Birth And early Life
Saigo Takamori was born in January 23, 1828 and died at the age of 49 in 1877. He was born in the Satsuma Domain Area and served in the Domain as a low ranking samurai. Later, he was promoted to help his daimyo in Edo strengthen bonds between the Shogunate and the Imperial Court which, at the time was very very low between the two. These activities ended with the Ansei Purge that crushed all anti Shogunal activities and the death of his daimyo. Takamori then fled back to his hometown, Kagoshima where he was then promptly banished by the new Satsuma Daimyo. However, the daimyo reconsidered his actions and pardoned Takamori and even appointed him general of the Satsuman forces in Kyoto. Thus begins the rise of Saigo Takamori.