Masakatsu Morita

Masakatsu Morita (森田 必勝, Morita Masakatsu, 25 July 1945 – 25 November 1970) was a Japanese political activist who committed seppuku with Yukio Mishima in Tokyo.[1][2]

Masakatsu Morita
森田必勝
Born(1945-07-25)25 July 1945
Yokkaichi Mie prefecture
Died25 November 1970(1970-11-25) (aged 25)
Japan Self-Defense Force, Ichigaya Garrison
Cause of deathRitual suicide (Seppuku)
Body discoveredOffice of the General, Ichigaya Garrison
NationalityJapanese
Alma materWaseda University
Occupationstudent, political activist
Years active1966–1970
OrganizationTatenokai[note 1]
Known forInciting a Coup d'état with Yukio Mishima and ritual suicide
Home townYokkaichi
TitleHead of Students
PredecessorHiroshi Mochimaru
MovementJapanese military nationalism
Opponent(s)Anti-Japanese nationalist groups, Communist Political Groups
Notes
Infobox contains data translated from Japanese Wikipedia

Morita was the youngest child of the headmaster of an elementary school. Losing both parents at the age of three, Morita was cared for by his brother Osamu and educated at a Catholic school. He entered Waseda University in 1966, but was dismayed by the presence of Communists Zengakuren students at the University and became heavily involved in the small right-wing faction at the university. He first met Mishima on 19 June 1967, and joined the Tatenokai at its establishment in October 1968. As early as March of that year, he had written a letter to Mishima expressing a willingness to die for him.[3][4]

Mishima was interested in using his society for direct political action, and he approached several members in April and May 1970. The inner circle then consisted of Mishima, Morita, Masahiro Ogawa (小川 正洋), and Masayoshi Koga (小賀 正義) ("Chibi" Koga). No clear plan was developed until late June. Shortly afterwards, Mishima went on holiday to Shimoda and paid for the others to go to Hokkaido. On 2 September in Tokyo, Morita and "Chibi Koga" recruited Hiroyasu Koga ("Furu" Koga), who was a Tatenokai member also, and he met Mishima to hear details of the plan on 9 September.[5]

All four followers were expecting to commit suicide, and were indignant when, in November, Mishima ruled that only he and Morita were to die. On 21 and 22 November 1970, supplies were bought, and Morita asked Hiroyasu Koga to stand in for him if he should fail to behead Mishima properly. The next two days were spent rehearsing.

On the morning of 25 November, the group drove to the Japan Self-Defense Force's Ichigaya garrison on the pretext of a friendly visit. They barricaded themselves inside General Mashita's office, taking him prisoner, and issued demands. At noon, Mishima began to make a speech from the balcony to assembled troops, but his words were drowned out by helicopters and he spoke only briefly. Immediately after his return from the balcony, Mishima stabbed himself in the abdomen and Morita then attempted to behead him. After three failed attempts by Morita, Hiroyasu Koga stepped in and beheaded Mishima. Afterwards Morita stabbed himself in the abdomen and Koga beheaded him as well.

Masayoshi Koga, Masahiro Ogawa, and Hiroyasu Koga were freed from prison for good behavior in October 1974. All three were aged 26 at the time.[6]

Notes
  1. Sato, Hideaki; Inoue, Takashi (2005). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第42巻・年譜・書誌 [Final edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.42-Biographical sketch and Bibliography] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. p. 332.
  2. Fukushima, Jyuro (2005). 再訂資料・三島由紀夫 [Second revised edition - Documents of Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese). Chobunsha. p. 183.
  3. Nakamura, Akihiko (2003). 烈士と呼ばれる男 森田必勝の物語 [Man called the patriot - Story of Masakatsu Morita] (in Japanese) (paperback ed.). Bungeishunjū. pp. 65–69, 96.
  4. Sato, Hideaki; Inoue, Takashi (2005). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第42巻・年譜・書誌 [Final edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.42-Biographical sketch and Bibliography] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. p. 290.
  5. Sato, Hideaki; Inoue, Takashi (2005). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第42巻・年譜・書誌 [Final edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.42-Biographical sketch and Bibliography] (in Japanese). Shinchosha. p. 323.
  6. "Japan has freed for good behavior..." Nashua Telegraph. 7 October 1974. p. 2.
gollark: Er, the `rc` thing maybe.
gollark: Indeed.
gollark: I mostly play random computer games in my spare time.
gollark: Probably not actually as some convenient list.
gollark: Er, Java/Scala. The actual mod source.

References
  • Koga, Masayoshi; Koga, Hiroyasu; Ogawa, Masahiro (1972). Date, Munekatsu (ed.). 裁判記録・三島由紀夫事件 [Court Transcript of the Yukio Mishima Incident] (in Japanese). Kodansha.
  • Nakamura, Akihiko (2003). 烈士と呼ばれる男 森田必勝の物語 [Man called the patriot - Story of Masakatsu Morita] (in Japanese) (paperback ed.). Bungeishunjū.
  • Sato, Hideaki; Inoue, Takashi (2005). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第42巻・年譜・書誌 [Final edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.42-Biographical sketch and Bibliography] (in Japanese). Shinchosha.
  • Fukushima, Jyuro (2005). 再訂資料・三島由紀夫 [Second revised edition - Documents of Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese). Chobunsha.

Footnotes
  1. Previously called the Japanese National Guard a paramilitary organisation
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