Bandits - Bazoku

An armed group of horsemen that existed in northeastern China (Manchuria) from the end of the Qing dynasty. The word "ba-zo" itself seems to have been given by the Japanese, and the Chinese called them "honghuzi" (red beards). Manchuria was originally an area inhabited by Manchu people, but when the Qing dynasty was established, most of them left Manchuria and migrated south. After that, the influx of Chinese (Han Chinese) into Manchuria, which had become "empty," was prohibited (the ban on entry). However, in the mid-19th century, the authority of the Qing dynasty weakened, and Russian influence began to extend from the north. As a result, the previous ban on entry was abolished, and in a short period of time, a large number of Chinese migrated to Manchuria. For these reasons, Manchuria at that time was also a new frontier for the Chinese.

As was the case in many frontier areas, the control of the authorities in Manchuria was not yet complete, and the settlers sometimes had to suffer from attacks by ruffians. Since they could not expect protection from the authorities, they were forced to form armed organizations for self-defense.

As the saying goes, "ships to the south, horses to the north," horses were the main means of transportation in northern China. The situation was the same in Manchuria, where the armed self-defense organizations mentioned above were also cavalry units. The name "horse bandits" comes from this. China has also had various secret societies since ancient times. The horse bandits also inherited this tradition. They formed a kind of secret society, had their own internal etiquette and customs, and acted under strict control.

Although the name "Bazoku" (bazo), they should not be regarded as simply a band of horse-riding thieves. Because of their role in protecting the local residents, they also had a unique chivalrous character that was similar to the Japanese "Kyokaku" (glorious warrior) code of honor. At times, they acted in the same way as bandits, but at least within their own territory, they protected the local residents.

During the Russo-Japanese War, both the Japanese and Russian sides made use of bandits. One of the bandit leaders used by the Japanese was Zhang Zuolin. With the backing of Japan, he rapidly rose to power, and later became a major warlord who not only controlled Manchuria, but also advanced as far as Beijing.

The golden age of bandits was roughly from the Russo-Japanese War onwards. They would carry a rifle and one or two pistols, and gallop across the plains in groups of 100 or 200. Their fearless image is attractive, but the life of bandits was actually harsh.

They set out in the spring. The lush sorghum fields were the perfect hiding place for them. They would move out in large numbers, hiding in the sorghum fields, and sometimes attacking fairly large cities, defeating government soldiers and plundering to their heart's content. When the sorghum season was over, they ceased their activities, returning to their hometowns, burying their weapons in the soil and returning to the lives of ordinary farmers.

During that time, they would set out in the spring and live like wild animals, galloping through the mountains and fields until they returned in the fall. Their skin would become rough and their clothes would get torn, and because their specialty was surprise attacks that appeared out of nowhere, they needed superhuman physical strength and endurance to survive the long, arduous marches and the constant fierce fighting. Even if we were to assume that Japanese people who were accustomed to the civilized life of a modern nation would find it extremely difficult to keep up with these guys. As the famous song "Song of the Bandits" with the lyrics "I'll go too, so you go too, we've settled in small Japan..." suggests, from the end of the Meiji period to the Showa period, many young Japanese aspired to be bandits and actually joined bandit packs, but most of them were unable to keep up and dropped out.

Since the Russo-Japanese War, Japan had often made use of bandits in its Manchuria-Mongolian policy, for example by making secret service agents into bandit leaders. However, after the establishment of the state of Manchukuo, Japan deemed the bandits no longer useful and thoroughly exterminated them.

[Kurahashi Masanao]

"Ryūsaku Watanabe's 'Bandits' (Chuko Shinsho)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、東北（満州）に清(しん)朝末期から存在した騎馬の武装集団。馬賊という語自体は日本人がつけた名前のようで、中国人は紅鬍子(こうこし)（赤ひげ）などとよんだ。満州は元来、満州人の居住地であったが、清朝を建てると彼らの大部分は満州を去って南に移住した。そのあと、いわば「から」になった満州へは中国人（漢族）の流入を禁止した（封禁(ふうきん)政策）。ところが19世紀中ごろ、清朝の権威が衰え、また、北方からロシア勢力が及んできた。そこで、従来の封禁政策は廃止され、短い間に大量の中国人が満州に移住してきた。このような事情から、当時の満州は中国人にとっても新しい開拓地であった。

　開拓地の常として、満州では官憲の支配がまだ十分に行き届かなかったため、移住民たちは、ときに無頼の盗賊の襲撃に悩まねばならなかった。官憲の保護は期待できなかったから、彼らはやむなく自衛のための武装組織をつくった。

　南船北馬といわれるように、中国の北方では馬が主要な運輸交通手段であった。満州でも事情は同じで、前述の武装自衛組織も騎馬部隊であった。馬賊という名称もここに由来する。また、中国には古来、各種の秘密結社があった。馬賊という組織も、その伝統を受け継いでいた。彼らは一種の秘密結社をつくり、内部では独自の作法や習慣をもち、厳格な統制の下に行動した。

　馬賊という名前から、彼らを単に騎馬の盗賊団とみなすべきではない。住民を保護するというその性格から、彼らは日本の侠客(きょうかく)仁義と相通じるような、独特の仁侠(にんきょう)的な性格も有していた。ときに盗賊団と変わらない行為をすることもあったが、しかし、少なくともその縄張りのなかでは住民を保護した。

　日露戦争では日本側もロシア側も馬賊を利用した。このとき日本側が利用した馬賊の頭領に張作霖(ちょうさくりん)がいる。彼は日本の後ろ盾を得たこともあって急速に力をつけ、のちに満州を支配するだけでなく、北京(ペキン)にまで進出する大軍閥になった。

　だいたい、日露戦争からしばらくの間が、馬賊が活躍した黄金時代であった。彼らは歩兵銃を1挺(ちょう)背負い、拳銃(けんじゅう)の1、2挺をぶら下げて、100騎、200騎と群れをなして、原野を疾駆した。その精悍(せいかん)なイメージは魅力的であるが、実際の馬賊の生活は過酷であった。

　彼らは春とともに出動する。繁茂するコウリャン畑は彼らの絶好の隠れ家であった。彼らはコウリャン畑に身を潜めつつ大挙して行動し、ときにかなり大きな都市を攻撃、官兵を破って略奪をほしいままにした。コウリャンの茂る時期が過ぎると活動をやめて、それぞれ郷里に帰り、武器は土の中に埋めて普通の農民の生活に戻った。

　その間、彼らはいったん春に出動すると、秋に帰るまで、山野を駆け巡って野獣のような生活をした。肌は荒れほうだい、衣服は破れほうだい、しかも、神出鬼没の奇襲戦が彼らの得意の戦法であったから、つらい長距離の行軍とすさまじい戦闘の明け暮れで、超人的な体力と耐久力が必要であった。かりにも近代国家の文明生活に慣れた日本人がこういう連中に伍(ご)してゆくのは相当に困難であった。「ぼくも行くから君も行け、狭い日本にゃ住みあいた……」の歌詞で知られる『馬賊の唄(うた)』のように、明治末期から昭和にかけて、多くの日本人青少年が馬賊にあこがれ、また、実際に馬賊の群れに身を投じたが、そのほとんどはついてゆけず脱落した。

　日本側は、日露戦争のとき以来、特務機関員を馬賊の頭目に仕立て上げるなど、その満蒙(まんもう)政策の過程でしばしば馬賊を利用したが、のちに「満州国」ができると、馬賊はもう不用として徹底的に討伐した。

［倉橋正直］

『渡辺龍策著『馬賊』（中公新書）』

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