TÅyama Mitsuru
Toyama Mitsuru (Japanese头 山 満; born May 27, 1855 in Fukuoka, Fukuoka fief, Province Chikuzen, (now Fukuoka prefecture), † October 5, 1944, Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture) was a Japanese nationalist, Panasianist and founder of the ultra-nationalist political organization Gen'yōsha. Although he never took over the chairmanship of the organization or political office held, he belonged in the first half of the 20th century 's most influential political power brokers in Japan.
Childhood and youth
Little is known about the early life of Toyama. Born the son of a penniless samurai in Fukuoka, he was adopted and brought up, after he had previously ever been adopted by another family of the family of Toyama. The Toyama family possessed with 18 koku for 5 persons have an income extremely narrow, yet Toyama Mitsuru could enjoy in a samurai training approaches.
As a young man Toyama participated in the conducted by Issei Maebara Hagi Rebellion, for which he was sentenced to three years' imprisonment. After his release, he joined with Itagaki Taisuke in Tosa in contact he first tried to persuade a revolt, but he refused. But Toyama advocated the establishment belonging to the movement for freedom and civil rights Risshisha and Aikoku Kōtō.
As Kotaro Hiraoka, who later became President of the Gen'yōsha, Toyama earned his fortune by mediated sector dominated by coal mining Fukuoka for the landowner mineral rights to operating companies. He also endeavored to the Imperial Japanese Navy to convince them to build a coal-fired station in Fukuoka. He also recruited for the coal mine operators miners. Due to its activities around the mining he had a good reputation among employers, who appreciated his services.
Political Activities
Gen'yōsha and Kokuryukai
After he had sympathized with the movement for civil rights and freedom, organized Toyama Mitsuru 1879 along with Kotaro Hiraoka the Kōyōsha, which among other things the convening of a national parliament demanded. 1881, the Kōyōsha in Gen'yōsha named to which nationalism and Asianism conceded more weight. Considering that it had the Gen'yōsha in the traditional values of Saigo Takamori, they attracted many former samurai who were among the losers of the renewal of the Meiji period. The ultra-nationalist association occurred among others one for an expansive and strong foreign policy and was involved in the 1889 assassination of Foreign Minister Okuma Shigenobu, in which he lost a leg.
In the Gen'yōsha and later in the Kokuryukai Toyama exercised a dominant influence on Kotaro Hiraoka and Uchida Ryohei, who served as the nominal leader of this " secret societies ". As a strong man behind these two influential nationalist associations to Toyama developed into the most important leader of the Nationalists during the Meiji and Taishō period.
Reform movements in Asia
Although Toyama Mitsuru advocated an aggressive expansion policy of Japan on the continent, he supported revolutionary forces in China and Korea, such as Sun Yat-sen, Kim Ok- gyun. During the Chinese Revolution of 1911, he went along with Inukai Tsuyoshi to China to stand Sun Yat-sen to the side and to act as a consultant to monitor the activities of Gen'yōsha. Although Toyama later harbored considerable doubts as to whether the Chinese Nationalism Japanese interests was actually useful, but his personal interest and his good connections to China did no harm.
Importance
Although Toyama Mitsuru never held an official position, his charismatic personality, his prominent position within the ultra-nationalist movement and its many connections to powerful circles in politics and business gave him an influence that went far beyond the any formal position. Not only has he had a huge, but hidden influence on political and economic decisions; virtue of his position, he served also as a middle man for unofficial contacts between politics and business and other groups outside of politics.