Gimin (義民)
Gimin is a ringleader of uprising during a famine and the like. Gimin is a person who directly appealed poverty due to heavy pressure of nengu (annual tribute, land tax) to a feudal lord or the bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) as a representative for village communities mainly in Edo period. Direct appeal deserved capital crime, so it was praised as a heroic deed.
For example, during the Ueda riot in 1761 in which about ten thousand peasants belonged to Urano-gumi unit (present-day Aoki mura, Bessho of Ueda City, Shioda and others in Nagano Prefecture) of Ueda domain (present-day Ueda City, Nagano Prefecture) pushed into the Ueda-jo Castle, Hanbei SHIMIZU and Asanojo NAKAZAWA led the uprising and were executed.
Sogoro SAKURA is a well-known gimin who is almost legendized.