gekokujō
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is a Japanese word which refers to someone of a lower position overthrowing someone of a higher position using military or political might, seizing power. It is variously translated as "the lower rules the higher" or "the low overcomes the high".


History

The term originated from Sui dynasty China. In Japan, it came into use during the
Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...
. Instances of ''gekokujō'' date back to the
Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
. Through the chaotic political climate of the era, Oda Nobunaga and
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...
were able to create fervour and acquire political and military power. In 1588, Hideyoshi ordered the
sword hunt Several times in Japanese history, the new ruler sought to ensure his position by calling a . Armies would scour the entire country, confiscating the weapons of all potential enemies of the new regime. In this manner, the new ruler sought to ensure ...
, a nationwide confiscation of weapons, to try and prevent further
insurrection Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
. After the shogunate was established, social mobility and the freedom of soldiers and farmers was restricted to try and prevent further ''gekokujō''. The
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
adopted a
Confucian Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or ...
system of social stratification, which put all members of society into distinct groups, making it unlikely for anyone to leave their given social class. During the Showa period, repeated acts of ''gekokujō'' influenced the Japanese government, creating an
ultranationalist Ultranationalism or extreme nationalism is an extreme form of nationalism in which a country asserts or maintains detrimental hegemony, supremacy, or other forms of control over other nations (usually through violent coercion) to pursue its sp ...
and aggressive foreign policy in the process. The Imperial Way Faction were responsible for attempting to assassinate many public figures in the 1920s and 1930s, including the visiting Charlie Chaplin, but were given light prison sentences because they received public support. Inspired by the Imperial Way Faction, the
Kwantung Army ''Kantō-gun'' , image = Kwantung Army Headquarters.JPG , image_size = 300px , caption = Kwantung Army headquarters in Hsinking, Manchukuo , dates = April ...
orchestrated the Mukden Incident in 1931, leading to the
Japanese invasion of Manchuria The Empire of Japan's Kwantung Army invaded Manchuria on 18 September 1931, immediately following the Mukden Incident. At the war's end in February 1932, the Japanese established the puppet state of Manchukuo. Their occupation lasted until the ...
. British correspondent Hugh Byas describe the phenomenon as "government by assassination".
Masanobu Tsuji was a Japanese army officer and politician. During World War II, he was an important tactical planner in the Imperial Japanese Army and developed the detailed plans for the successful Japanese invasion of Malaya at the start of the war. He al ...
(辻 政信) was a well known supporter of extreme ''gekokujō'' during World War II.


In art

* The February 26 Incident is prominently portrayed as an example of ''gekokujō'' in
Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered fo ...
's
Modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
short story "Patriotism", and serves as the backdrop for the events of the narrative.Mishima, Yukio (1966)
''Death in Midsummer and Other Stories'' pp. 93–119.
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See also

*
Saigō Takamori was a Japanese samurai and nobleman. He was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he later led the Satsum ...
*
Underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...


References

*


Further reading

* ''Sources of Japanese Tradition Volume 2'' compiled by William T. de Bary,
Carol Gluck Carol Gluck (born November 12, 1941) is an American academic and Japanologist. She is the George Sansom Professor Emerita of History at Columbia University and served as the president of the Association for Asian Studies in 1996. Career Gluck w ...
and Arthur E. Tiedemann {{DEFAULTSORT:Gekokujo Japanese words and phrases Military history of Japan