Saigō Jūdō " Marshal - Admiral " The Marquis ( 1 June 1843 – 18 July 1902 ) was a Japan ese politician and admiral in the Meiji period . Biography . Early life . Saigō was born in Shimokajichō , Kagoshima , the son of the " samurai " Saigō Kichibe of the Satsuma domain . His siblings included his famous older brother Saigō Takamori . Saigō changed his name many times throughout his life . Besides the two listed above , he sometimes went by the nickname " Shingō " . His real name was " Ryūkō " , or " Ryūdō " . It is possible that he went by the name " Ryūsuke " . At the recommendation of Arimura Shunsai , he became a tea - serving Buddhist monk for the " daimyo " of Satsuma , Shimazu Nariakira . After he returned to secular life , he became one of a group of devoted followers of Arimura . As a Satsuma " samurai " , he participated in the Anglo - Satsuma War . He later joined the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate . He was a commander of the Satsuma army fighting in the Battle of Toba - Fushimi as well as other battles on the imperial side of the Boshin War . Imperial Japanese Army . In 1869 , two years after the establishment of the Meiji government , Saigō went to Europe with General Yamagata Aritomo to study European military organizations , tactics and technologies . After his return to Japan , he was appointed a lieutenant - general in the new Imperial Japanese Army . He commanded Japanese expeditionary forces in the Taiwan Expedition of 1874 . In 1873 , his brother Saigō Takamori resigned from the government , over the rejection of his proposal to invade Korea during the " Seikanron " debate . Many other officials from the Satsuma region followed suit , however , Saigō Jūdō continued to remain loyal to the Meiji government . Upon the death of his brother in the Satsuma Rebellion , Saigō Jūdō became the primary political leader from Satsuma . In accord with the " kazoku " peerage system enacted in 1884 , he received the title of count ( " hakushaku " ) . Government official . Saigō held a string of important positions in the Itō Hirobumi cabinet , including Navy Minister ( 1885 , 1892 – 1902 ) . As Minister of Internal Affairs , Saigō pushed strongly for the death penalty for Tsuda Sanzō , the accused in the Otsu Scandal , and threatened Kojima Korekata should the sentence be more lenient . In 1892 , he was appointed to the Privy Council as one of the " genrō " . In the same year , he founded a political party known as " Kokumin Kyōkai " ( 国民協会 , The People ' s Co - operative Party ) . In 1894 , Saigō was given the rank of admiral , in recognition of his role as Navy minister , and his peerage title was elevated to that of marquis . In 1898 , the Imperial Japanese Navy bestowed upon him the honorary title of " Marshal - Admiral " . The rank is equivalent to Admiral of the Fleet or Grand Admiral . Personal life . Saigō ’ s former residence ( once in Meguro , Tokyo ) is registered as an Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government and is now at the Meiji - mura historical park outside of Inuyama , Aichi Prefecture . Saigō also owned a cottage in Yanagihara ( present - day Numazu ) , Shizuoka Prefecture . Saigō Jūdō was the first person in Japan to own a race horse . " Gensui " the Marquis Saigō died in 1902 and was buried in the Tama Cemetery in Fuchū in Tokyo .