Satsuma Rebellion By: ---Jacquilyn Johnson
Thesis Statement...
The cause of the Satsuma Rebellion began with the modernization of Japan in the Meiji Era. The Satsuma Rebellion was a 6 month period of fighting, in which the samurai fought against the Japanese government. Many samurai died while fighting for their cause.
“The Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 was the final act of organized military resistance to the reforms of the Restoration Government. This civil war pitted a well-trained army of samurai warriors against the forces of the new and modernized Japanese army."
The leader: Saigo Takamori
Saigo Takamori
Saigo Takamori was the son of a low ranking samurai. After some required training, he began to serve Shimazu Nariakira(a local daimyo*) Later on, his lord died and Saigo was put to shame and so he tried to commit seppuku* but failed. He was eventually allowed to serve in the new daimyo's army and became a successful commander. He was the reluctant leader of the rebellion.
The Samurai...
The samurai were japanese warriors who fought with swords. They served daimyos who in turn answered to the shogun*. In times of crisis the shogun called upon his daimyos and they supplied him with their trained fighting force.
The Samurai warriors were experts in hand to hand combat. The Samurai could fight mounted on a horse or on foot. They followed a strict code of conduct called the code of Bushido.(very much like the code of chivalry) They would start their training at a very young age and they learned many skills from swordfighting to writing poetry.
The Samurai warriors were experts in hand to hand combat. The Samurai could fight mounted on a horse or on foot. They followed a strict code of conduct called the code of Bushido.(very much like the code of chivalry) They would start their training at a very young age and they learned many skills from swordfighting to writing poetry.
Samurai Armor...
The armor was constructed from bamboo, cloth and metal.The Japanese armor was much lighter, which provided for ease of movement but compromised protection. The armor had to be light weight because the Samurai would often engage into hand to hand combat, requiring fast and precise movements. The majority of the armor was made from bamboo. The chest plate was usually one piece of metal while the arms and neck were composed of small pieces of metal tied together with colorful strings.
Sometimes samurai wore colorful masks that depicted demons. This was worn to arouse terror in the enemies.
Sometimes samurai wore colorful masks that depicted demons. This was worn to arouse terror in the enemies.
daimyo*-- lord
seppuku*-- ritual suicide
shogun*-- military leader (basically ruled Japan)