The Meiji government's goal was clear. The government imposed a deadline on the remaining residents to vacate the area. Those who complied would be given an additional acquisition price for the land and house, but those who refused would be forced to destroy their homes and be charged for the cost. There were 500 remainers at this time, and the majority agreed to be bought out.
The remainder were 16 families, or 160 people. They were not intimated by the threats of the police and officials dispatched by the government, and resisted thoroughly. Shozo Tanaka was in the center of those who should be called human shields.
Although Shozo had spent most of his wealth on the opposition movement, and by this time was reduced to the staus of a beggar, his anger toward the government had never wavered.
However, this sometimes led to Shozo's outbursts that went too far.
On one occasion, Shozo said to a police officer who was accompanying Toyozo Suzuki, the acting mayor of Yanaka Village, who was working at the behest of Tochigi Prefecture(and by extension, the Meiji government) to have Yanaka villagers vacate their land, "This man Suzuki is a thief who wants to take away the village's land without consulting the assembly. Please investigate him." Suzuki was furious, and had Shozo thrown in jail for insulting an official. This was six times injailing.
I see here the essence of Shozo Tanaka as a human being.In other words, he has a kind of insane nature to do what he believes to be right until he has thoroughly beaten his opponents to the ground.
So he was imprisoned six times, he made too many enemies needlessly because of misconceptions, and with his too beautiful spirit, he caused suffocation not only to his enemies but also to his allies, so that not even fish could live there.
End of June.
The forced removal of the remaining residents and destruction of their homes by Tochigi Prefecture began.
