Gekokujo
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
term variously translated as the lower rules the higher or the low overcomes the high. The phenomenon became prevalent during the Warring States
period (1467–1573), starting with the Ōnin War
when the power of the Muromachi Shogunate ended in factional strife and the burning of Kyoto
. Without the imprimatur of the shogunate, provincial daimyo
were vulnerable to being overthrown by forces both from without and within their domains. During this period vassals betrayed their lords and were in their turn endangered by overthrow from below. Clerics and peasants sometimes formed ikko-ikki
in rebellion against the daimyo and succeeded, for a time, in establishing independent realms.
Later centuries used the concept of gekokujō as justification for junior and mid-level military officers engaging in principled disobedience if they were motivated by moral principles. This was played out in Manchuria
and Tokyo several times during the 1930s. Army officers engaged in provocative attacks in Manchuria in attempts to create justification for seizing territory from China. In Japan, ultranationalist military officers led waves of assassinations against political and business leaders, in order to “purify” Japanese society from the corporate and political party influences that they believed were preventing Japan from attaining its rightful place among nations through Asian expansion. The most spectacular episodes were the May 15 Incident
(1932) in which junior navy officers and army cadets assassinated Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi
and the February 26 Incident
(1936) involving 1500 Tokyo troops in a failed coup. Although criminal prosecutions did ensue, in many of the incidents the defendants' testimony declaring their motives led to widespread public support and most often resulted in comparatively light punishment. While the leaders of the February 26 Incident were subjected to quick secret trials and executions, the episode is widely seen as the last and most serious event leading to the breakdown of party politics and the dominance of the military in Japanese government affairs until the end of World War II.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
term variously translated as the lower rules the higher or the low overcomes the high. The phenomenon became prevalent during the Warring States
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
period (1467–1573), starting with the Ōnin War
Onin War
The ' was a civil war that lasted 10 years during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
when the power of the Muromachi Shogunate ended in factional strife and the burning of Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. Without the imprimatur of the shogunate, provincial daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
were vulnerable to being overthrown by forces both from without and within their domains. During this period vassals betrayed their lords and were in their turn endangered by overthrow from below. Clerics and peasants sometimes formed ikko-ikki
Ikko-ikki
', literally "Ikkoshū Uprising", were mobs of peasant farmers, Buddhist monks, Shinto priests and local nobles, who rose up against samurai rule in 15th to 16th century Japan. They followed the beliefs of the Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism which taught that all believers are equally saved by Amida...
in rebellion against the daimyo and succeeded, for a time, in establishing independent realms.
Later centuries used the concept of gekokujō as justification for junior and mid-level military officers engaging in principled disobedience if they were motivated by moral principles. This was played out in Manchuria
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical name given to a large geographic region in northeast Asia. Depending on the definition of its extent, Manchuria usually falls entirely within the People's Republic of China, or is sometimes divided between China and Russia. The region is commonly referred to as Northeast...
and Tokyo several times during the 1930s. Army officers engaged in provocative attacks in Manchuria in attempts to create justification for seizing territory from China. In Japan, ultranationalist military officers led waves of assassinations against political and business leaders, in order to “purify” Japanese society from the corporate and political party influences that they believed were preventing Japan from attaining its rightful place among nations through Asian expansion. The most spectacular episodes were the May 15 Incident
May 15 Incident
The ' was an attempted coup d'état in Japan, on May 15, 1932, launched by radical elements of the Imperial Japanese Navy, aided by cadets in the Imperial Japanese Army and civilian remnants of the League of Blood Incident. Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi was assassinated by 11 young naval officers...
(1932) in which junior navy officers and army cadets assassinated Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi
Inukai Tsuyoshi
was a Japanese politician and the 29th Prime Minister of Japan from 13 December 1931 to 15 May 1932.-Early life:Inukai was born to a former samurai family of the Niwase Domain, in Niwase village, Bizen Province , and was a graduate of Keio Gijuku in Tokyo. In his early career, he worked as a...
and the February 26 Incident
February 26 Incident
The was an attempted coup d'état in Japan, from February 26 to 29, 1936 carried out by 1,483 troops of the Imperial Japanese Army. Several leading politicians were killed and the center of Tokyo was briefly occupied by the rebelling troops...
(1936) involving 1500 Tokyo troops in a failed coup. Although criminal prosecutions did ensue, in many of the incidents the defendants' testimony declaring their motives led to widespread public support and most often resulted in comparatively light punishment. While the leaders of the February 26 Incident were subjected to quick secret trials and executions, the episode is widely seen as the last and most serious event leading to the breakdown of party politics and the dominance of the military in Japanese government affairs until the end of World War II.
Gekokujō in art
- The February 26th Incident is prominently portrayed as a modern example of gekokujō in Yukio MishimaYukio Mishimawas the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...
's Modernist short-novel PatriotismPatriotism (film)is a 1966 Japanese short drama film directed by Yukio Mishima and Domoto Masaki. The English-language release was originally entitled The Rite of Love and Death.Mishima wrote Yûkoku four years before his death...
, and serves as the backdrop for the events of the narrative.
- Elements of gekokujō can commonly be seen in kyōgenKyogenis a form of traditional Japanese comic theater. It developed alongside Noh, was performed along with Noh as an intermission of sorts between Noh acts, on the same Noh stage, and retains close links to Noh in the modern day; therefore, it is sometimes designated Noh-kyōgen...
plays, primarily those starring the character Tarō Kaja.