Uchiyama Gudo
Encyclopedia
was a Sōtō
Zen Buddhist priest and anarcho-socialist activist executed in the High Treason Incident
. He was one of few Buddhist leaders who spoke out against the Meiji
government in its imperialist projects. Gudō was an outspoken advocate for redistributive land reform, overturning the Meiji emperor system, encouraging conscripts to desert en masse and advancing democratic rights for all. He criticized Zen leaders who claimed that low social position was justified by karma and who sold abbotships to the highest bidder.
. Uchiyama's father died when he was 16.
Gudō was ordained as a Soto Zen priest in 1897 and became the abbot of Rinsenji temple amid the rural region of the Hakone Mountains in 1904, thus completing his Zen studies. According to town legend, every Autumn, he distributed the harvest of the temple's trees to local families, who were generally poor. In the same year that Gudō became abbot of Rinsenji, he reflected on the Chinese sangha
of his Buddhist lineage as a model of communal lifestyle without private property. By this time, he had begun to identify as an anarcho-socialist after encountering the ideology in the newspaper Heimin Shimbun
. Quoting passages from the Lotus Sutra
and the Diamond Sutra
in the January of 1904 edition of Heimin Shimbun
, Gudō wrote:
After government persecution pushed the socialist and anti-war movements in Japan underground, Gudō visited Kōtoku Shūsui
in Tokyo
in 1908 and purchased equipment which he later used to set up a secret press in his temple. Gudō used the printing equipment to turn out popular socialist tracts and pamphlets and also to publish some of his own work.
, in which 12 alleged conspirators were convicted and executed for plotting to assassinate the emperor in 1911.
Yoshida Kyūichi records that as Gudō climbed the scaffold stairs, "he gave not the slightest hint of emotional distress. Rather he appeared serene, even cheerful-so much so that the attending prison chaplain bowed as he passed".
Zen
sect moved to deprive Gudō of his abbotship. After he was convicted, they deprived him of his status as a priest in June 1910. Gudō continued to consider himself a priest until he died.
In 1993, the Sōtō
Zen
sect restored Gudō's status as a priest citing that "when viewed by today's standards of respect for human rights, Uchiyama Gudō's writings contain elements that should be regarded as farsighted" and that "the sect's actions strongly aligned the sect with an establishment dominated by the emperor system. They were not designed to protect the unique Buddhist character of the sect's priests".
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
Zen Buddhist priest and anarcho-socialist activist executed in the High Treason Incident
High Treason Incident
The , also known as the , was a socialist-anarchist plot to assassinate the Japanese Emperor Meiji in 1910, leading to a mass arrest of leftists, and the execution of 12 alleged conspirators in 1911....
. He was one of few Buddhist leaders who spoke out against the Meiji
Meiji
Meiji may refer to:* Meiji Restoration, the revolution that ushered in the Meiji period* Meiji period - the period in Japanese history when the Meiji Emperor reigned...
government in its imperialist projects. Gudō was an outspoken advocate for redistributive land reform, overturning the Meiji emperor system, encouraging conscripts to desert en masse and advancing democratic rights for all. He criticized Zen leaders who claimed that low social position was justified by karma and who sold abbotships to the highest bidder.
Student, village priest and social activist
Uchiyama Gudō learned the trade of carving wooden statues, including Buddhist statues and family alters, from his father. As a student, Uchiyama received a prefectural award for educational excellence and became influenced by Sakura SōgorōSakura Sōgorō
Sakura Sōgorō or better known as Sōgo-sama , was a legendary Japanese farmer whose real family name was Kiuchi. He is said to have appealed directly to the shogun in 1652 when he was serving as a headman of one of the villages in the Sakura Domain. In the appeal he requested the shogun to help ease...
. Uchiyama's father died when he was 16.
Gudō was ordained as a Soto Zen priest in 1897 and became the abbot of Rinsenji temple amid the rural region of the Hakone Mountains in 1904, thus completing his Zen studies. According to town legend, every Autumn, he distributed the harvest of the temple's trees to local families, who were generally poor. In the same year that Gudō became abbot of Rinsenji, he reflected on the Chinese sangha
Sangha
Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as "association" or "assembly," "company" or "community" with common goal, vision or purpose...
of his Buddhist lineage as a model of communal lifestyle without private property. By this time, he had begun to identify as an anarcho-socialist after encountering the ideology in the newspaper Heimin Shimbun
Heimin Shimbun
Heimin Shimbun was a socialist newspaper established in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. Japanese anarchist Kōtoku Shūsui served as one of the paper's editors. By the beginning of 1904, it was Tokyo's leading publication advocating socialism. Eighty-two people eventually expressed their...
. Quoting passages from the Lotus Sutra
Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sūtra is one of the most popular and influential Mahāyāna sūtras, and the basis on which the Tiantai and Nichiren sects of Buddhism were established.-Title:...
and the Diamond Sutra
Diamond Sutra
The Diamond Sūtra , is a short and well-known Mahāyāna sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā, or "Perfection of Wisdom" genre, and emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment...
in the January of 1904 edition of Heimin Shimbun
Heimin Shimbun
Heimin Shimbun was a socialist newspaper established in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century. Japanese anarchist Kōtoku Shūsui served as one of the paper's editors. By the beginning of 1904, it was Tokyo's leading publication advocating socialism. Eighty-two people eventually expressed their...
, Gudō wrote:
As a propagator of Buddhism I teach that "all sentient beings have the Buddha nature" and that "within the DharmaDharmaDharma means Law or Natural Law and is a concept of central importance in Indian philosophy and religion. In the context of Hinduism, it refers to one's personal obligations, calling and duties, and a Hindu's dharma is affected by the person's age, caste, class, occupation, and gender...
there is equality, with neither superior nor inferior." Furthermore, I teach that "all sentient beings are my children." Having taken these golden words as the basis of my faith, I discovered that they are in complete agreement with the principles of socialismSocialismSocialism is an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy; or a political philosophy advocating such a system. "Social ownership" may refer to any one of, or a combination of, the following: cooperative enterprises,...
. It was thus that I became a believer in socialism.
After government persecution pushed the socialist and anti-war movements in Japan underground, Gudō visited Kōtoku Shūsui
Kotoku Shusui
, better known by the nom de plume , was a Japanese socialist and anarchist who played a leading role in introducing anarchism to Japan in the early 20th century, particularly by translating the works of contemporary European and Russian anarchists, such as Peter Kropotkin, into Japanese...
in 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...
in 1908 and purchased equipment which he later used to set up a secret press in his temple. Gudō used the printing equipment to turn out popular socialist tracts and pamphlets and also to publish some of his own work.
Imprisonment, trial and execution
Resulting from the popularity of Gudō's subversive publications, he was arrested in May 1909 and charged with violating press and publication laws. After searching Rinsenji, police claimed to have encountered materials used to make explosive devices. As a result, Gudō was tied to the High Treason IncidentHigh Treason Incident
The , also known as the , was a socialist-anarchist plot to assassinate the Japanese Emperor Meiji in 1910, leading to a mass arrest of leftists, and the execution of 12 alleged conspirators in 1911....
, in which 12 alleged conspirators were convicted and executed for plotting to assassinate the emperor in 1911.
Yoshida Kyūichi records that as Gudō climbed the scaffold stairs, "he gave not the slightest hint of emotional distress. Rather he appeared serene, even cheerful-so much so that the attending prison chaplain bowed as he passed".
Deprivation and restoration of priesthood
In July 1909, before Gudō's conviction, officials of the SōtōSoto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
sect moved to deprive Gudō of his abbotship. After he was convicted, they deprived him of his status as a priest in June 1910. Gudō continued to consider himself a priest until he died.
In 1993, the Sōtō
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
sect restored Gudō's status as a priest citing that "when viewed by today's standards of respect for human rights, Uchiyama Gudō's writings contain elements that should be regarded as farsighted" and that "the sect's actions strongly aligned the sect with an establishment dominated by the emperor system. They were not designed to protect the unique Buddhist character of the sect's priests".