Originally it was planned to build Saigo's statue inside the Imperial Palace, but they could not ignore all the opposing opinions arising from his having been a Choteki (for having turned on the Imperial Court) in the Seinan War.
本来は皇居内に立てる案もあった西郷像は、西南戦争で朝敵となったことで反対する意見も根強かったという経緯も無視できない。