Biwa on the Battlefield - Kogarashi's Lament
- tcmcharlie
- Apr 7
- 9 min read
September 24th, 1877, the rebels are besieged on Mount Shiroyama, Kagoshima, on what will be the final night of the eight-month old Seinan War.
General Kamō Hikoshiro, the leader of Saigō Takamori's guard takes cover in a cave. Suddenly, the sound of a biwa is heard from within. The playing continues late into the night as the waning moon rises.
The celestial sound even reaches the soldiers in the government camp deepening their horror at the devastation of this final battle - a singular confrontation capturing the end of the era of the samurai.
A young doctor named Matsuzaki Zuiken played the instrument that night on his beloved biwa, Kogarashi.
End of an era
Outnumbered 60 to 1, Saigō fell with his generals the following day when their camp was overrun.
This battle is surely the final stand of the samurai. Defeated by a conscripted army, their story is preserved not just in Japanese history but also in the film The Last Samurai.
This war and the leader of the rebel army, Saigō Takamori are revered in biwa through the song Shiroyama, written by Katsu Kaishu, with the collaboration of the biwa player Nishi Kokichi.
The biwa as an affective art
Nishi also fought in the war, and played biwa on the battlefield. His account of this war and the descriptions of playing biwa for the leaders Saigō, Kirino and Murata are found in his biographical notes published by Shimazu Tadashi.
What strikes me most about this account is the effect he describes the biwa having on the player and the listeners.
It’s in this spirit that Nishi Kokichi’s account becomes even more resonant for me. I recall how, many times, Japanese people have described the fast tremolo sections called kuzure giving them a sensation of restlessness and an eagerness for action.
In my own case, too, playing biwa has an effect I do not find when playing other instruments, like organ or piano.
First of all, my body feels lighter, more agile, and my senses seem heightened. Also, in a strange way, the fear of death, perhaps expressed better as the attachment to self-preservation, diminishes significantly.
Therefore, I read Nishi's account with great interest. It captures an unique moment in history, where an instrument transforms men on the battlefield.
It causes me to wonder about other instruments on the battlefield as well. Many seem intended to intimidate - as one would expect. However, the description in Nishi's account of the biwa's effect is possibly singular as an example, I think.
Here is a translation of the passage from Nishi's biography dealing with these events.
The Prelude to Rebellion
In October in the 6th year of Meiji [1873], the matter to do with Seikanron, or the punitive expedition against Korea, came to a head, splitting the government. Saigō Nanshu (Saigō Takamori) and others could not agree with the decision of the government, and all of them resigned their positions, each returning to their homeplace voluntarily.
As soon as Saigo returned to Kagoshima, he started to reflect on what the future form of the nation might be and work out how to achieve it. Founding a private school, he devoted his attention to education. As a result students gathered from near and far, and there was stiff competition to get in. Soon the students numbered 10,000.
I was one of that number. Nevertheless, not one day did I miss to play biwa during that time.
Tensions rise across Japan
There were quite a few of us who did not welcome the new government, and many revolts occured in different areas.
These included the Saga rebellion in February of the 7th year of Meiji, followed closely by the Shinpuren rebellion in October of the 9th year, as well as the Akizuki Rebellion in Chikuzen Province and Maebara Issei's revolt in Hagi .
Everyone at the time held to extreme views. Intending to take advantage of this situation, there were efforts afoot to do the same in Kagoshima. Saigō disapproved of this most vociferously. He did not wish for any such thoughtless violence to take place.
Nevertheless, the government, which had set up a naval shipyard as well as a munitions factory and depot in Kagoshima, at this point saw the uncertainty and instability of the situation as dangerous and, in a sudden and unexpected move, decided to move the munitions and factories to Osaka. They also sent a body of men from the Imperial Police including Nakahara Nao'o and others, all originally from Kagoshima, back home to assess the situation and find out what Saigō was planning.
The Outbreak of War
Soon everything spiralled out of control.
In February of the 10th year of Meiji, the students finally reacted and accused the government of acting in bad faith [by planning to assasinate Saigō]. In my understanding, this rebellion was not Saigō's plan or intention. Nevertheless, the situation being now completely out of hand, he decided to accept what happened and, for the sake of his students, forfeit his life.
I was sent to Kumamoto with the Fifth Platoon of the First Battalion under General Shinohara along with many others. Our main camp was in Kawajiri.
During this time, the battle at Kichiji Pass took place. This was where we lost General Shinohara. It was followed by fierce battles at Tabarazaka, Yamaga, and Ueki.
Finally the loss of Kawajiri ended the expedition, and soon our situation required that we return to Kagoshima. We set up a temporary main camp at Shimo-Ishiki on our return.
The Call to Play
It was here that I received orders to go home and bring the best biwa I had to play in the camp.
When I reflect on it, we returned to Kagoshima as the defeated army. Yet, when the men heard the biwa, they all thought and felt like they were part of a victory parade, and their spirits were raised. This continued for some four or five months.
Soon enough we broke through at Takeoka and strengthened our position at Yoshino. Then, with more fighting, we got through Miyakonojō, into Miyazaki, Takanabe and Mimitsu reaching Nobeoka.
Our main camp was now at Nagareyama. At this time, all the warriors in Oita gathered at Nobeoka.
Soon Nagareyama came under siege, and our soldiers, now few in number, were exhausted with the constant fighting.
Saigō, decided that this place was a death trap [and that all would end here].
A Gift from Saigō
On the 18th of August, I was called to the camp and met with Saigō.
He said I have something I want to share with those who are with me. This is something I have been keeping with me for the new year.
Getting up, he carried a Manjugasa hat made from bamboo with both hands and gave it to me. I received it. When I looked inside, I saw that it was filled with bullets.
Keeping these bullets so carefully and in this strange way for the new year without making any use of them made no sense at all.
Nevertheless, I soon understood that Saigō had decided this was where he would die, and that today would be the final day. Hence, this decision to give them to me.
I was overcome with emotion. I was ordered to return to the defenses. But, I refused to accept this gift from Saigo many times. In the end, I did take it and made to go back to the lines.
After I had gone a few steps, Saigō called me back, saying, "I ordered the cook to make up something with the horses. Have the soup sent to the men."
He was offering some comfort to the men before the fighting began. I was deeply thankful.
I gave out the bullets to the men. At this time, the enemy were disguising themselves as farmers and spying on us. Intending to turn the tables on them, our company moved to the foot of the mountain, all the while remaining hidden and unnoticed [to ambush the spies].
First two or three of the enemy came down, next five or six, and later, many more soldiers came down.
We remained silent waiting for them to move closer. At the appropriate time, all at once, we stood up suddenly, firing we slaughtered them all.
With this we gave meaning to Saigō keeping these bullets so carefully.
A Miraculous Breakout
Fortunately, that night, Saigō managed to break out of the cordon at Enodake near Nobeoka, thanks to our ambush.
To be honest, without that one miraculous victory, this could not have happened. The night before, Toshiaki Kirino had led his men up Enodake. He saw the fires of the government forces burning in every direction around the mountain in layered defenses. It looked very difficult to break out. A full frontal assault wouldn't have been impossible, however, in the long run, it would not have proven fruitful as a strategy.
Nevertheless, this night we managed to achieve our objective, and still with our force intact.
We made our way along the Horikawa pass, over Nurayama Mountain, out by Yokogawa, Kamō, Kajiki, and Shigetomi, arriving back in Kagoshima on September 1st.
The Fall of Shiroyama
Alas, contrary to our hopes, fortune was not with us and on the 24th of September, Shiroyama fell, and Saigo along with his generals were killed.
At this time, my company was defending Nansenin and Terukuni Jinja Shrine. When Shiroyama fell, we were taken prisoner and kept in the former Kagoshima Spinning Mill by the rocky shore.
Later we were brought to a temporary gaol set up in a large house in Hioki.
Facing Judgement
I had decided from the very beginning that I would be prepared to die fighting. However, on this last day of the battle, we were unexpectedly saved. I can only say this was down to the protection of the Spirit of the Terukuni Jinja Shrine nearby where we were defending.
Even though I was charged, nothing happened, and the year came to an end.
Notwithstanding this delay, we were questioned regularly, and the weight of our crime was assesed based on responsibility and rank.
[When I was questioned, I argued against this.]
I answered, "You are speaking as someone who had access to any number of men for your ranks. We were but few. It is not my intention to make the number of our forces the point of argument, nor is it such things as the loss of the old ways and the new things that are coming in [the point I wish to contend with].
But, [in our camp], sometimes the captain became the porter and carried the food. Other times, the soldier took on the captain's role and directed the men. There was no difference between captain and porter not to mention soldier!
Therefore, when you discuss the weight of my crime, you should treat mine as the most serious!"
In the end, I was not charged, but let go with orders to confine myself to my home.
From the point where the war broke out to the fall of Shiroyama, some eight months had passed.
The Power of Biwa
During the time we were in Kagoshima for the second time, I was asked to bring my biwa and play again.
When I played, it was as though the men came back from the dead. All of them said, even though they had lost, when they heard the sound of the biwa, their ardour came back to them for the fight.
Their feeling was as though they were returning in triumph from a great victory.
Playing like this in the camp left me with one deep impression, a thing I have never seen in daily life since.
Those times after fierce battles, when the men returned exhausted in sinew and bone, bloodied crimson like brocade, using the sword as a crutch to keep going, if someone gathered the strength to play one song, those who heard it and the one who sang both found their hearts and spirits revived, their exhaustion forgotten. Instead they were filled with a new eagerness for the bloody fight again on the morrow....
Kogarashi Today
The instrument played that night was in an appropriate way called Kogarashi.
The word kogarashi describes the first wind of winter from the north that takes the leaves from the trees.
It is kept carefully in Kagoshima to this day. I have not had the opportunity to see it yet, so I cannot upload a picture of it. Nevertheless, there is a picture of it in Koshiyama's 1983 book Satsumabiwa.
The following waka poem is carved on the rear of Kogarashi.
世の塵も 今は残らじ 久方の 月に声澄む 木枯の風 (八田知紀)
yo no chiri mo ima wa nokoraji hisakata no tsuki ni koe sumu kogarashi no kaze
The sullied world will be little more....
The clear pure sound of the first wind of winter under the ancient moon
Yata Tomonori (1799-1873)
Yet, written on the instrument, the poem seems to say so much more, today. I loosely translate it with licence as follows to try and capture these sentiments.
We will not remain much in this impure and sullied world. Those pure tones that evening under the ancient moon, Now only the winter wind through the strings of Kogarashi
Nishi plays Shiroyama
About twenty years ago, I received a copy of a particularly rare recording of Nishi playing Shiroyama in 1912 from a truly wonderful individual by the name of Abe. It is profound to think that we can hear the voice of one who fought in the war, and played biwa in the midst of battle for Saigō.
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