Nissho Inoue
Encyclopedia
was a radical Buddhist preacher who claimed to belong to the Nichiren
sect and the founder of the interwar Japan
ese far-right terrorist organization . Contrary to popular belief, he was never an ordained Nichiren priest, but was rather a self-styled preacher whose extremist tenets were widely denounced by Japan’s mainline Nichiren Buddhist establishment of the time.
, Gunma Prefecture
, in 1887, the son of a rural doctor. Educated at Toyo Cooperative (present-day Takushoku University
), he abandoned his studies and traveled to Manchuria
where he spent time as a vagabond and ultimately found employment from 1909-1920 with the South Manchurian Railway. Upon his return to Japan, he first studied to become a Zen priest but then became a follower of Nichiren Buddhism, a conversion led him to relocate to Miho
, Shizuoka Prefecture
, in order to study under the Nichiren scholar and nationalist preacher Tanaka Chigaku
at his Kokuchukai Academy. Inoue soon became disillusioned with Tanaka’s teachings, however, and in 1928 he relocated to Oarai
in Ibaraki Prefecture
where he established his own temple, , which also served as a youth training center, advocating a militarist revolution in Japan. . During this time, with the assistance of former Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
Mitsuaki Tanaka, he became acquainted with such right wing figures as Shūmei Ōkawa and Ikki Kita, and received enthusiastic support from the radicalized young officers of the nearby Tsuchiura Naval Base.
In 1930, Inoue moved to Tokyo
where he set about forming Ketsumeidan, recruiting members amongst university student radicals. Ketsumeidan was officially founded in 1932, together with a group of 13 young officers including Shō Onuma and Goro Hishinuma, establishing as its goal the overthrow of the political and economic elite of the time, with the motto “One Man, One Assassination.” The group’s first wave of assassination
s came in early 1932, with the shooting of former finance minister Junnosuke Inoue
on February 9 and the Director General of the Mitsui
zaibatsu
Baron Takuma Dan on March 5, collectively known as the League of Blood Incident
. Inoue was arrested soon after the latter assassination, following which Koga Kiyoshi, a trusted subordinate, took over the reins of the group and set about organizing a second wave, culminating in the May 15 assassination of Prime Minister
Tsuyoshi Inukai, an event known as the May 15 Incident
.
Inoue and the three Ketsumeidan gunmen were sentenced to life imprisonment
in November 1934, with the rest of the arrested group members given lighter sentences. Inoue was later granted amnesty and released from prison in 1940. (一億人の昭和史, p.16). Seen as a fascist
by the US occupational forces
in 1947, he was rehabilitated upon the end of the occupation of Japan
and remained a prominent figure in right wing activist circles
in the post-war
era.
Nichiren
Nichiren was a Buddhist monk who lived during the Kamakura period in Japan. Nichiren taught devotion to the Lotus Sutra, entitled Myōhō-Renge-Kyō in Japanese, as the exclusive means to attain enlightenment and the chanting of Nam-Myōhō-Renge-Kyō as the essential practice of the teaching...
sect and the founder of the interwar 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...
ese far-right terrorist organization . Contrary to popular belief, he was never an ordained Nichiren priest, but was rather a self-styled preacher whose extremist tenets were widely denounced by Japan’s mainline Nichiren Buddhist establishment of the time.
Biography
Inoue was born Inoue Shirō (later adopting the name Akira and then Nisshō, lit. “Called by the Sun”) in KawabaKawaba, Gunma
is a village located in Tone District, Gunma, Japan.As of September 1, 2007, the village has an estimated population of 4,124 and a density of 48.35 persons per km². The total area is 85.29 km².-Geography:...
, Gunma Prefecture
Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...
, in 1887, the son of a rural doctor. Educated at Toyo Cooperative (present-day Takushoku University
Takushoku University
Takushoku University is a private university in Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince Taro Katsura . The university is located in Tokyo and has two campuses: the main campus in the Bunkyō district, and a satellite campus in the Hachiōji district...
), he abandoned his studies and traveled to 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...
where he spent time as a vagabond and ultimately found employment from 1909-1920 with the South Manchurian Railway. Upon his return to Japan, he first studied to become a Zen priest but then became a follower of Nichiren Buddhism, a conversion led him to relocate to Miho
Miho
-Possible writings:Miho can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:*美穂, "beauty, ear of grain"*美保, "beauty, care"*未歩, "future , step"*美帆, "beauty, sail"The name can also be written in hiragana or katakana.-People:...
, Shizuoka Prefecture
Shizuoka Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region on Honshu island. The capital is the city of Shizuoka.- History :Shizuoka prefecture was formed from the former Tōtōmi, Suruga and Izu provinces.The area was the home of the first Tokugawa Shogun...
, in order to study under the Nichiren scholar and nationalist preacher Tanaka Chigaku
Tanaka Chigaku
Tanaka Chigaku was a Japanese Buddhist scholar and preacher of Nichiren Buddhism, orator, writer and nationalist propagandist in the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He is considered to be the father of Nichirenism, the fiercely nationalistic blend of Nichiren Buddhism and State Shinto...
at his Kokuchukai Academy. Inoue soon became disillusioned with Tanaka’s teachings, however, and in 1928 he relocated to Oarai
Oarai, Ibaraki
is a town located in Higashiibaraki District, Ibaraki, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 19,606 and a density of 845.45 persons per km²...
in Ibaraki Prefecture
Ibaraki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan, located in the Kantō region on the main island of Honshu. The capital is Mito.-History:Ibaraki Prefecture was previously known as Hitachi Province...
where he established his own temple, , which also served as a youth training center, advocating a militarist revolution in Japan. . During this time, with the assistance of former Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal of Japan
The was an administrative post not of Cabinet rank in the government of the Empire of Japan. The Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal was responsible for keeping the Privy Seal of Japan and State Seal of Japan....
Mitsuaki Tanaka, he became acquainted with such right wing figures as Shūmei Ōkawa and Ikki Kita, and received enthusiastic support from the radicalized young officers of the nearby Tsuchiura Naval Base.
In 1930, Inoue moved 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...
where he set about forming Ketsumeidan, recruiting members amongst university student radicals. Ketsumeidan was officially founded in 1932, together with a group of 13 young officers including Shō Onuma and Goro Hishinuma, establishing as its goal the overthrow of the political and economic elite of the time, with the motto “One Man, One Assassination.” The group’s first wave of assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
s came in early 1932, with the shooting of former finance minister Junnosuke Inoue
Junnosuke Inoue
was a Japanese businessman and central banker. He was the 9th and 11th Governor of the Bank of Japan .-Career:In 1897, Inoue was a BOJ trainee along with Hisaakira Hijikata...
on February 9 and the Director General of the Mitsui
Mitsui
is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.-History:Founded by Mitsui Takatoshi , who was the fourth son of a shopkeeper in Matsusaka, in what is now today's Mie prefecture...
zaibatsu
Zaibatsu
is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed for control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period until the end of World War II.-Terminology:...
Baron Takuma Dan on March 5, collectively known as the League of Blood Incident
League of Blood Incident
was a 1932 assassination plot in Japan in which extremists targeted wealthy businessmen and liberal politicians. The group chose twenty victims but succeeded in killing only two: former Finance Minister and head of the Rikken Minseito, Junnosuke Inoue, and Director-General of Mitsui Holding...
. Inoue was arrested soon after the latter assassination, following which Koga Kiyoshi, a trusted subordinate, took over the reins of the group and set about organizing a second wave, culminating in the May 15 assassination of Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
Tsuyoshi Inukai, an event known as 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...
.
Inoue and the three Ketsumeidan gunmen were sentenced to life imprisonment
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
in November 1934, with the rest of the arrested group members given lighter sentences. Inoue was later granted amnesty and released from prison in 1940. (一億人の昭和史, p.16). Seen as a fascist
Japanese fascism
Statism in Shōwa Japan was a political syncretism of Japanese right-wing political ideologies, developed over a period of time from the Meiji Restoration...
by the US occupational forces
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
in 1947, he was rehabilitated upon the end of the occupation of Japan
Occupied Japan
At the end of World War II, Japan was occupied by the Allied Powers, led by the United States with contributions also from Australia, India, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This foreign presence marked the first time in its history that the island nation had been occupied by a foreign power...
and remained a prominent figure in right wing activist circles
Uyoku dantai
Uyoku dantai are Japanese nationalist right-wing groups.In 1996, the National Police Agency estimated that there are over 1000 right wing groups in Japan with about 100,000 members in total.-Tennō period:...
in the post-war
Post-Occupation Japan
Post-Occupation Japan is a phrase used to describe the period in the history of Japan which started at the end of the Allied occupation in 1952.During this period, Japan re-established itself as a global economic and political power....
era.
See also
- Japanese NationalismJapanese nationalismencompasses 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...
- League of Blood IncidentLeague of Blood Incidentwas a 1932 assassination plot in Japan in which extremists targeted wealthy businessmen and liberal politicians. The group chose twenty victims but succeeded in killing only two: former Finance Minister and head of the Rikken Minseito, Junnosuke Inoue, and Director-General of Mitsui Holding...
- Nichiren BuddhismNichiren BuddhismNichiren Buddhism is a branch of Mahāyāna Buddhism based on the teachings of the 13th century Japanese monk Nichiren...
- Shōwa RestorationShowa RestorationThe Shōwa Restoration was promoted by Japanese author Kita Ikki, with the goal of restoring power to the newly enthroned Japanese Emperor Hirohito and abolishing the liberal Taishō democracy. The aims of the "Showa Restoration" were similar to the Meiji Restoration as the groups who envisioned it...