Peasant unrest.
Satsuma Rebellion.
This movie was loosely based on the Satsuma Rebellion, particularly the Battle of Shiroyama in 1877.
There are a few historical inaccuracies, the lead character is actually not American nor look like Tom Cruise and the battle was not rifles v swords as the samurai had some modern weapons, but there is some truth behind the storyline. The following is more accurate:
- Why did the Meiji Government abolish the samurai order?
- Why were the samurai, particularly Saigō Takamori, eventually opposed to the decisions of Emperor Meiji’s government even though he had initially been in support of him?
- How was the Meiji Government able to overcome the samurai?
Foreign Relations and imperialism.
A key point to make about the Meiji Restoration was that prior to it, in 1853, Japan was powerless to reject the US demands. Fast forward to 1904/5 and their fleet was powerful enough to defeat one of the great powers of the world, Russia in the Russo-Japanese War.
- Why did Japan and China agree a trade treaty in 1871 and what was agreed? 0:40-1:10
- Which two areas of land caused flashpoints between the two nations? 1:10-1:52
- How did the issue of Korea cause war between the two? 2:38-4:08
- Why did Japan win the first Sino-Japanese War of 1894-95? 4:08-5:10