Silence before drawing the sword: Preparations on the eve of the abolition of the han system (around 1871)

Silence before drawing the sword: Preparations on the eve of the abolition of the han system (around 1871)

Around 1871, in the 4th year of Meiji (1871), the meeting of government leaders concerning the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures took place in a time of last-minute tension, when Japan as a nation did not yet have a clear outline. There was no constitution, no parliament, and the principles of governance as a centralized state had not yet been established, and Japan as a modern nation did not yet have a full institutional language. Therefore, discussions at the conference focused on how to clarify the distinction between sovereign and governmental authority and how to arrange legal legitimacy, and there were strong calls for the institutions to be arranged first.

At that meeting, Saigō Takamori spoke very differently. Japan has not fought enough wars since the Meiji Restoration. Japan has not fought enough wars since the Meiji Restoration. These words did not mesh with the flow of the discussion and left those present perplexed. Why war when we are discussing the pros and cons of the law? It was taken on the spot as a wild and illogical statement, and the meeting ended with Eiichi Shibusawa himself unable to understand it.

However, what he meant by this statement would become clear from another angle a few days later. The explanation given by Inoue Kaoru to Shibusawa begins to give Saigō's words a completely different meaning. Saigo did not want war. If the abolition of feudal domains were to be carried out, there was always the possibility that rebellious clans would emerge and civil war would flare up again. Is the government prepared to accept this reality? Before establishing laws, is the nation determined to pull out its blades? Saigo was asking this question.

What emerges here is the difference in the time frame in which politics is viewed. Kido, Inoue, Shibusawa, and others designed institutions, created order through law, and tried to build the nation on that basis. Saigo, on the other hand, faced the bloodshed and chaos that occurred at the moment of decision, and thought about politics from the point of view of who would assume the responsibility. For him, law was something that had to be put in place after a decision was made, and the foundation of the nation lay in whether or not one was prepared for it.

This sense was not fanciful. The abolition of feudal domains would be realized temporarily without much resistance, but the tension would erupt a few years later in the form of the Seinan War. What Saigo had in mind was the inevitable clash that lay just ahead.

This scene still leaves a strong impression today, not because Saigo was wrong or because the other government leaders were shallow. It is because it was the moment when two different political languages, the logic of institutions and the logic of resolve, collided head-on. The establishment of a modern state does not proceed solely on the basis of ideals and articles. Ultimately, it comes down to the question of who makes the decisions and who bears responsibility for the results. Saigo Takamori quietly encapsulated this in his seemingly violent words, "The war is not enough yet.