From the 12th through the 19th centuries, a class of military elite associated with clans dominated political and social power across Japan. These samurai or bushi were fierce warriors with a strict code of honor. Saigō Takamori was a samurai and native of Kagoshima. He instigated and led the Boshin War against the Tokugawa shogunate, a dynasty that ruled Japan during the Edo period (1603 – 1868). His victory and capture of Edo Castle (now the Imperial Palace in Tokyo) cemented the Emperor’s return to power at the start of the Meiji Restoration. Ironically, the new imperial government feared and wanted to eliminate the samurai. In response, Saigō Takamori led the Satsuma Rebellion against the Empire of Japan in 1877. They were defeated. When Takamori was wounded, he committed suicide (seppuku) rather than accept dishonor. Saigō Takamori is called the last great samurai.
