Made famous by the Tom Cruise motion picture “The Last Samurai” – filmed in Kumamoto - Japan’s Seinan Civil War took place between the years of 1874 and 1877. The war was waged between Satsuma forces lead by Takamori Saigo and the local Samurai and the Central Government forces lead by General Nogi.
The most famous, and hotly contested skirmish during the war was the Tabaruzaka Battle – also known as the battle of the last samurai. Lasting seventeen days and nights, the battle took place in and around a quiet hillside along Tabaruzaka road – at that time a sleepy country pass providing direct access to the main roads leading to Kumamoto City and Kumamoto Castle.
Because of its desirable location the Tabaruzaka road was chosen as a base location for the rebel Satsuma forces in hopes they could ambush and outmaneuver the government forces. The now infamous battle started on March 4th with the government troops starting to slowly wind their way through the trench way near Tabaruzaka and the Satsuma forces attacking from every surrounding angle. The battle lasted until March 20th and resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians, samurai and soldiers.
The Seinan Civil War ended on September 24th, 1877.
Tabaruzaka Memorial Park, the actual site of the battle, is a must see for visitors to Kumamoto. The complex sitting inside the beautiful, sprawling countryside with fields of Cherry Blossom and Azalea, consists of a comprehensive and interactive museum – with videos and models depicting recreations of the battles and actual artifacts from the battle – and a monument park – with over 14,000 names of fallen soldiers.
