement was an attempt to win over the support of Itagaki Taisuke . Additionally, while the expedition to Korea

2176-419: The imperial court". The marriage between Tokugawa Iemochi , the next shōgun , and imperial princess Kazunomiya was a major success for this faction. However, this put Satsuma at odds with the more radical Sonnō jōi , or "revere the Emperor and repel the barbarians" faction, with Chōshū as the major supporter. In 1862, in the Namamugi Incident an Englishman was killed by retainers of Satsuma, leading to

2240-471: The imperial side was victorious against the bakufu, the early Meiji government was weak, so the leaders had to maintain a strong standing with their domains whose military forces were essential for fitting the government's needs. Political divisions in the form of feudal domains, lord-vassal relations within the samurai elite and separation of social classes within Japanese society were major impediments to centralization. However, in Japan's historical memory there

2304-694: The most powerful clans in the archipelago. During the decisive battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the Shimazu fought on the losing side. Satsuma was one of the most powerful feudal domains in Tokugawa Japan . It was controlled throughout the Edo period by the tozama daimyō of the Shimazu clan . Since the mid-15th century, Satsuma fought with the Ryukyu Kingdom for control of the Northern Ryukyu Islands , which lie southwest of Japan. In 1609, Shimazu Iehisa requested permission from

2368-839: The movement sought to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate and restore the power of the Emperor of Japan . Sonnō jōi is the Japanese reading of the Chinese idiom Zunwang Rangyi ( 尊王攘夷 ; lit. "Revere the King, Expel the Barbarians"). During the Spring and Autumn period of China, Chancellor Guan Zhong of Qi initiated a policy known as Zunwang Rangyi , in reference to the Zhou kings . Adopting and adhering to it, Duke Huan of Qi assembled

2432-535: The nation, strengthen the armies", the rallying call of the Meiji period and the seed of its actions during World War II . Satsuma han The Satsuma Domain ( 薩摩藩 , Satsuma-han Ryukyuan: Sachima-han ) , briefly known as the Kagoshima Domain ( 鹿児島藩 , Kagoshima-han ) , was a domain ( han ) of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1602 to 1871. The Satsuma Domain

2496-427: The nearly three hundred domains had submitted similar requests. All daimyōs were now re-appointed governors (Chiji) of their domains, but without the privileges of hereditary succession. In return for surrendering their hereditary authority to the central government, they were also allowed to retain ten percent of the tax revenues for household expenses. As governors, the former daimyōs could name subordinates, but only if

2560-604: The need for a strong centralized government. Even before the incident the restoration leaders had realized the need for greater political, economic and military centralization. During the Edo period Japan's relationship and trade with Korea were conducted through intermediaries with the Sō family in Tsushima, A Japanese outpost, called the waegwan , was allowed to be maintained in Tongnae near Pusan . The traders were confined to

2624-429: The outpost and no Japanese were allowed to travel to the Korean capital at Seoul . The bureau of foreign affairs wanted to change these arrangements to one based on modern state-to-state relations. In late 1868, a member of the Sō daimyō informed the Korean authorities that a new government had been established and an envoy would be sent from Japan. In 1869 the envoy from the Meiji government arrived in Korea carrying

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2688-697: The philosophy as used in Japan can be traced to the Confucian classic the Gongyang Commentary of the Chunqiu . The Tokugawa shogunate promulgated the Zhu Xi school of Neo-Confucianism ( Shushi-gaku ), which interpreted the Chunqiu using this concept. 17th-century Confucian scholars Yamazaki Ansai and Yamaga Sokō wrote on the sanctity of the Imperial House of Japan and its superiority to

2752-610: The rebellious regions of Chōshū Domain and Satsuma Province . The Imperial court in Kyoto sympathized with the movement. Emperor Kōmei personally agreed with such sentiments, and – breaking with centuries of imperial tradition – personally began to take an active role in matters of state: as opportunities arose, he fulminated against the treaties and attempted to interfere in the shogunal succession. His efforts culminated in March 1863 with his " Order to Expel Barbarians " ( 攘夷勅命 ). Although

2816-410: The regulations concerning local office and finance. Serious divisions emerged in the restoration coalition that had overthrown the Shogunate. Reforms enacted by the Meiji government such as the abolition of the domains led to resentment. Saigō Takamori and his supporters insisted that Japan confront Korea due to the latter's refusal to recognize the legitimacy of Emperor Meiji as head of state of

2880-496: The ruling houses of other nations. These ideas were expanded by Kokugaku scholar Motoori Norinaga , and seen in Takenouchi Shikibu's theory of absolute loyalty to the Emperor of Japan ( 尊皇論 sonnōron ), that implied that less loyalty should be given to the ruling Tokugawa shogunate. Mitogaku scholar Aizawa Seishisai introduced the term sonnō jōi into modern Japanese in his work Shinron in 1825, where sonnō

2944-512: The samurai class, domain system, and much of the political and social structures surrounding these were abolished shortly afterwards, figures from these two areas dominated the Japanese government roughly until World War I . However, the beginning of the period was marked by growing discontent of the former samurai class, which erupted in the Satsuma Rebellion under Saigo Takamori in 1877. The hereditary daimyōs were head of

3008-462: The shogunate monopolized commerce. In the 1830s, Satsuma used its illegal Okinawa trade to rebuild its finances under Zusho Hirosato . The Satsuma daimyō of the 1850s, Shimazu Nariakira , was very interested in Western thought and technology, and sought to open the country. At the time, contacts with Westerners increased dramatically, particularly for Satsuma, as Western ships frequently landed in

3072-692: The shogunate to invade Ryukyu. After a three-month war which met stiff resistance, Satsuma captured the Ryukyuan capital of Shuri and King Shō Nei . In the ensuing peace treaty, Satsuma annexed the Amami and Tokara Islands , demanded tribute, and forced the King and his descendants to pledge loyalty to Satsuma's daimyō . For the remainder of the Edo period, Satsuma influenced their politics and dominated their trading policies to take advantage of Ryukyu's tributary status with China. As strict maritime prohibitions were imposed upon much of Japan beginning in

3136-428: The shogunate. In foreign affairs, the government had taken steps to establish a foreign affairs bureau to take over Japan's external relations which was previously conducted by the bakufu . Although the shogunate had been overthrown, the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei , an alliance of northeastern domains continued resistance to the new government. Enomoto Takeaki , a former shogunate naval officer, had taken control of eight of

3200-407: The size and productive wealth of Satsuma province itself, and from their extreme distance from Edo , and thus from the shōgun ' s armies. The Shimazu exercised their influence to exact from the shogunate a number of special exceptions. Satsuma was granted an exception to the shogunate's limit of one castle per domain, a policy which was meant to restrict the military strength of the domains;

3264-524: The subordinates met qualification levels established by the central government. The Return of the Registers (hanseki hōkan) was marked a first step toward centralization and the administrative unification of Japan. The Daimyos still retained much of their authority, but they now governed as national officers and not for themselves. In August 1871, the domains were fully abolished (haihan chiken) and replaced by prefectures. Another more important reform

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3328-604: The weakness of Japan compared with the Western countries from what they had witnessed during the Iwakura Mission . While orthodox historians view the dispute as a matter of whether or not to invade Korea, the provocation against Korea in 1876 supports the claim that the Iwakura party never disagreed on the validity of an attack. Revisionists see the Seikanron as not a dispute of whether to invade, but instead when and who to do it. The former because those returning from

3392-467: The western powers, particularly the Harris Treaty of 1858, put Japan at a serious disadvantage. In the same year, both Iesada and Nariakira died. Nariakira named his nephew, Shimazu Tadayoshi , as his successor. As Tadayoshi was still a child, his father, Shimazu Hisamitsu , effectively held the power in Satsuma. Hisamitsu followed a policy of Kōbu gattai , or "unity between the shogunate and

3456-483: The zenith of the sonnō jōi movement, since the Western powers responded by demanding reparations for the assassinations and other acts by samurai against Western interests. In 1864, four Western nations launched a campaign against Shimonoseki, overrunning the meager defences and briefly occupying the region. While this incident showed that Japan was no match for Western military powers, it also served to further weaken

3520-490: Was Ōyama Tsunayoshi until 1877 when he was executed in the Satsuma Rebellion . Since the 1880s, the former territory of Kagoshima Domain is now part of Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefecture which was ultimately split from Kagoshima in 1883. The Shimazu family controlled Satsuma province for roughly four centuries prior to the beginning of the Edo period. Despite being chastised by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in his 1587 Kyūshū campaign , and forced back to Satsuma, they remained one of

3584-508: Was aimed at providing income for unemployed samurai, Saigō did not object to the Inoue-Yoshida plan, which abolished samurai stipends. Thus Saigō's condemnation of Meiji's provocation against Korea in 1876 suggests that Saigō's intention may have merely been to "establish a firm relationship" with Korea. In any case the other Japanese leaders strongly opposed these plans, partly from budgetary considerations, and partly from realization of

3648-465: Was an era of unification under a central government headed by the emperor and the Tokugawa years had spurred economic and cultural integration. For the Meiji regime it was also fortunate that personal relations had usually been established during the years that preceded the Restoration and by cooperation between the various domains during the military campaigns against the bakufu and hold-out domains,

3712-581: Was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province , the core of the modern city of Kagoshima , located in the south of the island of Kyushu . The Satsuma Domain was ruled for its existence by the Tozama daimyō of the Shimazu clan , who had ruled the Kagoshima area since the 1200s, and covered territory in the provinces of Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga . The Satsuma Domain was assessed under

3776-469: Was designated "Domain Head of Ryukyu Domain ", transferring Satsuma's authority over the country to Tokyo. Though not the wealthiest han in terms of kokudaka (the official measure of the wealth and therefore power of a han , measured in koku ), Satsuma remained among the wealthiest and most powerful domains throughout the Edo period. This derived not only from their connection to Ryukyu, but also from

3840-645: Was familiar with international law and pursued a strong forward policy in East Asia, where he used the new international rules in his dealings with the Chinese and the Koreans and with the Westerners. During his tenure, the Japanese slowly began to transform the traditional framework of relations managed by the Tsushima domain into the foundation for the opening of trade and the establishment of "normal" interstate, diplomatic relations with Korea. The south western domains of Satsuma , Chōshu , Tosa and Hizen were

3904-433: Was premature because Japan was in the stages of modernizing and an invasion would be far too costly for Japan to sustain. Ōkubo's views were supported by the anti-war faction which mostly consisted of those returning from the Iwakura Mission. Iwakura had the emperor reverse the decision to send Saigō as an envoy to Korea, thus putting an end to the debate. As it was decided that no action was to be taken against Korea, many of

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3968-466: Was regarded as the reverence expressed by the Tokugawa Shogunate to the emperor and jōi was the proscription of Christianity . Sonnō jōi was an anti-imperialist expression of Western imperialism before Japan transitioned to imperialism. With the increasing number of incursions of foreign ships into Japanese waters in the late 18th and early 19th century, the sakoku ("national seclusion") policy came increasingly into question. The jōi "expel

4032-540: Was the establishment of a much more powerful executive institution than had previously existed in the new government, the Dajokan . The top post, Minister of the Right ( Udaijin ), went to Sanjō Sanetomi . Below him were three Great Councillors ( Dainagon ); these positions went initially to two Court nobles - Iwakura Tomomi and Tokudaiji Sanenori and one former daimyo, Nabeshima Naomasa of Hizen. Nabeshima withdrew after

4096-406: Was the samurai deputies who had effective control. Another decree issued at the same time, brought Court nobles and Daimyos together in a single order of nobility, to be called kazoku which also divided the samurai into two broad segments, shizoku ( gentry ) and sotsu ( foot-soldiers ). This replaced the existing multiplicity of ranks and instituted a review of hereditary stipends, and also revised

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