Saisho Atsushi (22 December 1827 – 21 June 1910) was a samurai, viscount, governor, senator and member of the Privy Council of Japan. He was the adoptive father of a famous Japanese writer, Murakami Namiroku, and thus the great-grandfather of the assassin Otoya Yamaguchi. Saisho Atsushi was renowned for his stubbornness and was considered one of the Satsuma Clan's Three Greats, along with Takamori Saigo and Toshimichi Okubo. He was a leader within the clan. Early life He was born as the second son of Saisho Atsunori of the Satsuma clan. He had a poor quality of life as a small child, but when his older brother was favored by Hisamitsu Shimazu as the head priest of Kissho-in Temple, his life dramatically improved. The Daimyo of the area he resided in Shimazu Nariakira saw potential in him, and gave him high-trust roles early on. He was made the official warehouse secretary of Mishima and the district treasurer. When the shogunate invited Dutch naval officers to establish the Nagasaki Naval Training Center, Nariakira selected just over ten samurai from Satsuma. Atsushi was one of the few who were selected. He later met Saigō Takamori, famously known as The Last Samurai, and the two befriended through their military endeavors. Military Service Saisho Atsushi went on various military expeditions alongside Saigō Takamori. During the events prior to the First Chōshū expedition, Atsushi, along with Takamori and Takamori's younger brother Kōhei were assisting in the defense of the Imperial Palace. Rounds of cannon fire were exchanged between the forces. The three were nearly overrun, however, reinforcements were brought in and Chōshū's forces were forced to retreat. Atsushi, and the other two would sustain non-life-threatening injuries from the battle. Atsushi, alongside Saigō went on a diplomatic excursion to rebel-held Shimonoseki in an attempt to win the trust of loyalists, and to negotiate the release of five nobles. The move carried great risk, however, they considered it a move that was necessary to win the trust of loyalists in the area. They successfully met, and diplomatic talks were able to begin. The negotiations ended without violence, and were considered an overall success. The five nobles would be transferred to the Fukuoka domain in Kyushu, a territory considered to be neutral. The caravan would be guarded by soldiers from five domains. The five were transported without incident. Peace was successfully negotiated, and the expedition against Chōshū disbanded