Shimazu Nariakira Early life and rise to power . Shimazu Nariakira was born at the Satsuma domain ' s estate in Edo , on April 28 , 1809 . He rose to power as " daimyō " of the domain of Satsuma only after surviving a gruesome and arduous war within his own family and domain , known as the " Oyura Sōdō " or the " Takasaki Kuzure " . He faced much opposition in Satsuma since he spent most of his life in Edo ; as such he was considered a stranger in his own domain . In his quest to prepare Satsuma for potential Western aggression , he also faced many opposing military schools of thought in Satsuma who disagreed with the Shimazu family ’ s plan for strengthening coastal defense . Nariakira did not see eye to eye with his father , Shimazu Narioki , or his father ’ s chief advisor , Zusho Hirosato . Both Narioki and Zusho were wary of the Tokugawa shogunate . Zusho also saw many similarities in Nariakira and his grandfather , Shigehide . Shigehide also had a great interest in Dutch studies as well as scientific and industrial projects , which promptly led to the deterioration of the domain ’ s financial position . Having worked so hard to rehabilitate and strengthen the treasury of Satsuma , Zusho did not encourage Nariakira ’ s ambitious and costly program for a military build - up . Narioki and Zusho ’ s mutual disdain and mistrust for Nariakira led to their endeavoring to isolate Nariakira from Satsuma ’ s affairs , which entailed withholding or all together ceasing the flow from all sources of information regarding Satsuma ’ s officials or their dealings with the shogunate . Another formidable and dangerous obstacle for Nariakira in not only his plans to bolster the defenses of all of Japan but also his ascendancy to " daimyō " of Satsuma was Yura , the mother of his half - brother , Hisamitsu . By the time Nariakira had arrived in Satsuma to address a crisis related to the Ryūkyū Kingdom ( a vassal state under Satsuma ) in 1846 , Yura had used her charm to thoroughly convince Narioki to promote the interests of her son Hisamitsu over Narioki ’ s legitimate son and heir - apparent ( Nariakira ) . Zusho , Narioki , Yura , and Hisamitsu were the key members of the coalition which rallied other Satsuma bureaucrats who felt threatened by Nariakira ’ s immense and highly intimidating intelligence , and tried to impede all attempts Nariakira made to retire his father as " daimyō " and take his place . Nariakira arrived in Satsuma to attempt to resolve the Ryūkyū crisis , as per the orders of shogunal high official Abe Masahiro , on June 25 , 1846 . A French ship had arrived in Ryūkyū in 1844 , and two British ships the following year , demanding treaties of amity and commerce ; as the kingdom was semi - independent and not generally regarded to be part of Japan proper , this presented a dilemma . Nariakira and Abe Masahiro decided in the end that , despite the shogunate ' s policies of seclusion , such relations should be allowed in Ryūkyū , rather than risking violent conflict with the Western powers . On March 8 , 1847 , Narioki arrived in Satsuma , making Nariakira ’ s position , something equivalent to deputy to his father , obsolete . After essentially having the reins of power wrenched from his hands by his own father , Nariakira left Satsuma for Edo . The authority formerly vested him was clearly and quickly being shifted to his half brother , Hisamitsu Hisamitsu was rapidly elevated through the ranks of his father ’ s court soon after Nariakira ’ s departure from Satsuma for Edo . He was placed in charge of the newly created office of military service of Satsuma in October 1847 . In 1848 , Narioki appointed Hisamitsu steward of Chosa District , with the responsibility of acting on behalf of the " daimyō " in all military matters in the area . At about the same time , Hisamitsu was given the highly respected post of " han " councilor , a rank which , according to the instructions accompanying the appointment , placed him at the top of the social scale . At ceremonial occasions , Hisamitsu was ordered by his father to sit at a place higher than that of the deputy in charge of the " daimyō " of Satsuma ’ s castle . Narioki even went so far as to place Hisamitsu in charge of all of Satsuma whenever the " daimyō " chose to leave Satsuma for any reason , business or pleasure . It was apparent that Hisamitsu was being groomed to become the next " daimyō " , completely disregarding the fact that , by primogeniture , Nariakira was supposed to be the heir - apparent . To further discredit and impede Nariakira ’ s rise to lord of Satsuma , Yura was rumored to have asked at least five spiritual leaders to cast spells on Nariakira ’ s eldest sons as well as take other measures to curse Nariakira ’ s children . Many of Nariakira ’ s followers believed Yura was the source of the subsequent deaths of his eldest children . This belief caused many of them to call for the assassination of Yura , her son Hisamitsu , and Zusho , whom they felt also played a hand in the deaths of Nariakira ’ s eldest children . Nariakira was able to restrain them ; upon hearing of their plans for murder , Narioki began rooting out Nariakira ’ s supporters and ordering their deaths by " seppuku " . The conflict had gotten so far out of hand that Nariakira was left with no choice but to request aid from Abe Masahiro . Abe , seeing that Nariakira was being hindered in his proceeding with the Ryūkyū crisis by his own father and family retainers , aided in getting Narioki to retire and removing Zusho . Abe first went about the task of removing Zusho , who was greatly relied upon by Narioki , by inviting him to Edo . Abe ’ s stated purpose was a desire to discuss the Ryūkyū crisis and its current handling . In the process of the conversation , Abe began to ask Zusho a line of questioning that made it apparently clear to Zusho that Abe , as well as the Tokugawa shogun , knew the truth of the illegal Satsuma - Ryūkyū - Western trade relations , which were being carried out against the shogunate ' s policy of seclusion . Zusho ’ s devotion to Narioki pushed him to take full responsibility for the illicit trade by committing " seppuku " on December 18 , 1848 . On December 3 , 1850 , Narioki was called to Edo by the shogun and presented with a prized set of tea utensils , indicating the shogun ' s desire for Narioki to retire . On February 3 , 1851 , Nairoki retired and Shimazu Nariakira was made " daimyō " of Satsuma . Love of education and Western culture . Nariakira was considered one of the wisest " daimyō " of his time , thanks to his love of education . In order to better understand this point , his background and education must be considered . In 1812 , at age three , Nariakira was designated the heir to the Satsuma lordship by his father . As with any " daimyō ’ s " heir , Nariakira was prepared for his future role , by receiving a well - rounded education in the martial and scholarly arts . As stated above , Nariakira shared his grandfather Shigehide ’ s fascination with Western culture and learning . The young Nariakira was fascinated by his grandfather ’ s collection of western items , which included clocks , musical instruments , telescopes , microscopes , and weapons . In the course of his education , he was also taught how to read and write Roman letters , and would later use Roman letters to write Japanese words as a personal form of code . Shigehide also introduced Nariakira to Philipp Franz von Siebold , a German physician serving as the director of the Dutch East India Company ( Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie ) in Nagasaki , making him one of the few Japanese to have actually met a Westerner . After he became " daimyō " of Satsuma , Nariakira had Minayoshi Hotoku , a Satsuma physician , to build the " Iroha - maru " , one of the first Western - style ships built in Japan . It was based on Minayoshi ’ s , model . Nariakira then built a shipyard for Western - style shipbuilding at Sakurajima . He carried his love of Western culture into the military of Satsuma where he implemented Western - style cavalry and demanded annual military field maneuvers . However , without the Satsuma budget that had been so carefully restored by his enemy Zusho , none of this would have been possible . He also began enacting educational changes in Satsuma geared at bringing in Western science and technology . Nariakira established the " Rangaku Koshujo " , a school for the study of the Dutch language and Western culture . He would frequently visit schools and ask students to explain the meaning of the Confucian texts , to ensure that their Western learning did not corrupt their sense of nationalism . So strong was Nariakira ’ s desire to raise well - educated youths that he set aside four " koku " annually to feed starving scholars , essentially a form of financial aid or scholarship . His goal in promoting education in Satsuma was to make sure the youths of Satsuma were “ taught to master themselves , rule their homes wisely , preserve national peace , and trust the universal power . ” In 1848 , Shimazu obtained the first daguerreotype camera ever imported into Japan , and ordered his retainers to study it and produce working photographs . Due to the limitations of the lens used and the lack of formal training , it took many years for a quality photograph to be created , but on September 17 , 1857 , a portrait of Shimazu in formal attire was produced . This photograph became an object of worship in the ( also referred to as Shōkoku Shrine ) after Shimazu ' s death , but it later became missing . Lost for a century , the daguerreotype was discovered in a warehouse in 1975 and was later determined to be the oldest daguerreotype in existence that was created by a Japanese photographer . For this reason , it was designated an Important Cultural Property by the government of Japan in 1999 , the first photograph ever given this honor . Associates and death . In the course of his life , Nariakira made many friends in high places . These connections came in handy during his efforts to force the retirement of his father . Abe Masahiro , who at the time was a " rōjū " , was one of these friends . Abe spoke on behalf of the Tokugawa shogun in regards to Japan ’ s national military defense and was the one who placed Nariakira in charge of Satsuma ’ s dealing with the Ryūkyū Western Trade Treaty crisis . Abe , and indirectly , the Tokugawa shogun , were disturbed by Nariakira ’ s removal from responsibility over the Ryūkyū Western Trade Treaty crisis because their policy concerning the crisis was predicated on their trust in him , not in his father or Zusho Hirosato . Narioki and Zusho had already proven themselves untrustworthy by not being completely reliable on matters concerning Ryūkyū . Abe knew that the only way Nariakira could gain control of the Ryūkyū crisis was if his father and Zusho were removed ; through Abe ’ s intervention , this too was accomplished . Since Narioki and Zusho together ceased the flow of information regarding Satsuma ’ s officials or their dealings with Ryūkyū to Nariakira , Nariakira had to establish his own information - gathering network . He relied on Date Munenari of Uwajima to explain his predicament to the Tokugawa shogunate and Abe . He instructed his associates Yamaguchi Sadayasu and Shimazu Hisataka to gather information in Satsuma for him as well as keep a close watch on Zusho ’ s activities with special emphasis on goods and money being brought into the domain . Nariakira then decided it was time to make his bid for the lordship of Satsuma . He relied on Date Munenari to report the situation for him and gain the sympathies of Abe . In a letter addressed to Date on August 27 , 1848 , Nariakira thanks him for obtaining Abe ’ s assurance that he would overlook Nairoki and Zusho ’ s transgressions and not take Satsuma to court as long as the Ryūkyū problem was resolved satisfactorily . Date ’ s correspondence with Abe served to hasten Narioki ’ s retirement and Nariakira ’ s ascendancy as " daimyō " of Satsuma . Once Nariakira became " daimyō " , he needed loyal men to ensure that Yura and Narioki ’ s continued efforts to undermine his power did not succeed . Saigō Takamori , a low - ranking Satsuma samurai , was promoted from assistant clerk , to Nariakira ’ s attendant , in 1854 . Ōkubo Toshimichi was exiled by Narioki for supporting Nariakira , but once Nariakira came to power he was pardoned and rose rapidly through the ranks . Saigō and Ōkubo worked on Nariakira ' s behalf , speaking with Nariaki , the lord of Mito to convince him to back Nariakira ’ s view that government should have greater focus on the emperor and less on the shogun . Saigo and Okubo adopted many of Nariakira ’ s views , which would later become the foundation of the new Meiji government . These views included centralizing the government around the emperor , and Westernizing the Japanese military . Shortly before his death , Nariakira was left with only a two - year - old son ( Tetsumaru ) and eight - year - old daughter ( Teruhime ) . He had been forced to ask Narioki to decide between Hisamitsu or Hisamitsu ' s son Tadayoshi to succeed him as " daimyō " . Saigō and Ōkubo felt the death of all of Nariakira ' s viable heirs was caused by Yura and wanted retribution , but Nariakira would not allow it . On July 8 , 1858 , Nariakira was supervising the joint preparatory maneuvers in Tempozan for sending 3 , 000 Satsuma soldiers to Edo , and he succumbed to the heat . He was transported to Tsurumaru Castle , where he died on the 16th . A few years after his death , he was deified as a Shinto kami , Terukuni - daimyōjin .