Tatenokai

Tatenokai
楯の會
Also known as	Shield Society
Leader	Yukio Mishima
Dates of operation	1968–1970
Country	Japan
Allegiance	Emperor of Japan
Ideology	Japanese nationalism Ultranationalism Traditionalism Anti-communism Monarchism
Political position	Far-right
Major actions	"Mishima Incident" (25 November 1970)
Status	Dissolved
Size	100
Means of revenue	Privately 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. It was founded and led by author Yukio Mishima. 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.

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.

Background

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. 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. 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.

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. Along with outdoor activities, the members, who joined voluntarily, were subjected to rigorous physical training that included kendo and long-distance running.

Origin of the Name

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 included in the Man'yōshū, and a poem by 19th century poet Tachibana Akemi.

今日よりは　顧みなくて　大君の　醜の御楯と　出で立つ吾は

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

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)

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)

1970 coup attempt

Main article: Yukio Mishima § Coup attempt and ritual suicide

On November 25, 1970 Mishima and four Tatenokai members briefly seized control of the Self-Defense Force's headquarters and attempted to rally the soldiers to stage a coup d'état and restore imperial rule. When this failed, Mishima and Masakatsu Morita, the Tatenokai's main student leader, committed seppuku (ritual suicide). The rest of the members, around 90 people, were not informed about Mishima's plan at all.

Participants

• Yukio Mishima, leader
• Hiroyasu Koga, Kanagawa University
• Masayoshi Koga, Kanagawa University
• Masakatsu Morita, Waseda University
• Masahiro Ogawa, Meiji Gakuin University

Inspired events

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.

Sources

• 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 (1996). 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.
• Hosaka, Masayasu (2001). 三島由紀夫と楯の会事件 [Yukio Mishima and the Tatenokai Incident] (in Japanese). Kadokawa Bunko. ISBN 978-4-04-355602-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: ref duplicates default (link)
• Kadokawa shoten, ed. (2001). 万葉集 [Man'yōshū]. Beginner's Classics (in Japanese). Kadokawa Sophia Bunko. 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)
• 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.