Jokyo Uprising
From Conservapedia
The Jōkyō Uprising (貞享義民 Jōkyō Gimin) was an ill-fated revolt against increased rice taxes that took place in October 1687, during the Jōkyō era of the Edo Period.
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Background
A string of colder than usual winters had resulted in poor rice crops for the peasants living in the Matsumoto basin, Nagano prefecture. The tax on rice had also been increased and relations between the farmers and the tax-collecting officials were poor.
Led by Tada Kasuke, his foreman Oana Zembei and his daughter, the 16-year old Shyun, who would act as their messenger, a group of farmers assembled to submit an appeal, consisting of five articles, to the magistrate’s office in Matsumoto. However, appeals were forbidden at the time, and whether an appeal be granted or not, the appellant was put to death. Before leaving, the men - knowing what their fate would be - divorced their wives and sent them back to their families. This was to spare their lives, as family members were often also executed along with the wrongdoer.
Kasuke's wife, Otami, originally refused to divorce him, following the group and insisting she would die with her husband. Eventually, he pleaded with her to do so, for if she died, other wives would follow her lead. Reluctantly Otami agreed to the divorce and the rock where the couple stood has been called Enkiriishi (縁切り石 "Divorce Rock") ever since.
A daring appeal
On the 14th of October, 1687, the group of farmers handed their appeal to the magistrate, saying "We are here today to ask a special favor of you.". It read:
| “ | APPEAL OF FIVE ARTICLES
From Farmers in the domain | ” |
Acceptance and Betrayal
At the time, the domain lord, Mizuno Tadanao, was away in Edo for the obligatory "alternate-year attendance" and the officials in the office rejected the appeal. However, Kasuke and his followers remained outside the office for the next four days, demanding an answer. During this time, they were joined by an additional 10,000 peasants.
The officials became increasingly wary of the mob and issued a response, pretending to agree to the peasants' requests. It read:
| “ | RESPONSE PAPER SIGNED BY OFFICIALS
From Official, Hineno Gihei | ” |
Satisfied, Kasuke and his followers returned home, unaware that the officials' documents was merely a ruse to convince them to leave. Within a month, the ringleaders, including Kasuke and his daughter had been rounded up and executed. In addition, many close family members of the ringleaders were beheaded, even though they were not directly involved.
The tax collection continued as originally stipulated, leading to great hardship for the farmers.
After the executions, the magistrate's office released the following announcement:
| “ | A large number of farmers gathered at Matsumoto castle and handed in an appeal of five articles. Not satisfied with the response from the local officials, they remained there from October 14th through 18th. They retreated only after all their wishes were granted.
November 23rd | ” |
The Birth of Human Rights
The Jōkyō uprising was - and is - regarded as a struggle for the right to life, and many consider it to be the incident that was a forerunner of the movement for human rights. Although the uprising was unsuccessful, it fired the public imagination and gradually grew into the movement demanding democratic rights nearly two hundred years later, during the Meiji Restoration.
To this end, a plaque, containing the opening lines of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, was unveiled in a rice paddy in Nagano prefecture in 1993, to commemorate both the Jōkyō Uprising and the 60th anniversary of the UDHR. In English and Japanese, it reads, "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
