The 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 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 , which was founded in 1967. 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. Along with outdoor activities, the members, who joined voluntarily, were subjected to rigorous physical training that included kendo and long-distance running.

Initially, they planned to write the name in all kanji, like the , a sonnō jōi organization active in Chōshū Domain during the Bakumatsu (end of the Edo period), however, some members felt that using only kanji was too stiff, so they decided to add the hiragana to make it to add a softer nuance. after which Mishima and Masakatsu Morita, the Tatenokai's student leader, committed seppuku (ritual suicide).

Participants

  • Yukio Mishima, Captain
  • Born: January 14, 1925 – Died: November 25, 1970
  • Masakatsu Morita, Student leader, Waseda University
  • Born: July 25, 1945 – Died: November 25, 1970
  • 1st generation member, the leader of 1st team
  • a member capable of slashing in Tatenokai
  • Morita was born in Yokkaichi-shi, Mie Prefecture, he lost his father and mother to illness one after another when he was a toddler (the year he turns 3 years old), and was raised by his brother, who was 16 years older than him, and other his older sisters. When his older brother and sisters got married, he was left in the care of his childless aunt, and when the aunt's husband died, he grew up living with his aunt in an outhouse on his older brother's house. Further, he was short in height, and the kanji character in , so, by extension . His mother was a follower of Seicho-no-Ie, a new religion, so he started participating in training sessions and becoming a believer in the religion in high school. Ogawa was usually quiet boy, but had an inner fortitude, and was a member of the at high school and university. This incident is called the in Japan. After he got married, his surname became his wife's, "Matsuura."
  • , Waseda University
  • Born: August 30, 1946 – Died: October 11, 1999
  • 1st generation member, the leader of 5th team
  • the leader of 10th team
  • Abe was born in Senboku-gun, Akita Prefecture.
  • In 1972, after the Mishima Incident, he founded an ethnic nationalist group called Issuikai (meaning to hold regular meetings on the first Wednesday of every month).
  • , Waseda University
  • Born: May 14, 1947 –
  • 1st generation member, the leader of 2nd team
  • a "Kesshi-tai" member capable of slashing in Tatenokai
  • Kuramochi was born in Ibaraki Prefecture.
  • Like Morita, Kuramochi was a candidate for student leader after Hiroshi Mochimaru left the Tatenokai. Mishima had been asked by Kuramochi, who was planning to marry, to act as a matchmaker, so he did not make Kuramochi a participant in the incident and left a will writing this to him. After he got married, his surname became his wife's, "Honda."

Notes

References

Sources

  • Antonio Picarazzi, Yukio Mishima: Youth, Beauty, Death between Myth and Illusion, 2025, KDP Amazon, ISBN 979-8275178937