Samurai to Father Confessor: A History of the Japanese Police Force
| Author | Raymond Lamont-Brown |
| Published date | 01 July 1993 |
| Date | 01 July 1993 |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X9306600313 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
RAYMOND
LAMONT
-BROWN
Full-time authorandbroadcasterspecializing inJapanesestudies; founder
of
Japan Research Projects in 1965.
SAMURAI TO FATHER
CONFESSOR:
AHISTORY OF THE JAPANESE
POLICE FORCE
The large warehouse - known as a godown -in Yokohamabelonging to
Messrs Kirby &Co., was burgled for the fifth time in December 1874.
Newspapers such as Japan's first broadsheet the Japan Herald scornfully
commented that the police "were as usual in blissful ignorance"
of
the
burglary until they were informed the next day. The newspaper sneered
at the local moribund Police Committee, which was fanatical over
irritatinglypetty rules but sank "into apathy and [were]perfectly powerless
to assist ... when people required real aid".
The journalswere,
of
course, referring to the foreign police. This force
- a muster
of
French, British and Chinese - ineffectually patrolled the
quays
of
the foreign concessions which traded in the Treaty Port
of
Yokohama, opened in 1859. Foreigners were only allowed to trade and
reside in Yokohama, Nagasakiand Hakodate. Here they were expectedto
supply their own security force. Yet, elsewhere inJapan, a new imperial
police force was evolving.
Amongst the sweeping changes which convulsed nineteenth-century
societies, the Meiji Revolutionin Japan createda new nation. This change
of government in Japan was brought about by a new ruling class
overthrowing the old order whereby succeedingShogun(generalissimos)
had held sway with the emperor as a puppet figure. On January 3, 1868
anew
imperial governmentwas proclaimed under the 16-year-oldEmperor
Mutsuhito, bynamed Meiji, as head of state, and the structure of feudal
society began todisappear. One
of
the evolutions sponsored by the fall
of
the xenophobic Tokugawa clan shogunate - which had ruled Japan since
1603 - was the establishment of a modem police organization.
It was the EmperorSaga (r. 809-23) who established the ryoge no kan,
an extra-statutory office, to upbold public order in bis capital
of
Kyoto.
His peace officers were termed kebiishi (imperial police), and the cbief
of
Saga'spolice was given the titleof betto (chief commissioner), witb other
ranks
of
suke (vice-commissioner), with
jo
and sagan as department
beads. Their duties were to include a pattern
of
monitoring society wbicb
led to the bewildering range
of
police duties during 1871-1945. Tbe
kebiishi took over many
of
the functions
of
the establisbed Donjodai
(Board
of
Censors), the Gyobusho (Ministry
of
Punishments) and the
Kyoshiki (Office of Municipal Affairs). On the establishment
of
tbe
316 The Police Journal July 1993
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