Tondenhei - Tondenhei

These were native soldiers deployed in Hokkaido during the Meiji period to guard and develop the area. In times of peace, they engaged in farming, but in times of emergency, they organized the military and participated in wars. In the early Meiji period, only a few guard soldiers were stationed in Hakodate in Hokkaido, a frontier region that was plagued by problems with Russia. For this reason, the Hokkaido Development Commission requested the government to station standing soldiers, but given the dire financial situation at the time, this was difficult to achieve. The creation of the Tondenhei system was proposed as a solution. In November 1873 (Meiji 6), Kuroda Kiyotaka, Vice Minister of Colonization, submitted a proposal to the government to establish Tondenhei, with the main goal of having samurai from the Tohoku region who were "strong enough to endure military service" relocate to Hokkaido, "while cultivating and defending," and the proposal was almost entirely accepted. The Colonization Commission established the Tondenhei Rules and established the Tonden Secretariat, and in 1875 recruited Tondenhei from the samurai class in Hokkaido and the three Tohoku prefectures of Aomori, Sakata, and Miyagi, selecting 198 households and 965 people to relocate to Kotoni Heimura (present-day Sapporo). In 1876, 275 households from the five Tohoku prefectures relocated to Yamahana Heimura (same as above) and other areas, forming the First Battalion with these two villages. In addition to travel expenses, furniture, farm tools, and barracks, Tondenhei were provided with rice, salt, and vegetable allowances for three years after relocation, but many of them ate potatoes and miscellaneous grains on a regular basis, and the general immigrants also referred to them as "sweet potato Tondenhei." In addition, the Tondenhei soldiers were given farmland (about 1.67 cho, later 3 cho) and were loaned weapons such as rifles. They were typical protected immigrants, and when the Hokkaido Development Agency was abolished in 1882, due to budgetary shortages, the number of households was below the plan of 509 and the number of cultivated land was 662 cho, but after the three prefectures era, the number was gradually expanded. The Hokkaido Prefectural Government was established in 1886, and in 1888, Nagayama Takeshiro, head of the Tondenhei headquarters, became the second governor of the Hokkaido Prefectural Government. Under his leadership, a large increase in the number of Tondenhei soldiers and institutional reforms were planned, which included amending the 1990-year service period, expanding the eligibility to apply from samurai to commoners, and establishing a new artillery corps with cavalry, artillery, and engineering troops. From 1991 onwards, soldier villages were mainly established in the inland Kamikawa Basin (Asahikawa River), and the traditional Tonden system, which was based on employment of samurai, was changed to a system of Tonden system for commoners with an emphasis on agricultural development, which achieved some success. However, in 1895, after the start of the Sino-Japanese War, the Provisional 7th Division was formed, composed mainly of Tondenhei soldiers, and was officially established the following year. During the prefectural government era, the number of immigrants to Hokkaido gradually increased, and as a result, recruitment of Tondenhei soldiers was halted after 1900 (Meiji 33), and in 1804, when there were no active soldiers, the Tondenhei Ordinance was abolished. The total number of Tondenhei soldiers who migrated to the area was 37 soldier villages, totaling 7,337 households and 39,911 people (1875-1899).

[Kuwabara Masato]

"The Hokkaido Tondenhei System" by Uehara Wadazaburo (1914, Hokkaido Prefectural Government)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治期の北海道に配備された、同地の警備と開拓を目的とする土着兵。平時は農耕に従事し、有事の際は軍隊を組織して参戦した。対露問題を抱えた開拓地北海道には、明治初年若干の警備兵が函館(はこだて)に配置されているのみであった。このため開拓使は、政府に常備兵の配置を要求したが、当時の窮迫した財政事情のもとでは実現は困難であった。その打開策として提起されたのが屯田兵制度の創設である。1873年（明治6）11月、開拓次官黒田清隆(きよたか)は、東北地方の士族で「強壮ニシテ兵役ニ堪ユヘキ者」を北海道に挙家移住させ、「且(かつ)耕シ且守ル」ことを骨子とした屯田兵設置の建議を政府に提出し、ほぼ全面的に容認された。開拓使は屯田兵例則を定めるとともに屯田事務局を設け、75年道内および青森、酒田(さかた)、宮城の東北3県士族から屯田兵を募集、198戸、965人を選抜して琴似(ことに)兵村（現札幌市内）に移住させた。76年にも東北5県から275戸が山鼻(やまはな)兵村（同上）などに移住し、両兵村で第一大隊を編成した。屯田兵には、移住旅費、家具、農具、兵屋のほかに、移住後3年間は米、塩菜料が支給されたが、馬鈴薯(ばれいしょ)や雑穀を常食とする者も多く、一般の移民からも「薯(いも)屯田」とよばれた。このほか農耕地（約1.67町、のち3町）の給与や小銃など武器の貸与がある屯田兵は、典型的な保護移民であり、82年の開拓使廃止時には予算不足もあって509戸、墾成地662町と計画を下回っていたが、3県時代以後徐々に拡充された。86年北海道庁が設立され、88年永山武四郎(ながやまたけしろう)屯田兵本部長が第2代道庁長官を兼任すると、その下で屯田兵の大幅な増強と制度的改革が計画され、90年服役期間の改正、応募資格の士族から平民への拡大、騎・砲・工兵の特科隊新設が実現した。91年以降、兵村はおもに内陸の上川(かみかわ)盆地（旭川(あさひかわ)）を中心に設置され、従来の士族授産的屯田から農業開拓に重点を置く平民屯田の方式に転換し一定の成果をあげた。しかし日清(にっしん)戦争開始後の95年、屯田兵主体の臨時第七師団が編成され、翌年正式に設置された。また、道庁時代になると、北海道移民もしだいに増加傾向をみせ、このため屯田兵の募集は1900年（明治33）以降中止され、現役兵が皆無となった04年には、屯田兵条例も廃止された。屯田兵の移住総数は37兵村で、計7337戸3万9911人（1875～99）である。

［桑原真人］

『上原轍三郎著『北海道屯田兵制度』（1914・北海道庁）』

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