During the Sengoku period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu clan, who ruled much of southern Kyushu from their castle at Kagoshima city.
In 1871, with the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures (Haihan Chiken 廃藩置県) after the Meiji Restoration, the provinces of Satsuma and Osumi were combined to eventually establish Kagoshima prefecture.
The formation in 1866 of the Sat-cho Alliance between Saigo Takamori, the leader of the Satsumadomain, and Kido Takayoshi, the leader of the Choshu domain, marks the beginning of the Meiji restoration.
In 1869, the daimyos of the Tosa han, Hizen han, Satsuma han and Choshu han domains, who were pushing most fiercely against the shogunate, were persuaded to return their domains to the Emperor.
One of the major riots was the one led by Saigo Takamori, the Satsuma rebellion, which eventually turned into a civil war.