After a few years in prison, several of the leaders of the rebellion were rehabilitated, and continued with brilliant political careers in the new unified Japan: Enomoto Takeaki in particular took various ministry functions during the Meiji period.
Following their time in prison, several key figures from the rebellion were released and went on to make significant contributions to Japanese politics during the Meiji era.  Enomoto Takeaki was particularly notable for his involvement in government during this period.