Ōshio Heihachirō
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was a Japanese philosopher, revolutionary, writer, and ''
yoriki were members of the ''samurai'' class of feudal Japan. ''Yoriki'' literally means ''helper'' or ''assistant''. Description and history ''Yoriki'' assisted ''daimyō'' (feudal lords) or their designated commanders during military campaigns in the ...
'' who led the in
Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
. Despite his privileged status, he led a brief uprising against the
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
.


Early life

Ōshio was born as the eldest son in a
samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
family in 1793. At the age of 15 he discovered while researching his family's personal archive that one of his ancestors had been labeled as "dishonorable" because he spent much of his time writing in the company of prisoners, criminals, and commoners in defiance of social taboos. This finding was the immediate cause of his decision to become a disciple of
Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...
. At the age of 24 he read a book about the morals and precepts of Chinese philosopher Lü Kun (1536–1618) and later studied the works of his master
Wang Yangming Wang Shouren (, 26 October 1472 – 9 January 1529), courtesy name Bo'an (), art name Yangmingzi (), usually referred to as Wang Yangming (), was a Chinese statesman, general, and Neo-Confucian philosopher during the Ming dynasty. After Zhu ...
.


Career

From the age of 13, Ōshio was employed as a ''yoriki''. Among his responsibilities was serving as a police inspector and magistrate in Ōsaka. He quickly gained a reputation for personal honesty by refusing the bribes commonly offered to police officials by suspects to overlook their crimes. After fourteen years of service, he retired in 1830 as an act of protest over the appointment of a new supervisor known to be openly corrupt. Henceforth, he began a pilgrimage to the province of Ōmi, which led to his spiritual awakening. When he returned to Ōsaka, he began writing and teaching about the Yōmeigaku and later founded his own private school, "Senshindō" (洗心洞). Ōshio spent the rest of his retirement as both headmaster and senior instructor. He also published a book, ''Senshindō Sakki'' (洗心洞箚記), a compilation of scripts used in his lectures.


Philosophy

Ōshio built upon the teachings of Confucianism and the interpretation that learning innate knowledge could lead to inner peace, wisdom and the transcendence of life and death. His understanding of
metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the basic structure of reality. It is traditionally seen as the study of mind-independent features of the world, but some theorists view it as an inquiry into the conceptual framework of ...
was based on Wang Yangming's theories concerning ''taikyō'' (absolute spirit) and ''makoto'' (sincerity).


Taikyō (胎教)

''Taikyō'' is the fundamental creative power and the source of everything in the universe. One must turn to the absolute spirit if one wants to overcome the false, conventional categories of distinction. The re-identification with this absolute spirit makes life easier. One should adopt an attitude of true nature, sincere acts and an indifference to the concept of death.


Makoto (誠)

Sincerity (''makoto'', 誠) is known in Buddhism for acting according to distinct rules and standards. Ōshio adopted the idea of sincerity from Wang Yangming and gave the idea a unique Japanese interpretation. His viewpoint was that one must act as a brave samurai who knows no fear of death. It also reflects the course of action Ōshio took during the rebellion.


The rebellion


Cause

The governing regime of the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
, founded and influenced by the
Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...
since the
Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...
in 1600, was, next to climate, the biggest cause of suffering. Both the peasants and lower sub-caste samurai were affected by their actions. Agriculture and food production experienced a crisis due to a combination of failed harvests in both 1833 and 1836, the high taxes imposed by the national government, and the self-interested actions of local officials who were insulated from accountability by Japan's centuries-old
caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
system. This crisis was very rare in the ever-prosperous Kansai region and unrest spread quickly into the big cities. The population protested against the sharp increase in food prices and began engaging in '' uchikowashi '' (destroying the residences of those deemed to be complicit in
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
) as an act of resistance. This led to the destruction of a large part of Ōsaka. The unrest alarmed both the
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...
and Ōshio, since many of his students could not afford to eat. The failed harvest, which caused famine and high rice prices, together with exacerbating fiscal problems and problems with foreign countries, came to be known as the Tenpō Crisis (1830–1844). Ōshio's first instinct was to appeal directly to his fellow high-caste samurai and the wealthy residents of Ōsaka, in particular the merchants who controlled the supply of food. His hope that they would be willing to organize a relief effort proved to be in vain. The rich cared little for the welfare of those they saw as beneath them, and in any case, there was much more to gain from exploiting the crisis:
profiteering Profiteering is a pejorative term for the act of making a profit by methods considered unethical. Overview Business owners may be accused of profiteering when they raise prices during an emergency ( especially a war). The term is also applied to ...
,
usury Usury () is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in e ...
, and the buying up of land and properties from impoverished residents soon became commonplace. Ōshio lost faith in the established order, and with the aid of his students, began organizing what he intended to be a great rebellion.


Resistance

Ōshio and his allies were forced to start the rebellion earlier than planned because a traitor informed the authorities. On February 19, 1837, Ōshio set fire to his house in Ōsaka as a signal for his followers to assemble. He ordered them to raid government offices and burn tax records, then break into the local rice warehouses and distribute their contents to the hungry. Although planned in detail, the uprising proved to be a fiasco. The insurgents were poorly trained, equipped, and led, and while the shogunate could only send a hastily raised militia to deal with them, the government troops had superior weapons, armor, and leadership. His followers defeated, Ōshio and his son fled on horseback into the mountains. Rather than submit to the
bakufu , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...
's justice, the two men committed
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
by burning down their shelter while praying together inside.


Effects

One can conclude that this bold action was a failure. More than 3,000 houses burned and 30,000 to 40,000 ''koku'' rice were destroyed. The majority of his followers took their own lives and from the 29 insurgents who were captured, only five survived weeks of enforced starvation and brutal interrogation. The survivors were salted so their bodies could be crucified and put on display.In ancient Japan, convicts were crucified to T-shaped wooden beams and were killed by spears. Yet despite its failure, Ōshio's rebellion, and the mere fact that one of the bakufu's own officials was behind it, helped spur important debates about the necessity of Japan opening itself up to the world.


Footnotes


Sources

* Cullen, L. M. (2003) ''A history of Japan, 1582–1941''. Cambridge: Cambridge. * Jansen, M. B. (2000) ''The making of modern Japan''. Cambridge: Cambridge.


External links

* Fred G. Notehelfer
Shinto and Kokugaku
article by ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' * Vincent Shen
Wisdom in China and the West
online reference work "Chinese Philosophical studies" * Louis G. Perez
Japan at war
online reference work * I. J. Meyer
The path of the righteous man
podcast "History of Japan" * H. G. Blocker
Japanese philosophy
online reference work {{DEFAULTSORT:Oshio, Heihachiro Samurai 1793 births 1837 deaths 19th-century Japanese philosophers Japanese Confucianists Japanese revolutionaries Writers of the Edo period Japanese scholars of Yangming 19th century in Osaka