Kosaburo Eto
Encyclopedia
Eto Kosaburo was a Japan
ese nationalist
, thinker, social activist, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
official, and a member of a leading Japanese political family. He is best known for committing suicide through self-immolation as a nationalist protest in front of the Japanese Houses of Parliament
.
on 20 April 1946, the great-grandson of Eto Shinpei, a statesman during the Meiji restoration
, the grandson of Eto Shinsaku, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan
and close adviser of Inukai Tsuyoshi
and the third son of Eto Natsuo, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan
. He left Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Cadet School in Yokosuka without a diploma.
of Japan) aged 23, he committed suicide
through self-immolation
next to the Memorial Hall of Constitutional Politics, located in front of the Houses of Parliament
. He left a kakuseisho (覚醒書) (suicide letter
) expressing alarm over the state of the Nation. The people, especially young, interested in politics were impressed by his bravery and high integrity. In 1969 the leading Japanese literary figure and nationalist
Yukio Mishima
noted in his as I am one of the readers who read the most intense criticism against the politics as a dream or art for seriousness of Young Kosaburo Eto, who set himself on fire.
.
, a common element in Japanese ritual suicide.:
Under the silhouette of the big camphor tree against the sky, I think - who knows the Mikado
's will, perhaps nobody knows it.
I know if I take risks, it makes no difference to me, but I dare to act with a Yamato Spirit
.
He wrote three kakuseisho and sent them to Shintaro Ishihara
, Yukio Mishima
, and Kiyoshi Oka
.
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...
ese nationalist
Japanese nationalism
encompasses a broad range of ideas and sentiments harbored by the Japanese people over the last two centuries regarding their native country, its cultural nature, political form and historical destiny...
, thinker, social activist, and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
official, and a member of a leading Japanese political family. He is best known for committing suicide through self-immolation as a nationalist protest in front of the Japanese Houses of Parliament
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
.
Early life
Kosaburo Eto was born in Saga prefectureSaga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
on 20 April 1946, the great-grandson of Eto Shinpei, a statesman during the Meiji restoration
Meiji 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...
, the grandson of Eto Shinsaku, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
and close adviser of 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 third son of Eto Natsuo, a member of the House of Representatives of Japan
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
. He left Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force
The , or JGSDF, is the army of Japan. The largest of the three services of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, the Ground Self-Defense Force operates under the command of the chief of the ground staff, based in the city of Ichigaya, Tokyo. The present chief of ground staff is General Yoshifumi Hibako...
Cadet School in Yokosuka without a diploma.
Ritual suicide and an impact on Yukio Mishima
On February 11, 1969 (the National Foundation DayNational Foundation Day
is a national holiday in Japan celebrated annually on February 11. On this day, Japanese celebrate the founding of the nation and the imperial line by its legendary first emperor, Jimmu, who according to legend established his capital in Yamato in 660 BC....
of Japan) aged 23, he committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
through self-immolation
Self-immolation
Self-immolation refers to setting oneself on fire, often as a form of protest or for the purposes of martyrdom or suicide. It has centuries-long traditions in some cultures, while in modern times it has become a type of radical political protest...
next to the Memorial Hall of Constitutional Politics, located in front of the Houses of Parliament
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
. He left a kakuseisho (覚醒書) (suicide letter
Suicide note
A suicide note or death note is a message that states the author has died by suicide, and left to be discovered and read in anticipation of suicide....
) expressing alarm over the state of the Nation. The people, especially young, interested in politics were impressed by his bravery and high integrity. In 1969 the leading Japanese literary figure and nationalist
Japanese nationalism
encompasses a broad range of ideas and sentiments harbored by the Japanese people over the last two centuries regarding their native country, its cultural nature, political form and historical destiny...
Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was 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...
noted in his as I am one of the readers who read the most intense criticism against the politics as a dream or art for seriousness of Young Kosaburo Eto, who set himself on fire.
After that
In 11 February 1975, a memorial ceremony in honour of the life of Kosaburo Eto took place at Nogi Shrine, in Akasaka, TokyoAkasaka, Tokyo
is a residential and commercial district of Minato, Tokyo, located west of the government center in Nagatachō and north of the Roppongi nightlife district....
.
Jisei no Uta (death poem)
Eto's kakuseisho ended with the following jisei or death poemDeath poem
A death poem is a poem written near the time of one's own death. It is a tradition for literate people to write one in a number of different cultures, especially in Joseon Korea and Japan.-History:...
, a common element in Japanese ritual suicide.:
- 「あらあらし 空にこみとり大楠の 大御心を誰ぞ知るらん」
Under the silhouette of the big camphor tree against the sky, I think - who knows the Mikado
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
's will, perhaps nobody knows it.
- 「かくすれば かくなるものと知りつつも やむにやまれぬ 大和魂」
I know if I take risks, it makes no difference to me, but I dare to act with a Yamato Spirit
Yamato-damashii
is a historically and culturally loaded word in the Japanese language. The phrase was apparently coined in the Heian period to describe the indigenous Japanese 'spirit' or cultural values as opposed to the cultural values imported into the country through contact with Tang dynasty China. Later, a...
.
He wrote three kakuseisho and sent them to Shintaro Ishihara
Shintaro Ishihara
is a Japanese author, actor, politician and the governor of Tokyo since 1999.- Early life and artistic career :Shintarō was born in Suma-ku, Kobe. His father Kiyoshi was an employee, later a general manager, of a shipping company. Shintarō grew up in Zushi...
, Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was 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...
, and Kiyoshi Oka
Kiyoshi Oka
was a Japanese mathematician who did fundamental work in the theory of several complex variables. He was born in Osaka. He went to Kyoto Imperial University in 1919, turning to mathematics in 1923 and graduating in 1924....
.
See also
- Kazuhisa Ogawa, military analyst, a contemporary at .