Hagi Rebellion
Encyclopedia
The 1876 was one of a number of ex-samurai uprisings which took place in the early Meiji period
against the new Meiji government of Japan
, many members of the former samurai
class were disgruntled with the direction the nation had taken. The abolition of their former privileged social status under the feudal order had also eliminated their income, and the establishment of universal military conscription had eliminated much of their raison d'etre. The very rapid modernization (Westernization) of the country was resulting in massive changes to Japanese culture, dress and society and appeared to many samurai to be a betrayal of the joi (“Expel the Barbarian”) portion of the Sonnō jōi
justification used to overthrow the former Tokugawa shogunate
. Maebara Issei, one of the heroes of the Meiji restoration and a leader of the Imperial Army at the Battle of Aizu
was among the dissatisfied. Maebara had been a pupil of Yoshida Shoin
and an early advocate of modernization. He had risen to the post of Military Minister in the new Meiji government, but had resigned due to disagreements with Kido Takayoshi
over the treatment of the former daimyō
after the abolition of the han system
.
, the former capital of Chōshū Domain (now Yamaguchi Prefecture
), and proposed a lightning strike against the government offices located in Yamaguchi city
. As his forces numbered only around 100 warriors, it was decided to make a night attack, with the date set at October 28. The governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture, hearing of Maebara's preparation, sent word to him with news of the crushing of the Shinpūren Rebellion, and urging that he stand down.
Maebara realized that his plans for a surprise attack were doomed to fail, and that the government offices in Yamaguchi had been reinforced with Imperial Japanese Army
troops, so he changed his strategy, and decided to march along the Sea of Japan
coast to Tokyo
, winning over the ex-samurai from the various former domains along the way, and to commit mass suicide
at the feet of Emperor Meiji
.
Maebara's rebels marched from Hagi to Susa
, looting along the way. At Susa, they recruited more warriors and began to call themselves the Juntoku Army. However, Maebara's plans to travel by sea to Hamada
in Iwami Province
were defeated by strong winds, and he returned to Hagi instead.
On returning to Hagi, Maebara discovered that someone had dumped his secret store of ammunition into the ocean, rendering his army largely weaponless. On November 5, Maebara attempted to escape from Hagi with a handful of men in an attempt to reach Tokyo, but he was captured. The remainder of his "Juntoku Army” was crushed by Imperial Army troops at Hagi. Maeda and six of his associates were tried before a military tribunal
in Fukuoka
and executed on December 3 alongside the leaders of the Akizuki Rebellion
and forty of the surviving rebels received prison sentences.
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
against the new Meiji government of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
Background
Following the 1868 Meiji RestorationMeiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, many members of the former samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
class were disgruntled with the direction the nation had taken. The abolition of their former privileged social status under the feudal order had also eliminated their income, and the establishment of universal military conscription had eliminated much of their raison d'etre. The very rapid modernization (Westernization) of the country was resulting in massive changes to Japanese culture, dress and society and appeared to many samurai to be a betrayal of the joi (“Expel the Barbarian”) portion of the Sonnō jōi
Sonno joi
is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement derived from Neo-Confucianism; it became a political slogan in the 1850s and 1860s in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu, during the Bakumatsu period.-Origin:...
justification used to overthrow the former Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
. Maebara Issei, one of the heroes of the Meiji restoration and a leader of the Imperial Army at the Battle of Aizu
Battle of Aizu
The Battle of Aizu was fought in northern Japan in autumn 1868, and was part of the Boshin War.Aizu was known for its martial skill, and maintained at any given time, a standing army of over 5000. It was often deployed to security operations on the northern fringes of the country, as far north as...
was among the dissatisfied. Maebara had been a pupil of Yoshida Shoin
Yoshida Shoin
Yoshida Shōin was one of the most distinguished intellectuals in the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate...
and an early advocate of modernization. He had risen to the post of Military Minister in the new Meiji government, but had resigned due to disagreements with Kido Takayoshi
Kido Takayoshi
, also referred as Kido Kōin was a Japanese statesman during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji Restoration. He used the alias when he worked against the Shogun.-Early life:...
over the treatment of the former daimyō
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...
after the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...
.
The revolt
When Maebara was contacted by the leaders of the Shimpūren Rebellion to join forces in a widespread uprising against the Meiji government, he gathered a group of like-minded samurai on 1876-10-26, in HagiHagi, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan and was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1932. Formerly part of Abu District.On March 6, 2005, the former city of Hagi merged with the towns of Susa and Tamagawa, and the villages of Asahi, Fukue, Kawakami and Mutsumi to form the new city of Hagi.Iwami Airport...
, the former capital of Chōshū Domain (now Yamaguchi Prefecture
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan in the Chūgoku region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Yamaguchi, in the center of the prefecture. The largest city, however, is Shimonoseki.- History :...
), and proposed a lightning strike against the government offices located in Yamaguchi city
Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi
is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 198,971 and a population density of 194.44 persons per km²...
. As his forces numbered only around 100 warriors, it was decided to make a night attack, with the date set at October 28. The governor of Yamaguchi Prefecture, hearing of Maebara's preparation, sent word to him with news of the crushing of the Shinpūren Rebellion, and urging that he stand down.
Maebara realized that his plans for a surprise attack were doomed to fail, and that the government offices in Yamaguchi had been reinforced with Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
troops, so he changed his strategy, and decided to march along the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
coast to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, winning over the ex-samurai from the various former domains along the way, and to commit mass suicide
Seppuku
is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for samurai. Part of the samurai bushido honor code, seppuku was either used voluntarily by samurai to die with honor rather than fall into the hands of their enemies , or as a form of capital punishment...
at the feet of Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
.
Maebara's rebels marched from Hagi to Susa
Izumo, Shimane
is a city located in Shimane, Japan. Izumo is known for Izumo soba noodles and the Izumo Taisha Shinto shrine.-Demographics:The modern city was founded on November 3, 1941....
, looting along the way. At Susa, they recruited more warriors and began to call themselves the Juntoku Army. However, Maebara's plans to travel by sea to Hamada
Hamada, Shimane
is a city located in Shimane, Japan. It is the third largest city in the prefecture and is located at the south-western end of the prefecture. It is a coastal city on the Sea of Japan and possesses beautiful white-sand beaches, which make the city a popular destination for local tourists in the...
in Iwami Province
Iwami Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the western part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Iwami bordered Aki, Bingo, Izumo, Nagato, and Suō provinces.In the Heian era the capital was at modern-day Hamada....
were defeated by strong winds, and he returned to Hagi instead.
On returning to Hagi, Maebara discovered that someone had dumped his secret store of ammunition into the ocean, rendering his army largely weaponless. On November 5, Maebara attempted to escape from Hagi with a handful of men in an attempt to reach Tokyo, but he was captured. The remainder of his "Juntoku Army” was crushed by Imperial Army troops at Hagi. Maeda and six of his associates were tried before a military tribunal
Military tribunal
A military tribunal is a kind of military court designed to try members of enemy forces during wartime, operating outside the scope of conventional criminal and civil proceedings. The judges are military officers and fulfill the role of jurors...
in Fukuoka
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on Kyūshū Island. The capital is the city of Fukuoka.- History :Fukuoka Prefecture includes the former provinces of Chikugo, Chikuzen, and Buzen....
and executed on December 3 alongside the leaders of the Akizuki Rebellion
Akizuki Rebellion
-See also:*Hagi Rebellion*Saga Rebellion*Shinpūren Rebellion*Satsuma Rebellion...
and forty of the surviving rebels received prison sentences.
See also
- Akizuki RebellionAkizuki Rebellion-See also:*Hagi Rebellion*Saga Rebellion*Shinpūren Rebellion*Satsuma Rebellion...
- Saga RebellionSaga RebellionThe was an 1874 uprisings in Kyūshū against the new Meiji government of Japan. It was led by Etō Shimpei and Shima Yoshitake in their native domain of Hizen.-Background:...
- Shimpuren Rebellion
- Satsuma RebellionSatsuma RebellionThe was a revolt of Satsuma ex-samurai against the Meiji government from January 29 to September 24, 1877, 9 years into the Meiji Era. It was the last, and the most serious, of a series of armed uprisings against the new government.-Background:...