The "Senshin Dosatsu-ki" mentioned above is a collection of lecture notes written by Heihachiro OSHIO (Chusai) who stood up against the maladministration of Osaka Magistrate Office not considering the people's distressed conditions during the Tenpo Famine; and the book was widely read not only by Saigo but also by other supporters of the Restoration at the end of the Edo period.
文中の『洗心洞剳記』とは、天保の大飢饉の際に万民の窮状を顧みない大阪奉行所の悪政に敢然と立ち上がった大塩平八郎（中斎）が記した講義録で、西郷に限らず幕末維新の志士の間で愛読されたという。