Black Dragon Society
Encyclopedia : B : BL : BLA : Black Dragon Society
The was a prominent paramilitary, ultra-nationalist right-wing group in Japan. Its name is derived from the Amur River, called Heilongjiang or "Black Dragon River" in Chinese (黑龍江?), read as Kokuryū-kō in Japanese. It was founded in 1901 by Uchida Ryohei, and was descended from the Gen'yōsha, or Dark Ocean Society. (Uchida was a follower of Dark Ocean founder Mitsuru Toyama.)
Prior to World War I, the Black Dragons were infamous for their espionage, sabotage and assassination practices in Japan, China, Russia, Manchuria and Korea. The group, with others like it, helped set the stage for future yakuza organizations.
The collapse of Japan's democratic government in the 1920s could possibly be attributed to the aggressive approaches practiced by these patriotic societies. Furthermore, some argue that the involvement of the Kokuryūkai was of paramount importance in leading Japan into the Pacific War (1937—1945), especially in regard to Second Sino-Japanese War.
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