Eto Shimpei (江藤新平, Eto Shimpei^?); 18 March 1834 - 13 April 1874), was a Japanese statesman during the early Meiji period, remembered chiefly for his role in the unsuccessful Saga Rebellion. Image File history File linksMetadata Shinpei_Eto. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Shinpei_Eto. ... March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... 1874 (MDCCCLXXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ... Woodblock print from Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun, 1871, depicting Eto Shimpei during the Saga Rebellion The Saga Rebellion ) was a samurai insurrection in Japan in 1874, led by Eto Shimpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen against the Meiji government. ...

Early Life & Meiji Bureaucrat

Eto was born into a samurai family in Saga, in Hizen province (present-day Saga prefecture). During the Boshin War to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu, he served as a general in the imperial army. Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... , Saga (佐賀市;; -shi) is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyushu, Japan. ... The article incorporates text from OpenHistory. ... A reconstruction of a Yayoi period building at the Yoshinogari site Saga Prefecture (佐賀県; Saga-ken) is located on Kyushu island, Japan. ... The Boshin War (戊辰戦争 Boshin Sensō, literally War of the Year of the Dragon) was fought in 1868-1869 between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the pro-Imperial forces in Japan. ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ...

After the Meiji Restoration, he was appointed to a number of posts, including that of Minister of Justice in 1872, and was responsible for drafting Japan's first modern penal code the (Kaitei Ritsurei). In 1873, he became a sangi (Councilor) in the Daijō-kan, but resigned the same year, after the Seikanron proposal made by Saigo Takamori to invade Korea was rejected. The Meiji Restoration ), also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, or Renewal, was a chain of events that led to a change in Japans political and social structure. ... The Justice Minister is a cabinet position in a government. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Criminal Code. ... The Daijō-kan ) was the Department of State in Nara and Heian period Japan and briefly under the Meiji Constitution. ... Saigō Takamoris statue in Ueno park Saigō Takamori (西郷 隆盛 Saigō Takamori, 23 January 1827/28 - 24 September 1877), one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, lived during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. ... Korea (Korean: 한국 or ì¡°ì„ , see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ...

Anti-government agitator & rebel

After resigning from the government, Eto returned home to his native Saga, and gathered together a group of dissaffected former samurai who were unhappy with the current regime. He formed the Aikoku Koto political party which criticized the government and called for the formation of a national assembly. Receiving little support, he then resorted to armed insurrection (the Saga Rebellion), gathering some 3000 followers, attacking a local bank for funds, and capturing government offices. The revolt was quickly suppressed by government forces under Okubo Toshimichi, and Eto, along with 13 other ringleaders, were executed. ... Woodblock print from Tokyo Nichinichi Shimbun, 1871, depicting Eto Shimpei during the Saga Rebellion The Saga Rebellion ) was a samurai insurrection in Japan in 1874, led by Eto Shimpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen against the Meiji government. ... Ōkubo Toshimichi (大久保 利通 Ōkubo Toshimichi, 10 August 1830 - 14 May 1878), Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma, is one of the five great nobles who led the revolution in 1868 against the shogunate. ...

Reference and further reading

• Duus, Peter. The Abacus and the Sword: The Japanese Penetration of Korea, 1895-1910 (Twentieth-Century Japan - the Emergence of a World Power, 4). University of California Press (1998). ISBN 0-520-21361-0.
• Hane, Mikiso. Modern Japan: A Historical Survey. Westview Press (2001). ISBN 0-8133-3756-9
• Harries, Meirion. Soldiers of the Sun: The Rise and Fall of the Imperial Japanese Army. Random House; Reprint edition (1994). ISBN 0-679-75303-6
• Najita, Tetsuo. Japan: The Intellectual Foundations of Modern Japanese Politics. University Of Chicago Press (1980). ISBN 0-226-56803-2