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was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. He has been dubbed ''the last true samurai''.〔History Channel ''The Samurai'', video documentary〕 He was born Saigō Kokichi (西郷 小吉), and received the given name ''Takamori'' in adulthood. He wrote poetry under the name Saigō Nanshū (西郷 南洲).〔Ravina, Mark. ''The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigō Takamori''. John Wiley and Sons, 2011. (Names, Romanizations, and Spelling (page 1 of 2) ). Retrieved from Google Books on August 7, 2011. ISBN 1-118-04556-4, ISBN 978-1-118-04556-5.〕 His younger brother was ''Gensui'' The Marquis Saigō Tsugumichi. ==Early life== Saigō Takamori was born in the Satsuma Domain (modern Kagoshima Prefecture) on January 23, 1828, or December 7 in the lunar calendar in the tenth year of the Bunsei era. Saigō served as a low-ranking samurai official in his early career. The Saigō family official status was ''Jōkashi'' (full samurai) but lived as ''Gōshi'' (rural samurai), half peasant and half warrior. Though they should have lived with their stipend, given to them by the fief and the Daimyō, in practice, the Saigō lived more like Gōshi and were quite poor, and had debts Saigō Takamori needed 25 years to repay entirely. Because of the usual discrimination by Jōkashi against Gōshi, Saigō Takamori lived every day as a clash between his social and economical status, which he fought with humility, dignity and stoicism. His inner strength greatly impressed the other samurai of Satsuma, then all the Japanese people. Saigō Takamori was recruited to travel to Edo (modern Tokyo) in 1854 to assist the Daimyo of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira, in the ' movement (promoting reconciliation and closer ties between the Tokugawa shogunate and the Imperial court). Saigō’s activity in Edo came to an abrupt end with the Ansei Purge by ' Ii Naosuke against anti-Shogunal activities, and the sudden death of Shimazu Nariakira. Saigō fled back to Kagoshima, where he was arrested and banished to Amami Ōshima island. He was recalled briefly in 1861, only to be banished again, to the more remote island of Okinoerabu, south of Amami Oshima, by the new Satsuma Daimyo Shimazu Hisamitsu. Hisamitsu pardoned Saigō in 1864 and sent him to Kyoto to handle the domain's interests towards the imperial court. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Saigō Takamori」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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