15 Facts About Itagaki Taisuke

Itagaki Taisuke was a leader of the "Freedom and People's Rights Movement" and founded Japan's first political party, the Liberal Party.

Itagaki Taisuke was born into a middle-ranking samurai family in Tosa Domain,.

However, Itagaki Taisuke resigned from the Meiji government in 1873 over disagreement with the government's policy of restraint toward Korea and, more generally, in opposition to the Choshu-Satsuma domination of the new government.

Government leaders met at the Osaka Conference of 1875, to which seven schools created under Itagaki Taisuke's influence sent delegations, and the various delegates entered into an agreement by which they pledged themselves to the principle of a constitutional monarchy and a legislative assembly.

Itagaki Taisuke criticized the government at the same time as it was under threat by the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, which turned the cabinet against him.

Itagaki Taisuke became embroiled in controversy when he took a trip to Europe believed by many to have been funded by the government.

The trip turned out to have been provided by the Mitsui Company, but suspicions that Itagaki Taisuke was being won over to the government side persisted.

Itagaki Taisuke was offered the title of Count in 1884, as the new peerage system known as kazoku was formed, but he accepted only on the condition that the title not be passed on to his heirs.

In 1898, Itagaki Taisuke joined with Okuma Shigenobu of the Shimpoto to form the Kenseito, and Japan's first party government.

Okuma became Prime Minister, and Itagaki Taisuke continued serving as Home Minister.

Itagaki Taisuke retired from public life in 1900 and spent the rest of his days writing.

Itagaki Taisuke was sympathetic to the colonial policy in Taiwan toward the Taiwanese people and insisted that the rights and treatment of Taiwanese be the same as those of the Japanese and that discrimination be eliminated.

Itagaki Taisuke is credited as being the first Japanese party leader and an important force for liberalism in Meiji Japan.

Itagaki Taisuke's portrait has appeared on the old 50-sen and 100-yen banknotes issued by the Bank of Japan.

Original Itagaki Taisuke used "Jiguro-bishi " for the family crest with Takeda of the effect for the same family.