Hasegawa Sadanobu II,
The battle of Shiroyama - The Satsuma Rebellion. Triptych. Woodblock print. Image area 34.5 x 69.5 cm. Frame 48 x 83 cm.
Not examined out of the frame.
From a Swedish private collector.
The Satsuma Rebellion (Seinan Senso) took place in 1877 between disgruntled former samurai and the Meiji imperial forces. With the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration of the emperor in 1867, the samurai class was abolished, leaving this once-ruling class unemployed and impoverished. Led by the former imperial army general Saigo Takamori, samurai from the Satsuma region in Kagoshima revolted against the government, leading to a series of battles that ultimately ended with the rebels' defeat at the Battle of Shiroyama, where Saigo committed seppuku (ritual suicide). Woodblock prints depicting the conflict were popular and served as news reporting for the public.