Yun-lin massacre
Yun-lin massacre (Chinese: 雲林大屠殺) is a 1896 massacre in Yunlin in the Taiwan under Japanese rule. As for the number of victims, there are views ranging from 6,000[1] or 10,000[2] to 30,000.[3]
Background
[edit]In 1894, the First Sino-Japanese War erupted. The Qing dynasty was defeated by Empire of Japan and signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, ceding Taiwan and the Penghu. In 1895, Japanese forces advanced into Taiwan. Armed anti-Japanese resistance activities surged across Taiwan.
Massacre
[edit]In 1896, the Taiwan Governor-General's Office announced the transition from military to civilian rule effective April 1st. To suppress anti-Japanese activities led by figures like Ko Tie (柯鐵), Japanese forces occupied Douliu Street. On April 12th, Major Shimada launched a punitive expedition against Jian Yi in Henglu Village, Yunlin. Jian Yi escaped, prompting Shimada to “withdraw his troops, assemble in the northern open field, and execute the prisoners.” . This enraged the anti-Japanese forces in Tiegushan. Taking Lugu, Nantou as their base, they led over 600 men to ambush the Japanese troops.
On June 13, a Japanese-owned shop was looted. Yunlin Subprefectural Chief Matsumura Yujin, along with the Military Police Captain and Garrison Captain, launched a pursuit. They learned the resistance forces had gathered at Dapingding. On June 14, Lieutenant Nakamura Michiaki of the Yunlin Garrison led over 20 troops to reconnoiter Dapingding. Imamura Heizo, citing insufficient manpower and unfamiliarity with the terrain, warned that “regret would follow,” but Nakamura disregarded the advice and rashly advanced. They fell into an ambush by militia forces, suffering heavy casualties. Over half were killed, and the wounded Nakamura Michiaki committed suicide. The following day, Japanese forces retaliated by burning homes and deliberately killing civilians. In June, the Japanese 2nd Brigade attacked Yunlin with the Taichung 1st Regiment. Matsumura Yūji claimed, "there are no good people under Yunlin's jurisdiction". Beginning June 17, Japanese forces from Taichung, Chiayi, and Changhua were assembled in Douliu. Local guide Wu Ming led them toward Dapingding. However, upon entering Xiaopingding, the Japanese encountered an ambush. Lieutenant Nakamura Masana was captured alive and executed by slow slicing. An urgent telegram was sent to the Governor-General's Office requesting reinforcements. Morale among the militia soared. Ko Tie and his followers elected Kán Gī (簡義), a former Black Flag Army member, as their leader and declared 1896 the "First Year of Heaven's Mandate" (天運元年).[4][5][6]
From June 20 to 23, massive Japanese forces were assembled. Villages were branded as "bandit dens" and burned to the ground. Inhuman reprisal massacres occurred everywhere, including the slaughter of women and children. A total of 4,925 civilian homes were set ablaze, drawing international media condemnation of the Japanese government.
Japan's own post-event statistics reported 56 villages destroyed and 4,925 civilian homes burned. Douliu Street and Shiguixi Village suffered the most severe devastation. When Kodama Squadron, which had attacked Tien-kuo Mountain, withdrew from Lin-chi-pu (present-day Zhushang Township, Nantou County) back to Yunlin, they set fires along the way. The villages of Jiou-k'ung-lin, Shih-liu-pan, and Hai-feng-lun were reduced to scorched earth, and innocent civilians were killed without cause.[2][7]
Impact
[edit]In the wake of this incident, the Japanese government took advantage of local administrative reforms to abolish the name Yunlin, replacing it with Douliu as the official designation for the region.[8]
During this massacre, Japan further leveraged the Qing dynasty's legacy baojia system, maintaining this structure to compel Taiwanese residents to monitor one another. This practice compensated for inadequate police oversight and enabled more effective control over Taiwan.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 許介鱗 (2004). "日本武士道揭謎". 日本綜合情報 (第5期): 頁104-119.
- ^ a b 仇德哉主修.鄒韓燕等纂 (1993年). 雲林縣誌稿. 臺北市: 成文出版社.
- ^ 尹章義. "日本人屠殺了多少無辜的台灣人？(三)". 歷史月刊. 226. Archived from the original on 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
- ^ 張素玢. "檔案、文獻與歷史記憶---雲林事件在古坑". 台灣文獻. 72 (1).
- ^ 陳文添 (2012年). "臺灣總督府第一件高等官懲戒撤職紀錄". 臺灣文獻館電子報第97期. Taiwan Historica. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2021-07-10.
- ^ 陳文添 (2012-06-30). "雲林事件中的松村雄之進" (PDF). 臺灣文獻別冊41. 國史館臺灣文獻館: 9-17頁. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-07.
- ^ 郭弘斌，《台灣人的台灣史》，2003。
- ^ "涵碧樓傳奇". 斗六市公所. 2012-06-30. Archived from the original on 2022-06-20. Retrieved 2021-07-20.
- ^ "學校沒教的台灣大屠殺". 台灣教會公報. 2012-06-30. Archived from the original on 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2016-05-10.