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The Two Faces of Saigo Takamori and the Meiji Restoration

Saigo Takamori (西郷隆盛) was a figure who contributed to the Meiji Restoration's success and was a vocal proponent of the Seikanron that argued for Japan's conquest of Korea. In Japan, there are statues of Saigo either portraying him as an imperialistic warrior or a friendly, casually dressed neighbor taking his dog out for a walk. Such contrasting representations allow Saigo to be equally understood as an advocate of invasion or peace. This buries the Meiji Restoration's dark side and encourages conservative sentiments among the Japanese in their everyday lives that may lead to the instillation of a strong state ideology. There is, however, more than one side to the Meiji Restoration, which can be gathered from the fact that while Saigo is known as a major contributor to the Meiji Restoration in Japan, he is more known in Korea as the one who initially suggested the idea of conquering Korea. Upon the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, it is time to implement more objective views in analyzing the light and shade of modern Japan.