Gekokujō (下克上, also下剋上) 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.[1] It is variously translated as "the lower rules the higher" or "the low overcomes the high".[2]
The term originated fromSui dynasty China. In Japan, it came into use during the 12th-13th centuryKamakura period.[citation needed]
Instances ofgekokujō date back to the 15th-16th centurySengoku period. Through the chaotic political climate of the era,Oda Nobunaga andToyotomi Hideyoshi were able to create fervour and acquire political and military power. In 1588, Hideyoshi ordered thesword hunt, a nationwide confiscation of weapons, to try to prevent furtherinsurrection.[3] After theshogunate was established,social mobility and the freedom of soldiers and farmers was restricted to try to prevent furthergekokujō.[4] TheTokugawa shogunate adopted aConfucian system ofsocial stratification, which put all members of society into distinct groups, making it difficult for anyone to leave their given social class.[5]
During the earlyShowa period (20th century), repeated acts ofgekokujō occurred. TheKōdōha ("Imperial Way") faction were responsible for attempting to assassinate many public figures in the 1920s and 1930s, including the visitingCharlie Chaplin, but were given light prison sentences because they received public support.[6] Inspired by theKōdōha, theKwantung Army orchestrated theMukden Incident in 1931, leading to theJapanese invasion of Manchuria.[6] British correspondent Hugh Byas described the phenomenon as "government by assassination".[7]Masanobu Tsuji (辻 政信) was a well known supporter of extremegekokujō during World War II.[8]
Since the medieval period mid-12th–14th centuries) writers have used the term to describe a variety of situations in which established authority was being challenged from below, such as the coup plots and insubordination the 1930s (seeFebruary 26 Incident;Militarism).