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Battle of Shiroyama
Image:ShiroyamaBattle.jpg Japanese depiction of the Battle of Shiroyama. Saigō Takamori can be seen in red and black uniform directing his troops in the upper right corner.
Date September 24, 1877 Location Near Tahara-zaka hill in Kagoshima, Japan Result Decisive victory for the Imperial Army, which ended the Satsuma Rebellion and thus the samurai class.
Combatants
Imperial Japanese Army	Samurai of Satsuma
Commanders
Sumiyoshi Kawamura	Saigō Takamori†
Strength
300,000 troops	300-400 samurai
Casualties
15,000	?

The Battle of Shiroyama took place on September 24, 1877, in Kagoshima, Japan.

300,000 imperial troops under the command of Sumiyoshi Kawamura armed with rifles, cannon, and gatling guns engaged several hundred samurai under the leadership of Saigō Takamori. These brave few were all that remained of his mighty 25,000 warriors, which had besieged the government garrison in the city of Kumamoto six weeks earlier.

This bloody final conflict of the Satsuma Rebellion was unsatisfactory for those involved. Logistical problems forced Saigō to defend his position with limited musket support, and no cannon. Regardless of this the samurai while under heavy fire charged the lines of the imperial army. Sumiyoshi Kawamura had not prepared his men for this. In just a few minutes a once organized line turned into dischord. This was highly skilled Bushijutsu against an army with very little swordsmanship. For a short time all the severed heads worked to Saigō's advantage and his lines held. The army would not repeat this mistake and finished Saigō's men off at a safe range. The samurai did the only thing they could do. Some fell back to higher ground, while others stood and drew the fire of the rapid-fire gatling guns.

Maybe it was the years of hard life, but for a samurai, the pain and shock did not scare them. They wanted the emperor to know that they would protect him still. Some on horseback rode in circles with their half dead bodies clinging to the saddle with their legs. As any horseman knows, a dead man cannot stay on his horse. When his heart stops he will fall off. Elderly men who had not known the sight of blood in years donned their helmets for one last ride. For many the act of shooting an old man was too much. Many Imperial guard just could not do it. The imperial army won, but the samurai won something else of far greater value. They won the respect of all those who had watched on that cold foggy morning.

The situation was now very grim. The battle came to a sudden halt when Saigō was hit with a near fatal shot to his femoral artery. He went almost the entire battle without a scratch. A small remnant stood with him, falling back into the nearby woods to a calm place where Saigō could meet his end in peace. One of his fellow samurai assisted him in seppuku before he could be captured.

Twelve years after his death Emperor Meiji gave Saigō a full pardon and restored him to his former rank. A statue in Kagoshima's Central Park stands in his memory.