Miyazaki Yazo (宮崎弥蔵)
Yazo MIYAZAKI (May 11, 1867 - July 4, 1896) was an Asianism activist.
Born in Kumamoto Prefecture
He was also called Yazo Shimazu because he once used the surname Shimazu for adoption so as to escape conscription. Together with his elder brother Tamizo and younger brother Toten, they were known as "The Three MIYAZAKI Brothers" or "The Activist Brothers."
Born in Arao village, Tamana county, Higo Province (presently Arao City, Kumamoto Prefecture). While studying in Tokyo in 1887, he became to have a sense of danger in the invasion of Asian countries by western powerful countries as well as the old-fashioned political system of the Qing Dynasty, and had a plan in which he would go to China in hope of establishing a democracy and would launch a global revolution along with Asian countries. He revealed his plan of abandoning Japanese citizenship and sneaking into China to his younger brother Torazo in 1891. Later he secretly learned the Chinese language and customs under the name of 菅仲甫 with the help of Gen Watanabe, a merchant in Nagasaki, and in 1895 worked at the Qing mercantile house in Yokohama City with his hair shaped in benpatsu, a Chinese hairstyle in the Qing era. Around this time, he learned about Sun Yat-sen through Chin-shohaku (陳少白) who was exiled in Japan as the coupe in Canton by Kochukai (興中会) led by Sun Yat-sen was unsuccessful, which further strengthened his will to go to China. However, Yazo died soon after since he was physically weak.
His brothers, elder Tamizo and younger Torazo (Tomizo later Toten) later took over his last wish and became major supporters of the Sun Yat-sen revolutionary movement.