thanks Wayne, as I said, getting old, I  knew him , or the figure from somewhere, just cant remembe, but a revered figure. I used to be well read, perhaps it was something I read. Fitting a unwilling Hero to some

This is Saigo Takamori, a samurai leader from Kagoshima. He is a well known historical figure in Japan and  was the inspiration for the film "The Last Samurai". A short story about him is in this article:

http://www.answers.com/topic/saigo-takamori

A tribute, Something to do with many people who lost their lives in a lahar of a volcano if i remember correctly, not a asshole, a hero of sorts. But, getting old, been a while since I saw this fellow