Become a war criminal who wants to become a warrior

Many people sometimes feel that they were born in the wrong century. According to the convention before Miji’s naming, the Junnosuke date – or “date Junnosuke” – does. The descendants of the legendary warlords Date MasamuneJunnosuke, known as the monocular dragon, was part of the first wave since the 12th century, and they were never born into warriors. Junnosuke made a strategic mistake, entering the world in 1892, after Meiji restored and abolished the feudal system, and followed by the warrior class. Junosuke cannot become a samurai, but the next best thing to become the modern Ronin of China. Unfortunately, that’s not all he’s become.

Description of the battle during the Chinese Revolutionary War (1911): Imperial Army (left) and Revolutionary Army (right). Image: Wellcome Collection, Wikimedia.

A new period of war

In 1911, China’s imperial rule ended with the collapse of the Qing Dynasty during the Xinhai Revolution. In 1916, the resulting power vacuum attracted the country, the Chinese military, regional chiefs and mercenaries factions to fight for control, and eventually became known as the warlord era of China. During this time, many young descendants of Japanese samurai families visited the mainland, joined or formed paramilitary organizations, and regarded themselves as modern Ronin, i.e. useless samurai. Junnosuke is one of them.

Arriving around 1919, he eventually found himself on the head of a volunteer force around Harbin and Manchuria. The group consists of Japanese and Chinese fighters, conducting skirmishes, ambushes and raids in northern China, actually making Junnosuke itself a local warlord. The story says he targeted primarily cruel bandits, undermining the opium route and blocking his soldiers from causing rampage and rape – but that was not the highest standard to be cleared. But, where there is no central authority or law? Maybe it’s important.

Shandong’s “King”

It is said that Junnosuke has real love for China. He was obviously an avid reader of Confucius and Confucian scholars and learned to speak Chinese. Later, he even turned his nationality into Chinese and after taking the oath of his blood brother Zhang Zhang Zongchang (also known as Chang Tsung-chang), he took the Chinese name Zhang Zongyuan.

In the 1930s, Junnosuke/Zongyuan became the regional ruler of Shandong, taking over Zongchang (escape from the country) and establishing complete control of the region. He never received any official title, but had enough power (and guns) to make statements about trade regulations, taxes and things. However, some sources claim that in the chaos of the warlord era, some locals clearly regarded him as a stable force and honored king (king).

The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945): The Japanese army crossed the Huto River near Pinghong under the Chinese bombing. Illustration of Achille Beltrame.

Your butcher

In 1937, Japan launched the Second Sino-Japanese War and absorbed the Junnosuke/Zongyuan troops, and ordered it to suppress the unrest in Ye County (Laizhou, Shandong Province, modern Laizhou). This led to the massacre of more than 400 civilians. How does a person move from modern Ronin to a “king” who likes China and then a butcher of the Chinese? The simple answer is that Junosuke never really stood on the side of the angel.

Since the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895), Japan has deployed informal agents to China to cooperate with local insurgents and bandits and create militias, which will help bring the region to the future military movement. It’s almost certain that Junnosuke Date is these deep coverage Tairiku Goro (Mainland gangster).

They were obviously instructed to fit in as much as possible, including wearing Chinese clothing or matching Chinese names. Talking about – Zhang Zongchang inspired Junnosuke’s nickname “Zhang Zongyuan”. time Magazine, his cruelty and cruelty. And, if we feel intimate by the association, it may be worth mentioning that Junnosuke is also a good friend to Ikki Kita, described by political scientist Masao Maruyama as “the ideological father of Japanese fascism.”

A fabricated myth

For years, some writers have been restoring the image of Junnosuke dates, or rather, creating it from scratch, because for the longest time, he is still a historical footnote. There is little verifiable information about him, and there is nothing hateful about it. Junnosuke/Zongyuan retained a disciplined military force, seeing value (if not all Chinese life) in Chinese culture, and when he ruled it (on behalf of the Japanese army, it turned out) did not burn Shandong to the ground, which meant Jack Squat in the case of Ye Massacre.

Really, the best thing about Junosuke’s date is that he is not The worst Warlords in China in the warlord era (although he) Once was Blood Brother with the title’s top competitor). But, in the end, this has nothing. China agreed that after Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, Chinese authorities arrested Junosok/Zonyoen’s war crimes. In 1948, he was fired.

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