A lot was written (not to mention the movies) about the samurai who fought against the Meiji Restoration, but there are many interesting characters on the other side too. One of them is
Ōmura Masujirō, known as the father of the Modern Japanese Army, whose statue from the Yasukuni Shrine (in the photo) is also the first Western-style statue from Japan.
After modernizing the Meiji military forces, Ōmura Masujirō was appointed to the role of vice-minister of War, but one year after the Meiji Restoration was attacked by 8 samurai, former enemies, and died because of the wounds...
Omura Masujiro statue, Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo EXIF info:
Nikon D90
Lens: VR 18-55mm F/3.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 55mm
Aperture: F/7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/80s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 400