Anti-Japanese Colonialism in Taiwan, 1907-1916

Abstract

Japanese colonial rule of Taiwan from 1895 to 1945 was constantly challenged by its residents. They first resisted Japanese annexation from 1895 to 1902, then revolted against Japanese domination from 1907 to 1916 before resorting to nonviolent political movements in the 1920s and 1930s. A number of detailed studies on the first and third periods of Taiwan's anti-Japanese activities have been published. This paper focuses on Taiwan's eleven revolts from 1907 to 1916. These revolts primarily protested against Japanese discriminatory policy, oppressive police control, and excessive taxation. The drive for emancipation and yearning for religious salvation also combined to precipitate the last and largest revolt under the leadership of Yu Ch'ing-fang in 1915. The Yu Ch'ing-fang Uprising marks the only millenarian movement in the history of Taiwan. The rebels' belief in the omnipotence of their patron deities emboldened them to attack the Japanese establishment in their attempt to build an idealized country.