KYOKAKU (侠客)- «Outlaws» of medieval Japan

Well, besides Ninja and Samurai, there were others KYOKAKUlittle known, more or less Knights of Justice/outlaws – inconvenient characters, because they have taken a firm stand in the face of dysfunctional or unilaterally applied laws.

Considered «rebels with a cause», the Kyokaku 侠客 were a very real phenomenon, somewhat obscure in works of fiction due to their metaphorical overtones. In this direction, at the very beginning of the 20th century, YCOUNT from the group Kokusuikai (國繴会) praised chivalric ideas and used (the false and actually recent concept of)»Bushido” to combat the “corruption of national morality and good customs” of that period by promoting “harmony between labor and capital”. But the concept of Kyokaku – Knights Errant of Good, was much older.

Starting from the 13th-14th centuries (period Kamakura/Muromachi) there was the concept of Jiriki Kyuusai Self-Help – the legal right to recover honor or property without resorting to public justice (also as a right of «self-defense»). Although frowned upon by society, this was a way of taking justice into account, especially when the offended party could not invoke public law. Under the Tokugawa regime, this aspect led to Kenka ryouseibai a severe punishment for all parties involved in the conflict, regardless of the reason. The forced pacification of the new united Japan of Tokugawa in the 17th century, together with the demilitarization of the samurai and the destruction of the feudal structure (daimyo versus central government, separation of the samurai from land ownership) greatly complicated matters and led to chaos.

It’s a time when different groups feel the need to rebel. For example, Kabuki mono they were in the early 1600s, literally «strange/crazy people», known for aggressive, violent and undisciplined behavior. This was in contrast to Kyokaku’s idea; while the Kabuki mono were harsh and unpleasant company, our Kyokaku heroes add an extra «positive» connotation to the idea of ​​a rebel, perhaps violent with a higher moral motivation. The real motivation was sometimes difficult to determine and the work of these people (gambling halls, brothels, etc.) did not help much in creating a good reputation.

The kyokaku ideal of fighting for justice and protecting the weak was continued into modern Meiji discourse where it manifested itself in the musical phenomenon «naniwabushi» and is also present in contemporary pop culture – manga, anime, etc..