Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors - PART 1

Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors

Let’s talk about the rescript a little bit before I go in the details of it.

The rescript itself was given in the year of Meiji 15, by the Meiji Emperor as a moral guideline to the men in military service of the time.

If anyone that reads this owns a pay book, you'll notice that it is in the first few pages.

It was the beginning few years of the now draft service and a modernized military, and this was to be served as the basis of how all military member is suppose to act. The start of the rescript is basically the history of how the Emperor is the leader of the military directly, and the evolution of the military organization over the past 2500 years.

THE MILITARY IS LED BY THE EMPEROR

At the start of the rescript we have the basic thesis of the whole document.

“我國の軍隊は世々天皇の統率し給ふ所にそある”

“The military of our country is led by the emperor”

The reason that this sentence is the first sentence of the whole document spells the significance of the meaning behind it.

If any of you are familiar with the Meiji constitution, article eleven clearly spells it out, “The Emperor leads the army and the navy”. While article eleven will cause controversy in the 20s and the 30s, we will not be getting into that over here. But we need to understand that the concept of a Emperor led military, instead of a government military is a very important part of the system.

The rescript continues on talking about that in the past, the Emperor either leads the military himself, or delegate those duties to either the Empress or the princes, and not to any of his subordinates.

THE HISTORY OF THE MILITARY

However, a couple hundred years later  the imitation of the Tang dynasty’s military organization had a huge effect. An actual military organization was created including many of the primitive forms of the Japanese military of the time. Drafts to out posts, imperial guards...etc

The outpost system that it talks about is something they called “Sakimori”, written out in kanji as “Defenders”, these were people that were selected under various warlords, and sent to Kyushu, Tsushima, basically places that are far away. The draft was a three year ordeal, much like the draft system that was instituted on the modernized military.

Then it talks about the evolution of the military as an organization, first to a volunteer military, then to a society of caste system where military men controlled political power. Basically, the evolution of the all too well known, samurai. Then the rescript changes its tone, and then talk about how the political power then went to the lords because of the consolidation of power, and then it continues about the sad state the country was in until the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate.

Some reasons to why the rescript focuses this part of the history. First, to give another reminder that the military belongs to the Emperor. Second, to serve as a warning to future that no matter how powerful a lord can seem. The true power must always be with the Emperor, and the Emperor only. Third, that the national identity is with this idea and the backbone of the country. And that no matter how the powers may be, the tradition to respect the Emperor has always been there, and that as men of the military, it must never be forgotten.

More importantly, this national identity and structure is something that is unique to the world, even though it is regrettable that this holy structure was disrupted by politics in the past.

THE MEIJI RESTORATION

The rescript then changes the topic to a more current affair, the meiji restoration that happened some decade ago.

The country was humiliated in the ages of the later Tokugawa Shogunate from foreigners. This part was talking about the foreign ships that sailed in to force trade during the late 19th century. Including the famous Commodore Perry black ship. And also the lesser known Russian incursion into Nagasaki as well.

Then it goes into the details of the Meiji restoration, about the unification of Japan under the Emperor himself from the Tokugawas. That it was a return to the ancient rules.

There is one part that needs to be explained into detail though. Is the use of 大義(Tai-gi) in the sentence, translated directly it means “The larger duty”. The whole sentence was to have to reader to “Know the meaning behind the larger duty”

The duty it is talking about isn’t just the duty for following. It doesn’t just mean that over here. The duty it refers to is the duty that one must give to the Emperor, the true leader of the military. And that duty not only includes the willingness to sacrifice, but also the loyalty one must display. That to know the difference between just loyalty, duty, and loyalty, duty to the Emperor.

Following that, the rescript then talks about the detail about the creation of the modernize draft system, and how it built the modernized military. And finally, it hopes to not fall into the situation following the middle ages again.

THE ROLE OF SOLDIERS AND SAILORS

The rescript then continues on to talk about how he needs to rely on the readers, that as the commander in chief, the Emperor needs the military. And that they were together in fate, and that the Emperor needs his military to protect the country and the civilians. And to also show to glory of the Empire to the world as well.

The purpose of this paragraph is to talk about the importance of the military, and the men in them as well to the Emperor personally. That the Emperor and the military are one of the same, that the military is part of the Emperor, and that to serve the Emperor with the utmost loyalty is not only important morally, it is hugely important to not only the nations honor, and it’s survival as well.

Finally it starts to speak about the 5 moral codes. I will continue this in part 2