Saigo Takamori

Object Details

• Label

  This half-size (chuban) print portrays Saigo Takamori (1827-77), a samurai from the Satsuma domain and an imperial loyalist who participated in the final battles that ended the Tokugawa shogunate. He later became a prominent leader in the government after the Meiji restoration, but he opposed a decision not to take military action against Korea, and he returned to his home in Kagoshima Prefecture to lead a group of dissident samurai against the Meiji government. This campaign, which ultimately failed and ended with Saigo's suicide in 1877, was known as the Satsuma Rebellion.

  Here Saigo is shown wearing a Western-style military uniform and seated on a stool, holding a signal flag. The silhouette of a castle is visible in the background. Saigo's figure stands out against the black background, which indicates that this is a night scene and sets it apart from other examples from this series.

• Provenance

  From the 1960s to 1999

  Elizabeth D. Woodbury, Japan and Alexandria, VA, purchased in Japan in the 1960s [1]

  From 1999

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, given by Elizabeth D. Woodbury in 1999

  Notes:

  [1] According to Provenance Remark 1 in the object record.

• Collection

  National Museum of Asian Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Elizabeth D. Woodbury

• Origin

  Japan

• Credit Line

  Gift--the Elizabeth D. Woodbury collection of prints from Meiji Japan

• Type

  Print

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  1870s

• Name

  Woodbury, Elizabeth D.

• Place

  Japan

• Topic

  Art, Night, Samurai, Japanese Art, Portraits, Elizabeth D. Woodbury collection, Satsuma Rebellion, Meiji era (1868 - 1912)

• Culture

  Japanese

• Object Type

  Prints