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{{Short description|Social class in Japan}}
{{singlesource|date=January 2018}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
{{Italic title|reason=[[:Category:Japanese words and phrases]]}}
The {{nihongo|'''''Shizoku''''' |士族|Shizoku|lit. "warrior families"}} was a social class merged with former [[Samurai]] on 25 July 1869, as part of the [[Meiji Restoration]]. It was a class distinct from the ''[[Kazoku]]'' (a merger the former ''[[Kuge]]'' and ''[[Daimyo]]'' classes), and ''heimin'' (commoners). Shizokus had no special privileges, so the title of Shizoku was solely on the register. After the [[Empire of Japan]] lost [[World War II]], the name Shizoku disappeared under the revised civil code in 1947.<ref name="Ebrey" />
The {{nihongo|'''''Shizoku''''' |士族||"warrior families"}} was a [[social class]] in [[Empire of Japan|Japan]] composed of former ''[[samurai]]'' after the [[Meiji Restoration]] from 1869 to 1947. ''Shizoku'' was a distinct class between the ''[[kazoku]]'' (a merger of the former ''[[kuge]]'' and ''[[daimyō]]'' classes) and ''heimin'' ([[commoners]]) with no special [[Class privilege|class privileges]], and the [[title]] was solely on the register. The ''Shizoku'' were abolished in the revised [[civil code]] in 1947 after the Japanese defeat in [[World War II]].<ref name="Ebrey" />


== Origins ==
== History ==
During the Meiji Restoration, the oligarchs of Japan required Daimyo domains to be abolished. In 1869, the daimyo of Satsuma and Chōshū agreed to make a formal declaration of returning their land and population registers to the emperor, with the understanding that he would then confirm their holdings as governors. The government put all the retainers above the level of foot soldiers into a single category called former samurai (Shizoku, SHE-zo-ku).<ref name="Ebrey" />


==Abolished domains==
=== Origins ===
In 1868, the [[Meiji Restoration]] was launched to overthrow the [[Tokugawa Shogunate]] that had ruled [[Japan]] as a [[feudal state]] since 1600, known as the [[Edo period]], and restore practical rule to the [[Emperor of Japan]]. One of the main objectives of the Imperial revolutionaries was the abolition of feudalism, including the [[Edo society|Tokugawa class system]] which assigned most people in Japan into a strict class [[hierarchy]]. The new [[Meiji oligarchy|Meiji oligarchs]] of Japan required the ''[[daimyo]]'', the feudal lords of the noble ''[[samurai]]'' warrior class, and their ''[[Han system|han]]'' (domains) to be abolished. In 1869, the ''daimyo'' of the pro-Meiji [[Satsuma Domain|Satsuma]] and [[Chōshū Domain|Chōshū]] domains agreed to make a formal declaration of returning their land and population registers to the Emperor, with the understanding that he would then confirm their holdings as [[Governor (Japan)|prefectural governor]]s. The Meiji government merged the former ''[[kuge]]'' and ''daimyō'' noble classes into the ''[[kazoku]]'' as a new Meiji nobility, while all the ''samurai'' [[Affinity (medieval)|retainers]] of the ''daimyo'' were put into a single category above the level of commoners. This new class, the ''shizoku'' meaning "warrior families", possessed no [[class privilege]]s and their recognition was limited to the government register, effectively making them commoners.<ref name="Ebrey" /> The personal domains of the ''shizoku'' were abolished, leading to roughly 2 million of them being disinherited as part of the Meiji state's attempt to streamline [[local administration]] and centralize [[tax collection]].{{Citation needed|reason=During the Edo period, most samurai were paid retainers rather than landowners. The number of 2 million disinherited samurai requires specific source.|date=April 2024}} In 1871, the Meiji oligarchs [[abolition of the han system|abolished the 270 remaining domains]] of the ''daimyo'' and established the [[Prefectures of Japan|prefectures]] in their place as new [[administrative division]]s. All the ''shizoku'' received were small [[stipend]]s which were later changed to [[government bond]]s, and the Meiji oligarchs urged them to find other lines of work in [[agriculture]], [[forestry]], business and the colonization of [[Hokkaido]].
The domains of the Shizoku were abolished, leading to roughly 2 million ''shizoku'' disinherited. This was the Meiji state's attempt to streamline local administration and centralize tax collection. In 1871 the oligarchs abolished some 270 domains and established prefectures. All they received were small stipends later changed to government bonds. Oligarchs urged them to find other lines of work, in agriculture, forestry, business and the colonization of Hokkaido. Some succeeded, many did not.
<ref name="Ebrey">{{cite book|last1=Ebrey/Walthall|title=Modern East Asia from 1600 A Cultural, Social, and Political History|publisher=Wadsworth, Cengage Learning|isbn=978-1-133-60649-9|pages=349–353|edition=Third|ref=1}}</ref>


== Rebellions ==
=== ''Shizoku'' rebellions ===
Many former ''samurai'' succeeded in adjusting to the new Japanese society, but many did not and soon found themselves losing their incomes, status, and purpose.<ref name="Ebrey">{{cite book |last1=Ebrey |first1=Patricia Buckley |last2=Walthall |first2=Anne |last3=Palais |first3=James B |chapter=Manchus and factional disputes |pages=349–353 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/eastasiacultural00ebre_0/page/349/mode/1up |title=East Asia: a cultural, social, and political history |date=2006 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-618-13384-0 |oclc=607716664 }}</ref> A large number of ''shizoku'' were angered by their treatment from the Meiji government, including those that had supported the Meiji Restoration and fought in the [[Boshin War]]. They were disappointed that social reform had benefited the high-ranking nobility and commoners but severely disadvantaged most of the ''samurai''. As a result, radical [[counterrevolutionary]] sentiment began to develop among the disillusioned ''shizoku'', particularly in hope of overthrowing the new government while it was weak and restoring the shogunate.
In January 1873, the government issued a conscription ordinance crafted by [[Yamagata Aritomo]] based on German and French models that summoned all males over the age of twenty to serve on active duty in the armed forces for three years, followed by four years in the reserves. ''Shizoku'' opposed conscription and led demonstrations in sixteen localities in the months after the ordinance's announcement. Samurai opposition cost lives. Between 1874 and 1877, more than thirty rebellions erupted in defense of samurai privilege. The [[Satsuma Rebellion|largest and last]], in [[Satsuma Domain|Satsuma]], was led by [[Saigō Takamori]]. This rebellion required the mobilization of sixty-five thousand troops and took eight months to suppress. Saigō committed suicide. In 1878, samurai counterrevolution ended with the assassination of the oligarch [[Ōkubo Toshimichi]], also from Satsuma, because he had opposed invading Korea and initiated reforms installed by the Meiji state.<ref name="Ebrey" />


In January 1873, the Meiji government issued a [[conscription]] ordinance crafted by [[Yamagata Aritomo]] based on [[German Empire|German]] and [[French Third Republic|French]] models. All Japanese males over the age of twenty were summoned to serve on active duty in the new [[Imperial Japanese Army]] or [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] for three years, followed by four years in the [[Reserve army|reserve]]s. The ''shizoku'' were bitterly opposed to conscription, leading to demonstrations in sixteen localities in the months after the ordinance's announcement. Many disillusioned and conservative former ''samurai'' were further angered that their societal function as a noble warrior class had not only been removed, but replaced with an army of commoners.
==Economic impact==
In 1880 the government faced financial disaster. It had printed money recklessly during the 1870s to finance its projects, and private banks issued their own notes. It spent heavily suppressing ''shizoku'' rebellions, and was one of the reasons why Japan faced the most serious economic crisis of the Meiji period.<ref name="Ebrey" />


The ''shizoku'' launched more than thirty rebellions of various sizes against the Meiji government in [[Kyushu]] and western [[Honshu]] between 1874 and 1877. The [[Saga Rebellion]] began in February 1874 when former ''samurai'' of the [[Saga Domain]] rebelled after the government declined to launch a military expedition against [[Joseon|Korea]], a major political debate in Japan known as the ''[[Seikanron]]''. Many anti-Meiji ''shizoku'' believed that an invasion of Korea would help restore the prestige and purpose of the ''samurai'' class. The rebellion was crushed two months later, but sympathy for the rebels among the ''shizoku'' was high and the issues remained unresolved. On 24 October 1876, the [[Shinpūren rebellion]] was launched by the ''Shinpūren'', an organization of radical anti-Meiji former ''samurai'' of the [[Kumamoto Domain]]. Their leader, [[Otaguro Tomoo]], appealed to regional ''shizoku'' to join their cause. The Shinpūren rebellion was defeated by the next morning, but the surprising number of casualties inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Army and [[Kumamoto Prefecture]] officials inspired other ''shizoku'' to rebel. The [[Akizuki rebellion]] was launched on 27 October and the [[Hagi Rebellion]] on 28 October, both of which were defeated. The [[Satsuma Rebellion]], the largest and last of the ''shizoku'' rebellions, occurred in Satsuma Domain under the leadership of [[Saigō Takamori]]. The massive rebellion required the [[mobilization]] of 65,000 Imperial Japanese Army troops and took eight months to suppress. Saigō committed ''[[seppuku]]'' after being mortally wounded and defeat of the rebellion effectively ended the ''samurai'' as an unofficial class. In 1878, the ''shizoku'' counterrevolution ended with the assassination of the oligarch [[Ōkubo Toshimichi]], also from Satsuma, because he had opposed invading Korea and reforms installed by the Meiji state.<ref name="Ebrey" />
== Notable Shizoku==

*Saigo Takamori – Leader of the largest Shizoku rebellion, [[Satsuma Rebellion]].
In 1880, the Meiji government faced financial disaster as it had [[Money creation|printed money]] recklessly during the 1870s to finance its projects, and private banks issued their own notes. It had spent heavily suppressing ''shizoku'' rebellions, and was one of the reasons why Japan faced the most serious economic crisis of the Meiji period.<ref name="Ebrey" />
*Okubu Toshimichi – Assassination marked the end of the Shizoku counterrevolution

*[[Itagaki Taisuke]] – Successfully petitioned the government to establish an elected national assembly. Promulgated a constitution after due deliberation. Lead to the creation of the [[Popular Rights Movement]].<ref name="Ebrey" />
== Notable ''shizoku''==
* [[Itagaki Taisuke]] – successfully petitioned the government to establish an elected [[national assembly]]. Promulgated a constitution after due deliberation. Led to the creation of the [[Popular Rights Movement]].<ref name="Ebrey" />


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Samurai#Decline|Samurai: Decline]]
*[[Samurai]]
*[[Glossary of Japanese history#S|Glossary of Japanese history: S]]
*[[Glossary of Japanese history#S|Glossary of Japanese history: S]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

Ebrey
== Further reading ==
{{Morefootnotes|article|date=February 2022}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Harootunian |first1=Harry D. |title=The Progress of Japan and the Samurai Class, 1868-1882 |journal=Pacific Historical Review |date=1959 |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=255–266 |doi=10.2307/3636470 |jstor=3636470 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Honjo |first1=Eijiro |title=Changes of social classes during the Tokugawa period |journal=Kyoto University Economic Review |date=1928 |volume=3 |issue=1 (5) |pages=56–74 |jstor=43216690 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Ikegami |first1=Eiko |title=Citizenship and National Identity in Early Meiji Japan, 1868–1889: A Comparative Assessment |journal=International Review of Social History |date=December 1995 |volume=40 |issue=S3 |pages=185–221 |doi=10.1017/S0020859000113641 |doi-access=free }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Moore |first1=Ray A. |title=Samurai Discontent and Social Mobility in the Late Tokugawa Period |journal=Monumenta Nipponica |date=1969 |volume=24 |issue=1/2 |pages=79–91 |doi=10.2307/2383763 |jstor=2383763 }}
* {{cite journal |last1=Ogata |first1=Ken |title=End of the Samurai: A Study of Deinstitutionalization Processes |journal=Academy of Management Proceedings |date=1 January 2015 |volume=2015 |issue=1 |pages=13264 |doi=10.5465/ambpp.2015.13264abstract }}
* {{cite book |last1=Ravina |first1=Mark |title=The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori |date=2011 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-1-118-04556-5 }}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Shizoku rebellions| ]]
[[Category:Samurai]]
[[Category:Samurai]]
[[Category:Japanese warriors]]
[[Category:Japanese warriors]]
[[Category:Meiji Restoration]]
[[Category:Meiji Restoration]]
[[Category:Empire of Japan]]
[[Category:Empire of Japan]]
[[Category:Social class in Japan]]

Revision as of 23:39, 8 July 2024

The Shizoku (士族, "warrior families") was a social class in Japan composed of former samurai after the Meiji Restoration from 1869 to 1947. Shizoku was a distinct class between the kazoku (a merger of the former kuge and daimyō classes) and heimin (commoners) with no special class privileges, and the title was solely on the register. The Shizoku were abolished in the revised civil code in 1947 after the Japanese defeat in World War II.[1]

History

Origins

In 1868, the Meiji Restoration was launched to overthrow the Tokugawa Shogunate that had ruled Japan as a feudal state since 1600, known as the Edo period, and restore practical rule to the Emperor of Japan. One of the main objectives of the Imperial revolutionaries was the abolition of feudalism, including the Tokugawa class system which assigned most people in Japan into a strict class hierarchy. The new Meiji oligarchs of Japan required the daimyo, the feudal lords of the noble samurai warrior class, and their han (domains) to be abolished. In 1869, the daimyo of the pro-Meiji Satsuma and Chōshū domains agreed to make a formal declaration of returning their land and population registers to the Emperor, with the understanding that he would then confirm their holdings as prefectural governors. The Meiji government merged the former kuge and daimyō noble classes into the kazoku as a new Meiji nobility, while all the samurai retainers of the daimyo were put into a single category above the level of commoners. This new class, the shizoku meaning "warrior families", possessed no class privileges and their recognition was limited to the government register, effectively making them commoners.[1] The personal domains of the shizoku were abolished, leading to roughly 2 million of them being disinherited as part of the Meiji state's attempt to streamline local administration and centralize tax collection.[citation needed] In 1871, the Meiji oligarchs abolished the 270 remaining domains of the daimyo and established the prefectures in their place as new administrative divisions. All the shizoku received were small stipends which were later changed to government bonds, and the Meiji oligarchs urged them to find other lines of work in agriculture, forestry, business and the colonization of Hokkaido.

Shizoku rebellions

Many former samurai succeeded in adjusting to the new Japanese society, but many did not and soon found themselves losing their incomes, status, and purpose.[1] A large number of shizoku were angered by their treatment from the Meiji government, including those that had supported the Meiji Restoration and fought in the Boshin War. They were disappointed that social reform had benefited the high-ranking nobility and commoners but severely disadvantaged most of the samurai. As a result, radical counterrevolutionary sentiment began to develop among the disillusioned shizoku, particularly in hope of overthrowing the new government while it was weak and restoring the shogunate.

In January 1873, the Meiji government issued a conscription ordinance crafted by Yamagata Aritomo based on German and French models. All Japanese males over the age of twenty were summoned to serve on active duty in the new Imperial Japanese Army or Imperial Japanese Navy for three years, followed by four years in the reserves. The shizoku were bitterly opposed to conscription, leading to demonstrations in sixteen localities in the months after the ordinance's announcement. Many disillusioned and conservative former samurai were further angered that their societal function as a noble warrior class had not only been removed, but replaced with an army of commoners.

The shizoku launched more than thirty rebellions of various sizes against the Meiji government in Kyushu and western Honshu between 1874 and 1877. The Saga Rebellion began in February 1874 when former samurai of the Saga Domain rebelled after the government declined to launch a military expedition against Korea, a major political debate in Japan known as the Seikanron. Many anti-Meiji shizoku believed that an invasion of Korea would help restore the prestige and purpose of the samurai class. The rebellion was crushed two months later, but sympathy for the rebels among the shizoku was high and the issues remained unresolved. On 24 October 1876, the Shinpūren rebellion was launched by the Shinpūren, an organization of radical anti-Meiji former samurai of the Kumamoto Domain. Their leader, Otaguro Tomoo, appealed to regional shizoku to join their cause. The Shinpūren rebellion was defeated by the next morning, but the surprising number of casualties inflicted on the Imperial Japanese Army and Kumamoto Prefecture officials inspired other shizoku to rebel. The Akizuki rebellion was launched on 27 October and the Hagi Rebellion on 28 October, both of which were defeated. The Satsuma Rebellion, the largest and last of the shizoku rebellions, occurred in Satsuma Domain under the leadership of Saigō Takamori. The massive rebellion required the mobilization of 65,000 Imperial Japanese Army troops and took eight months to suppress. Saigō committed seppuku after being mortally wounded and defeat of the rebellion effectively ended the samurai as an unofficial class. In 1878, the shizoku counterrevolution ended with the assassination of the oligarch Ōkubo Toshimichi, also from Satsuma, because he had opposed invading Korea and reforms installed by the Meiji state.[1]

In 1880, the Meiji government faced financial disaster as it had printed money recklessly during the 1870s to finance its projects, and private banks issued their own notes. It had spent heavily suppressing shizoku rebellions, and was one of the reasons why Japan faced the most serious economic crisis of the Meiji period.[1]

Notable shizoku

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; Walthall, Anne; Palais, James B (2006). "Manchus and factional disputes". East Asia: a cultural, social, and political history. Houghton Mifflin. pp. 349–353. ISBN 978-0-618-13384-0. OCLC 607716664.

Further reading