Miyazaki: Japanese Woman Walks in Footsteps of Samurai Ancestor Who Died in 1877 Civil War

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:48 JST, February 21, 2026

NOBEOKA, Miyazaki — Toshie Ijuin, who teaches Japanese in Melbourne, learned that her great-great-grandfather joined a rebellion of former samurai in the 19th century when she retraced her family’s roots seven years ago.

In January, Ijuin, 57, visited the battlefield ruins in Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture, where her ancestor is believed to have died in combat, walking in his footsteps.

She found the name of her great-great grandfather Toemon mentioned in a document chronicling the Seinan War, which broke out in 1877. In Japan, as the samurai era came to an end, former samurai dissatisfied with the policies of the newly installed government frequently rebelled.

Led by Saigo Takamori, who had previously contributed to toppling the Tokugawa shogunate and establishing the new government, the Seinan War was the most devastating among these uprisings. Fierce combat took place in Miyazaki, Kagoshima and other prefectures.

Toemon, a former samurai of the Satsuma domain, joined Saigo’s rebel forces. His name is written on the Seinan War memorial at Nanshu Shrine.

Having immigrated to Australia in her youth, Ijuin visited Nobeoka for the first time in January. She toured former battle sites as well as remains of artillery positions and trenches dug into a mountain side by Saigo’s forces and government troops. She was guided by Yoshihide Makino, who is involved in preserving the history of the Seinan War.

“I couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been to fight while running down such a steep cliff,” Ijuin said. She said she wanted to a desire to pass along the story of the war.