The was an uprising against the Meiji government of Japan that occurred in Kumamoto on 24 October 1876.
The , an extremist Shinto organization of former samurai of the Kumamoto Domain, were extremely opposed to the Westernization of Japan and loss of their class privileges after the Meiji Restoration. The Keishintō under the leadership of Otaguro Tomoo launched a surprise attack against the Imperial Japanese Army and Meiji government in Kumamoto, killing dozens of soldiers and Kumamoto Prefecture officials. The Keishintō were defeated by the army the following morning, with most surviving rebels killing themselves by committing seppuku or arrested and executed by Meiji authorities.
The Shinpūren rebellion was one of a number of "shizoku uprisings" which took place in Kyūshū and western Honshu during the early Meiji period.
Background
In 1868, the Meiji Restoration established the Empire of Japan during the Bakumatsu, and overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate that had ruled Japan as a feudal state since 1600. The new Meiji government enacted policies of modernization and Westernization, including reforms aimed at deconstructing feudalism in Japan such as the abolition of the han system and the Tokugawa class system. Many conservative members of the samurai, the former powerful warrior class, were disgruntled with the direction the nation had taken. The Meiji reforms saw them lose their privileged social status under the feudal order, also eliminating their income, and the establishment of universal military conscription had replaced much of their role in the society. The very rapid modernization and Westernization of Japan was resulting in massive changes to Japanese culture, dress and society, and appeared to many samurai to be a betrayal of the "joi " ("Expel the Barbarian") portion of the Sonnō jōi justification used to overthrow the former Tokugawa shogunate.
The Keishintō was an extremist and xenophobic secret society of ex-samurai of the Kumamoto Domain in Higo Province led by Otaguro Tomoo, which grew out of the teachings of Hayashi Ōen. The island of Kyūshū was historically the main location of trade with the West, but also a stronghold of conservative anti-Meiji sentiment. Keishintō members did not want to simply halt the Westernization process, they wanted to turn the clock back and eradicate every trace of it, including the wearing of Western clothes, use of the Gregorian calendar, and even the use of Western weapons. Members carried salt with them at all times for use in ritual purification of polluting foreign influences, such as electricity, railroads, individuals dressed in Western-style clothing, and even Buddhist priests. They were outraged by Meiji government decrees permitting foreigners to purchase land in Japan, to allow missionaries to spread the Christian religion, and to forbid the carrying of swords. A rumor that Emperor Meiji was planning a trip overseas was the final straw for Keishintō members.
Uprising
Otaguro was also a Shinto priest (kannushi), and after several attempts at divination, was given what he considered to be divine authorization to lead an uprising. As the Meiji government had called upon the Imperial Japanese Army garrison at Kumamoto to suppress the nearby Saga Rebellion, the city itself was only lightly defended. On 24 October 1876, after sending messages to like-minded groups in other domains, Otaguro led his 200 men in revolt against the Meiji government, dividing his force into squads. One squad launched a surprise night attack on the barracks of the Imperial Japanese Army's Kumamoto garrison, giving no quarter and showing no mercy even to the wounded or unarmed, spurred on by their hatred of the conscript army, many of whose soldiers were from burakumin backgrounds. Some 300 men of the garrison were either slaughtered or wounded during the attack. A second squad smashed the local telegraph office, although this in effect cut the rebels off from their would-be allies. A third squad attacked the offices and residences of officials of Kumamoto Prefecture, the new Meiji administrative division that had replaced Higo Province.