Tōyama Mitsuru

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Tōyama Mitsuru

Tōyama Mitsuru ( Japanese 頭 山 満 ; born May 27, 1855 in Fukuoka , Fukuoka fiefdom , Chikuzen Province , (today: Fukuoka Prefecture ); † October 5, 1944 in Gotemba , Shizuoka Prefecture ) was a Japanese nationalist , Panasianist and founder of the ultra-nationalist political organization Gen'yōsha . Although he never chaired the organization or held any political office, he was one of the most influential political pullers in Japan in the first half of the 20th century .

Childhood and youth

Tōyama Mitsuru at the age of 25

Little is known about the early life of Tōyama. Born the son of a destitute samurai in Fukuoka, he was adopted and raised by the Tōyama family, having previously been adopted by another family. The Tōyama family had only a very small income with 18 koku for 5 people, but Tōyama Mitsuru was able to enjoy a samurai training to some extent.

As a young man, Tōyama took part in the Hagi rebellion led by Maebara Issei , for which he was sentenced to three years in prison. After his release, he came into contact with Itagaki Taisuke in Tosa , whom he initially tried to persuade to revolt, but the latter refused. But Tōyama advocated the establishment of the movement for freedom and civil rights belonging Risshi-sha and Aikoku Kōtō .

Like Hiraoka Kōtarō , who later became President of the Gen'yōsha , Tōyama acquired his fortune by brokering mining rights to operating companies for the landowners in Fukuoka, which is characterized by coal mining. He also tried to convince the Imperial Japanese Navy to build a coal station in Fukuoka . He also recruited miners for the coal mine operators. Because of his mining-related activities, he had a good reputation among entrepreneurs who appreciated his services.

Political activities

Gen'yōsha and Kokuryūkai

Tōyama Mitsuru (center) with Deguchi Onisaburō (left) and Uchida Ryōhei

After sympathizing with the movement for civil rights and freedom, Tōyama Mitsuru organized together with Hiraoka Kōtarō in 1879 the Kōyōsha , which u. a. called for a national parliament to be convened . In 1881 the Kōyōsha renamed itself to Gen'yōsha , which gave more weight to nationalism and Asianism . Since the Gen'yōsha saw themselves in the tradition of values ​​of Saigō Takamori , they attracted many former samurai who were among the losers of the renewal of the Meiji period . The ultra-nationalist association entered u. a. for an expansive and strong foreign policy and was involved in the 1889 assassination attempt on Foreign Minister Ōkuma Shigenobu , in which he lost a leg.

In the Gen'yōsha and later in the Kokuryūkai , Tōyama exerted a dominant influence on Hiraoka Kōtarō and Uchida Ryōhei , who acted as the nominal leaders of these "secret societies". A strong man behind these two influential nationalist associations, Tōyama became the most important leader of the nationalists during the Meiji and Taisho periods .

Reform Movements in Asia

Although Tōyama Mitsuru advocated an aggressive expansion policy for Japan on the continent, he supported revolutionary forces in China and Korea, such as Sun Yat-sen or Kim Ok-gyun . During the Chinese Revolution of 1911, he and Inukai Tsuyoshi went to China to assist Sun Yat-sen and act as an advisor to oversee the activities of the Gen'yōsha. Although Tōyama later harbored considerable doubts as to whether Chinese nationalism was actually serving Japanese interests, this did not affect his personal interests and his good connections to China.

meaning

Although Tōyama Mitsuru never held an official position, his charismatic personality, his outstanding position within the ultra-nationalist movement and his numerous connections to powerful circles in politics and business gave him an influence that went far beyond that of any formal position. Not only did he have an enormous but hidden influence on political and economic decisions; Due to his position, he also acted as a middleman for informal contacts between politics and business and other groups outside of politics.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b c Marius B. Jansen: The Japanese and Sun Yat-sen , Harvard University Press, Cambridge 1954, p. 38f.
  2. Toyama Mitsuru, in: Exhibition of the Japanese parliamentary library with portraits and short biographies of important Japanese personalities of the modern age [1]
  3. a b c "Tōyama Mitsuru", in: Janet Hunter (ed.): Concise Dictionary of Modern Japanese History , Berkeley 1984, p. 232

Web links

Commons : Tōyama Mitsuru  - collection of images, videos and audio files