Statue of Saigo Takamori 西郷隆盛像

Looking out over Ueno stands one of Japan's most iconic historical figures and his loyal dog

As you enter Ueno Park, you’ll stumble across a striking statue of a man and his dog, immortalized in bronze. This statue is of the legendary samurai Saigo Takamori, one of the most influential samurai in all of Japan. A man often dubbed as the ‘last true samurai', the statue is an iconic Ueno landmark.

Takamori was the inspiration behind the Hollywood blockbuster film ‘The Last Samurai'. A man of many talents Takamori led Japanese fighters during the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, and also wrote poetry under the name Saigo Nanshu.