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Tatenokai

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Tatenokai
楯の會
Also known asShield Society
LeaderYukio Mishima
Dates of operation1968–1970
Country Japan
Allegiance Emperor of Japan
IdeologyJapanese nationalism
Ultranationalism[1]
Traditionalism
Anti-communism
Monarchism
Political positionFar-right
Major actions"Mishima Incident" (25 November 1970)
StatusDissolved
Size100
Means of revenuePrivately funded

The Tatenokai (楯の会, 楯の會) or Shield Society was a private militia in Japan dedicated to traditional Japanese values and veneration of the Emperor.[2][3][4] It was founded and led by author Yukio Mishima.[3] The private militia was officially founded in 1968 for the purpose of preventing indirect aggression by proponents of foreign ideology seeking to destroy Japanese traditional culture, and protecting the dignity of the Emperor as a symbol of Japan's national identity.[5][3][6]

The name of Tatenokai comes from two classical waka, one from the 7th century Asuka period and the other from the 19th century Edo period, which express the determination to become a shield to protect the Emperor.[3][7][8]

Background

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The Tatenokai was a militia organization that took over from its predecessor, the "Japan National Guard" (祖国防衛隊, Sokoku Bōeitai), which was founded in 1967.[3] The original members were the staff of New Right monthly magazine Controversy Journal (論争ジャーナル, Ronsō jaanaru) and several Waseda University students.[9] They had enlisted in the Japan Self-Defense Forces with Yukio Mishima in 1967, and after changing its name to Tatenokai, the group gradually increased its membership by allowing new students to enlist in the JSDF.[9]

The Tatenokai was officially founded on October 5, 1968. Mishima decided to increase the size of the private army due to his growing alarm over the scale of left-wing protests in Japan and to this end placed recruitment advertisements in right-wing newspapers. Membership ultimately rose to 100 members, most of whom were students at Waseda University.[10] Along with outdoor activities, the members, who joined voluntarily, were subjected to rigorous physical training that included kendo and long-distance running.[10]

Origin of the Name

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The name "Tatenokai" (楯の会) was inspired by two traditional Japanese waka poems: A poem from the "Poems of Defenders" (防人の歌, Sakimori no uta) series[a] included in the Man'yōshū, and a poem by 19th century poet Tachibana Akemi.[3][7][8]

今日よりは　顧みなくて　大君の　醜の御楯と　出で立つ我は

(Kyō yori wa　Kaeri minakute　Ōkimi no　Shiko no mi-tate to　Idetatsu ware wa)[b]

From today onwards, / Without any regard for myself, / I set out to become, / (although my shield may be insignificant,) / A strong shield for the Great Lord Emperor.

— Imamatsuribe no Yosō (今奉部與曾布), "Poem of a Defender" (防人の歌, Sakimori no uta)[7]
大皇の　醜の御楯と　いふ物は　如此る物ぞと　進め真前に

(Ōkimi no　Shiko no mi-tate to　Iu mono wa　Kakaru mono zo to　Susume masaki ni)

For the Great Lord Emperor, / (although my shield may be insignificant,) / Thinking this is what a strong shield should be, / I bravely forge ahead.

— 橘曙覧 (Tachibana Akemi)[13]

Regarding the writing, initially, they planned to write the name "Mtatekai" (御楯会) in all kanji, like the "Mitategumi" (御楯組), a Sonnō jōi organization of the Chōshū Domain at the Bakumatsu (end of the Edo period),[14][15] however, some members felt that using only kanji was too stiff, so they decided to add the hiragana "no" (の) to make it "Tatenokai" (楯の会) to add a softer nuance.[14][13]

1970 coup attempt

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Main article: Yukio Mishima § Coup attempt and suicide

On November 25, 1970 Mishima and four Tatenokai members briefly seized control of the Japan Self-Defense Force's headquarters and attempted to rally the soldiers to stage a coup d'état, and unsuccessfully tried to inspire the JSDF to rise up and overthrow Article 9 of the 1947 Constitution to restore autonomous national defense and the divinity of the emperor,[16][17] after which Mishima and Masakatsu Morita, the Tatenokai's student leader, committed seppuku (ritual suicide).[17] The rest of the members, around 90 people, were not informed about Mishima's plan at all.[18]

Participants

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  • Yukio Mishima, Leader
    • Born: January 14, 1925 - Died: November 25, 1970
  • Masakatsu Morita, Student leader, Waseda University
    • Born: July 25, 1945 - Died: November 25, 1970
    • 1st generation member, the leader of 1st team
    • Morita was born in Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Prefecture, he lost his father and mother to illness one after another when he was a toddler (the year he turns 3 years old), and was raised by his brother, who was 16 years older than him, and other his older sisters.[19][20] When his older brother and sisters got married, he was left in the care of his childless aunt, and when the aunt's husband died, he grew up living with his aunt in an outhouse on his older brother's house.[19] Morita grew up to be a cheerful and lively person,[19] but his high school diary was filled with his having a romantic notion of death, and his longing for his mother and father, who were likely living happily together in heaven.[21][20]
  • Masayoshi Koga (小賀正義), Kanagawa University
    • Born: July 31, 1948 -
    • 2nd generation member, the leader of 5th team
    • His nickname was "Chibi-Koga", to distinguish him from Koga (古賀), whose surname has the same pronunciation.[22][23] Further, he was short in height, and the kanji character "small", "little" (小, ko) in "koga" (小賀), so, by extension "tiny", "shorty" (チビ, chibi).[23]
    • Chibi-Koga was born in Arida-shi, Wakayama Prefecture and lost his father due to illness at a young age.[24][25][26] His mother was a follower of Seicho-no-Ie, a new religion,[24][25][26] so he also began attending training sessions for the religion and becoming a follower of it when he was in junior high school.[24][26]
  • Hiroyasu Koga, Kanagawa University
    • Born: August 15, 1947 -
    • 2nd generation member, the vice leader of 5th team
    • His nickname was "Furu-Koga".[22] The kanji character "old" (古, ko) in "koga" (古賀) can also be read as "furu i" (古い) in kun'yomi.
    • Furu-Koga was born in Takigawa-shi, Hokkaido, and his father, a former elementary school principal, was a lecturer at Seicho-no-Ie headquarters,[24][25][27] so he started participating in training sessions and becoming a believer in the religion in high school.[24][27]
  • Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋), Meiji Gakuin University
    • Born: May 15, 1948 - Died: November 26, 2018
    • 3rd generation member, the leader of 7th team
    • He was tall and had a small moustache.[22]
    • Ogawa was born in the Sanbu-gun, Chiba Prefecture, and grew up with a father who was a former police officer and a mother who was a former teacher, as a boy interested in the Emperor and Japanese history.[28][29] Ogawa was usually quiet boy, but had an inner fortitude, and was a member of the cheerleading squad (応援団, Ōendan) at high school and university.[29]

Inspired events

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On 3 March 1977, four Japanese nationalists took 12 hostages at the Keidanren Kaikan (headquarters of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations), spreading leaflets at the scene that denounced big business. The hostages were released, unharmed, after an eleven-hour standoff during which the hostage-takers spoke for more than three hours to Mishima's widow, Yōko. Two of the hostage-takers – Yoshio Ito and Shunichi Nishio – were former members of the Tatenokai.[30][31][32] This incident is called the "Japan Business Federation attack incident" (経団連襲撃事件, Keidanren shugeki jiken) in Japan.[31][32]

Notes

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  1. ^ "Sakimori" (防人) were soldiers stationed in Kyushu during the ancient Asuka and Heian periods to guard against incursions by the Tang dynasty and Silla.[11][7] The defenders numbered about 3,000, and most of them were from the eastern part of Japan (東国, Azuma no kuni, present-day Kantō region).[11][7]
  2. ^ The meaning of "ugly" (醜, shiko) here expresses a feeling of self-deprecation and humility.[12][7]

References

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  1. ^ Bornoff, Nicholas, ed. (1991). Pink Samurai: The Pursuit and Politics of Sex in Japan. p. 432.
  2. ^ Mishima, Yukio (21 January 1970). 「変革の思想」とは―道理の実現 [What is "Thought of Revolution": Realization of the Reason]. Yomiuri Shimbun (in Japanese). collected in complete36 2003, pp. 30–38 (of that in pp.33–35)
  3. ^ a b c d e f O-Encyclo 1976, pp. 246–247
  4. ^ Ando 1998, pp. 259–261
  5. ^ Mishima, Yukio (1968). 「楯の会」のこと [About the "Tatenokai"]. Pamphlet celebrating the first anniversary of the founding of the "Tatenokai" (in Japanese). collected in complete35 2003, pp. 720–727 (of that in pp.724–725), Suzuki 2005, pp. 72–80 (of that in pp.77–78)
  6. ^ Encyclo 2000, pp. 210–211, 519–520, 523–524
  7. ^ a b c d e f Jurō 2005, pp. 164–165
  8. ^ a b Suzuki 2005, p. 38
  9. ^ a b Suzuki 2005, pp. 15–22
  10. ^ a b Jannarone, Kimberly (2015). Vanguard Performance Beyond Left and Right. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 95. ISBN 9780472119677.
  11. ^ a b Manyo-kado 2001, pp. 224–225
  12. ^ Manyo5-iwa 2015, pp. 232–233
  13. ^ a b Hosaka 2001, p. 149
  14. ^ a b Ando 1998, pp. 267–268
  15. ^ Chōkitsu Kurumatani (車谷長吉) Yukio Mishima's suicide (Shincho30 2000, pp. 220–223)
  16. ^ O-Encyclo 1976, pp. 246–247
  17. ^ a b Encyclo 2000, pp. 604–606
  18. ^ Suzuki 2005, pp. 108–109
  19. ^ a b c Nakamura 2015, pp. 26–32
  20. ^ a b Inuzuka 2020, pp. 3–20
  21. ^ Nakamura 2015, pp. 32–36
  22. ^ a b c Azusa 1996, p. 233
  23. ^ a b Nathan-j 2000, p. 319, Nathan-e 1975, p. 262, Nathan-e 2000, p. 262
  24. ^ a b c d e Date 1972, pp. 64–67
  25. ^ a b c Jurō 2005, p. 17
  26. ^ a b c Nishi 2020, pp. 166–169
  27. ^ a b Nishi 2020, pp. 169–176
  28. ^ Date 1972, pp. 130–133, 247–252
  29. ^ a b Nishi 2020, pp. 158–166
  30. ^ White, Edwin Q. (4 March 1977). "Japanese gunmen hold 12 hostages for 11 hours". St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  31. ^ a b complete42 2005, pp. 344–345
  32. ^ a b Murata 2015, pp. 290–298

Sources

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  • Mishima, Yukio (2003). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第35巻・評論10 [Definitive Edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.35-criticisms 10] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. ISBN 978-4-10-642575-2.
  • Mishima, Yukio (2003). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第36巻・評論11 [Definitive Edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.36-criticisms 11] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. ISBN 978-4-10-642576-9.
  • Satō Hideaki; Inoue Takashi; Yamanaka Takeshi, eds. (2005). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第42巻・年譜・書誌 [Definitive Edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.42-Biographical sketch and Bibliography] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. ISBN 978-4-10-642582-0.
  • Satō Hideaki; Inoue Takashi; Matsumoto Tōru, eds. (2000). 三島由紀夫事典 [Encyclopedia of Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese). Benseishuppan. ISBN 978-4-585-06018-5.
  • Andō, Takeshi (1998). 三島由紀夫の生涯 [The life of Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese). Natsumeshobo. ISBN 978-4-931391-39-0.
  • Date, Munekatsu (1972). 裁判記録 「三島由紀夫事件」 [Judicial record of "Mishima Incident"] (in Japanese). Kodancha. NCID BN0140450X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Fukusima, jurō (2005). 再訂資料・三島由紀夫 [Re-edition Document: Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese) (enlarged ed.). Chobunsha. ISBN 978-4-88695-180-9. First edition published 1989.
  • Hasegawa, Izumi; Takeda, Katsuhiko (1976). 三島由紀夫事典 [Encyclopedia of Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese). Meiji shoin. NCID BN01686605.
  • Hiraoka, Azusa (1996). 伜・三島由紀夫 [My son: Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese) (Paperback ed.). Bungeishunjū. ISBN 978-4-16-716204-7. First edition published in May 1972. NCID BN04224118
  • Hosaka, Masayasu (2001). 三島由紀夫と楯の会事件 [Yukio Mishima and the Tatenokai Incident] (in Japanese) (Paperback (Kadokawa bunko) ed.). Kadokawa Shoten. ISBN 978-4-04-355602-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link) First edition published in November 1980 by Kodansha.
  • Inuzuka, Kiyoshi (2020). 三島由紀夫と死んだ男―森田必勝の生涯 [The man who died with Yukio Mishima: The life of Masakatsu Morita] (in Japanese). Shumei University Shuppan-kai. ISBN 978-4915855405.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Kadokawa Shoten, ed. (2001). 万葉集 [Man'yōshū]. Beginner's Classics (in Japanese) (Paperback (Kadokawa Sophia Bunko) ed.). Kadokawa Shoten. ISBN 978-4043574063.
  • Murakami, Takeo (2010). 君たちには分からない――「楯の會」で見た三島由紀夫 [You guys don't understand: Yukio Mishima as seen in "Tatenokai"] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. ISBN 978-4103278511.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Murata, Haruki (2015). 三島由紀夫が生きた時代―楯の会と森田必勝 [The period when Yukio Mishima lived: The Tatenokai and Masakatsu Morita] (in Japanese). Seirindo. ISBN 978-4-7926-0532-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Nakamura, Akihiko (2015). 三島事件 もう一人の主役―烈士と呼ばれた森田必勝 [Another protagonist of Mishima Incident: Masakatsu Morita who called Upright man] (in Japanese). Wakku. ISBN 978-4-89831-729-7.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Nathan, John (1975). Mishima: A biography. Tut　books. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 4805304022.
  • Nathan, John (2000). Mishima: A biography (New ed.). Da Capo Press. ISBN 030680977X.
  • Nathan, John (2000). 新版 三島由紀夫─ある評伝 [New edition - Mishima: A biography] (in Japanese). Translated by Takehiko Noguchi (New ed.). Shinchosha. ISBN 978-4864100281. First old edition published in June 1976 (In Japan, old edition was out of print due to Mishima's family's claim that the book had parts of what they didn't say.)
  • Nishi, Houtaro (2020). 三島由紀夫事件 50年目の証言―警察と自衛隊は何を知っていたか [Testimony of the 50th year of the Yukio Mishima Incident: What did the police and the Self-Defense Forces know] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. ISBN 978-4-10-353581-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
  • Satake Akihiro; Yamada Hideo, others, eds. (2015). 万葉集（五） [Man'yōshū (5)] (in Japanese) (Paperback (Iwanami Bunko) ed.). Iwanami Shoten. ISBN 978-4003000588.
  • Suzuki Ayumi; Tamura Tsukasa, eds. (2015). 火群のゆくへ―元楯の会会員たちの心の軌跡 [Whereabouts of the fire group: The trajectories of their hearts who once belonged to the Tatenokai] (in Japanese). Hakurosha. ISBN 978-4-434-07066-2.
  • 新潮 臨時増刊 三島由紀夫 没後三十年 [Shinchō - Special Issue: Yukio Mishima 30 years after his death] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. 2000. NCID BA49508943.
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