Matsubara Doctrines

The Matsubara Doctrines were a series of sweeping reforms to the Yamatai Imperial Army in 1730, creating greater centralisation and standardisation, the establishment of the Yamatai Imperial Navy, the introduction of new military ranks, the introduction of nation-wide service for troops, the adoption of standardised tactics and a shared officer corps, and many other other changes. The Matsubara Doctrines were spearheaded by Marshal General/Gensui Sou Taishou Matsubara Akinosuke, who was then promoted to become the first Grand Marshal of the Imperial Army (Dai Gensui Rikugun Sou Taishou).

During the Civil War, the Marshal General was a position that was created to lead the other Shugo on the battlefield. The Shugo in turn commanded their retainers, who led armies that originated as the garrison of their own province or their own castles and were levied from around those areas. In the peacetime Imperial Army, the Shugo were often far away from the troops nominally under their command and were often not involved in anything the troops were required to do, such as building a fort or hunting bandits. The Grand General having to reach them as a formality to order their troops to do anything was extremely inefficient.

Private armies were banned in 1717, so the Imperial Army that existed between then and the M.D. was a 'grey area' force that was still largely made up of private armies. Levied conscripts was still the norm until the M.D. One of the main goals of the M.D., supported by the First Minister of the Cabinet Morishita Miyuki, was to make the former nobility split between becoming government and military officers with nobody capable of holding simultaneous roles.

When the Empress signed off on it, the Matsubara Doctrines came into effect on 6 March 1730. Naturally someone tried to rebel against it but they were arrested quickly.


 * An end to levied conscription, building a professional army, with an adequate increase in compensation to these professional soldiers.
 * A standardised and centralised pay system for soldiers and officers, to further cut out the Shugo as a middleman (one of the first articles of the doctrines).
 * A centralised command structure for the Imperial Army that no longer relied on Shugo as go-betweens between the Grand General and the (Sou-)Taishou actually leading the forces. Essentially the Shugo were replaced by multiple Marshal-Generals/Gensui Sou Taishous (the first generation of whom were almost entirely just the final generation of Shugo or their close relatives who were nominated) who reported to the Grand General. The command structure was changed from being region-based to unit-based, and Marshal-Generals oversaw entire military regions (which initially roughly corresponded to the Shugos' old holdings anyway).
 * The professional soldiers could expect to serve throughout the nation in any unit anywhere, rather than in single areas or garrisons, eliminating the potential for warlords or rebels to arise by gaining the loyalty of individual garrisons.
 * A centralised officer corps loyal to the state rather than their family clan, though only nobles could become officers until the 19th century. The first officer academy, the Kuromorimine Military Academy, would be established in 1735.
 * The introduction of "soldier ranks" and appropriate pay increases for senior non-noble soldiers, which eventually became NCO ranks.
 * Centralised training facilities and doctrines where the professional soldiers were trained and equipped to a high standard.
 * Standardised weapons in the form of the Torii Musket and others.
 * Standardised uniforms throughout the Army; different heraldry for unit identification was allowed and these evolved into modern unit insignia.
 * All warships were placed under the control of a new branch, the Yamatai Imperial Navy, which was entirely separate from the Army with its own budget and commanders. The first Dai Gensui Kaigun Sou Taishou
 * Because the Imperial Navy was created as a separate branch, the Imperial Army was renamed the Rikugun (land army), with all ranks and other stuff following suit. However take note both were completely separate entities with no overarching "armed forces" structure until the 1950s when the Ministry of Defence officially consolidated them.

Because this seems to have become somewhat of a sandbox page anyway... (I'm supposed to be studying Japanese right now lmfao)

Recall that each Taishou commanded a Sonae, and a Sou Taishou commanded multiple Sonae.

Due to industrialisation, the reintroduction of conscription in the early 1800s (due to the revolutions happening everywhere and paranoia) and to some extent the use of line infantry tactics, the teppogumi infantry platoons of an infantry sonae soon ballooned to unreasonable sizes. More officer ranks were generated in the lower ranks to provide adequate command elements (also opening the way for non-noble officers due to lack of supply to meet demand). For example, the gashira rank was split first into taigashira and shougashira in 1842, and eventually into taisa, chuusa and shousa in 1886.

A single Sonae evolved into a brigade-sized unit led by a Taishou (equivalent to major-general). The Sou-Taishou became equivalent the Lieutenant-General (commanding a division), and the Gensui Sou Taishou were the generals (in command of army groups).

At some point in the late 1800s, the size of the military reached a point where the chief of the branches were promoted to the insanely pretentious and highly redundant rank of Sou Dai Gensui Rikugun/Kaigun Sou Taishou (総大元帥陸軍総大将/総大元帥海軍総大将). This was where the Imperial Grand Marshal decided to draw the line and enact a rank reform in 1886 to split the gashira and taishou ranks.

Thus the Yamataian military uses the following officer ranks:
 * Imperial Grand Marshal (Head of Government; abolished 1957): 帝国大元帥総大将 Teikoku Dai Gensui Sou Taishou
 * Grand Marshal (Head of Branch up to the 2EVW; not used since 1940s): 大元帥陸軍総大将/大元帥海軍総大将 Dai Gensui Rikugun/Kaigun Sou Taishou
 * Field Marshal/Marshal-Admiral (Current head of branch and pinnacle rank): 元帥陸軍総大将/元帥海軍総大将 Gensui Rikugun/Kaigun Sou Taishou - Army Group/Region
 * General/Admiral: 陸軍総大将/海軍総大将 Rikugun/Kaigun Sou Taishou - Area Army/Army
 * Lieutenant-General/Vice-Admiral: 陸軍大将/海軍大将 Rikugun/Kaigun Taishou - Army/Division
 * Major-General/Rear-Admiral: 陸軍少将/海軍少将 Rikugun/Kaigun Shoushou - Division/Brigade
 * Colonel: 陸軍大佐 Taisa - Bde
 * Lieutenant-Colonel: 陸軍中佐 Chuusa - Rgt/Bn
 * Major: 陸軍少佐 Shousa - Bn
 * Captain: 陸軍大尉 Taii - Bn
 * 1LT: 陸軍中尉 Chuui - Coy
 * 2LT: 陸軍少尉 Shoui - Pln