The Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors (軍人勅諭, Gunjin Chokuyu ^?) was issued by Emperor Meiji of Japan on 4 January 1882. It was the most important document in the development of the Imperial Japanese Army and Imperial Japanese Navy. Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito) Emperor Meiji (明治天皇, Meiji Tennō, literally Emperor of Enlightened Rule) (3 November 1852–30 July 1912), also known as Mutsuhito (睦仁), was the 122nd Emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... The Imperial Japanese Army (: 大日本帝國陸軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国陸軍 Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun) was the official ground based armed force of Japan from 1867 to 1945 when it was Imperial Japan. ... The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) (: 大日本帝國海軍 Shinjitai: 大日本帝国海軍 or 日本海軍 Nippon Kaigun) or sometimes referred to as the Combined Fleet was the Navy of Empire of Japan (Dai Nippon Teikoku) from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japans constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling...

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The Rescript was intended to be the official code of ethics for military personnel, and is often cited along with the Imperial Rescript on Education as the basis for Japan's prewar national ideology. All military personnel were required to memorize the 2700 kanji document by heart. The Imperial Rescript on Education (教育勅語 Kyôiku Chokugo) was signed by Emperor Meiji of Japan on October 30, 1890. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyogana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji Kanji (Japanese: ) are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with hiragana (平仮名), katakana (片仮名), and the arabic numerals. ...

The initial draft was written by Nishi Amane, an Army Minister bureaucrat and scholar of western philosophy. It was extensively edited by Inoue Kowashi. Nishi Amane Nishi Amane (西周, March 7, 1829 – January 30, 1897) was a Japanese philosopher who helped bring Western philosophy to Japan. ...

The Rescript was presented to Army Minister Yamagata Aritomo directly by Emperor Meiji in person in a special ceremony held at the Imperial Palace. This unprecedented action was meant to symbolize the personal bond between the Emperor and the military, making the military in effect, the Emperor's personal army. Coming shortly after the Satsuma Rebellion, the Rescript stressed absolute personal loyalty of each individual member of the military to the Emperor. The Rescript also cautioned to military personnel to avoid involvement with poltical parties or politics and to avoid being influenced by current opinions in the newspapers, reflecting Yamagata's distrust of politicians in particular and democracy in general. The Rescript also advises military personnel to be frugal in their personal habits (reflecting back to the samurai tradition, and respectful and benevolent to civilians (reflecting on European traditons of chivalry). However, a clause that the military was subordinate to civilian authority did not make it into the final draft. The Ministry of War of Japan (陸軍省 Rikugun shó) was established in the late 19th century, alongside many other Ministries, as part of the creation of the first modern Japanese government. ... Yamagata Aritomo (山県 有朋; April 22, 1838–February 1, 1922) was a Japanese military leader and politician, and the fourth (December 24, 1889–May 6, 1891) and 11th (1898–1900) Prime Minister of Japan. ... The Satsuma Rebellion (Seinan Sensō 西南戦争, Southwestern War) was a revolt of the Satsuma clan samurai against the Imperial Japanese Army. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... Woman under the Safeguard of Knighthood, allegorical Scene. ...

A famous precept in the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors states that "duty is heavier than a mountain; death is lighter than a feather."