Omeisha
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2012) |
The Omeisha (嚶鳴社, Ōmeisha, literally the “Singing Birds Society”) was a political association of the early
History
Morikazu Numa, who had accompanied Japanese commissioners on their foreign trips in 1872, had observed the vigorous free speech enjoyed in the
At first the Horitsu Koshukai didn’t attract audiences of more than 10 people, but because Numa persevered attendance increased. In July 1875 Numa became grand secretary at the Genroin on the recommendation of Togama Kono and because he accepted legal inquiries, many scholars were among his colleagues. Among those, Saburo Shimada, Kozo Tanaka, and Seiichi Koike, and others joined his movement.
In 1878, after the
One in three Omeisha members were working as civil servants and so when public speaking by people employed in the Japanese government was prohibited in May 1879, Omeisha members launched Omeisha Magazine in October, which continued for about three and a half years, and put out their official newspaper, Yokohama Mainichi Shimbun, in November. On the one hand they encouraged members of their audiences to join the Omeisha and, on the other hand, members who were employed with the government henceforth explained to the citizenry that they were unable to meet them and instead would publish the notes of their lectures in Omeisha Magazine. Membership soon rose to several hundred and Omeisha also created branches for people outside Tokyo who applied to join.
Even within the organization, opinions differed over the structure of Japan’s proposed parliament and electoral system. Numa and his associates joined the
In July 1882 the government of Japan ordered Omeisha to dissolve as part of repressive amendments to the Public Assembly Ordinance.
See also
References
- ^ Saburo Ienaga, 植木枝盛研究 (Tokyo: Iwanami shoten, 1960), 94.