In the mountainous regions of eastern Taiwan, among the towering peaks and deep valleys that had protected indigenous peoples for millennia, a violent confrontation unfolded in 1914 that forever changed the island’s history. The Truku War (also known as the Taroko War), lasting from May 17 to August 28, 1914, was the largest single conflict fought in Taiwan in the 20th century. It’s a pivotal moment when traditional ways of indigenous Taiwanese life clashed with the relentless advance of Japanese imperial expansion.
Imperial Ambitions: The Five-Year Plan
The conflict was the culmination of Japan’s systematic “Five-Year Pacification Plan,” a comprehensive strategy designed to bring Taiwan’s indigenous populations under complete colonial control. For the Japanese Empire, the Truku, or Taroko, region represented more than just another territory to conquer. It was a treasure trove of natural resources that had remained out of reach behind the shield of Taiwan’s mountains and indigenous resistance.
The Japanese had learned hard lessons from previous encounters with other indigenous Taiwanese. Earlier conflicts like the Xincheng Incident had demonstrated the dangers of operating in unfamiliar terrain against adversaries who knew every mountain path and hidden valley. This time, they would leave nothing to chance.
For two full years, Japanese surveyors and military planners worked to fill in “blank slates” and “dark zones” on their military maps. They established telegraph lines, constructed light rail connections throughout Karenkō Prefecture, present-day Hualien, and created an extensive logistics network that could support a massive military operation in Taiwan’s challenging mountainous terrain.
David Versus Goliath: An Unequal Contest
The scale of Japanese preparation was unprecedented in Taiwan’s colonial history. Nearly 30,000 Japanese personnel—combining military forces, police units, and labourers—descended upon a region defended by an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 Truku warriors. The operation received approval from the aging Emperor Meiji himself and commanded the personal attention of Sakuma Samata, Governor-General of Taiwan, who took direct command of the campaign.
The Japanese forces were organized with military precision. Police units were divided into specialized assault teams targeting different approaches to Truku territory, supported by 31 artillery pieces and 8 machine guns. Army units included elite infantry regiments and specialized mountain artillery designed for the challenging terrain. Naval bombardment provided additional firepower from offshore positions.
Perhaps most telling of the Japanese commitment was their recruitment of over 17,600 labourers from other parts of Taiwan to maintain supply lines through the mountains. Many of these men would not survive the arduous conditions, dying or deserting as they struggled to keep the massive war machine supplied.
The Truku: Masters of Their Domain
The Truku, or Taroko, people stood against this overwhelming force. The Truku are an indigenous population that had maintained their independence through centuries of isolation and fierce resistance to outside control. Known for their warrior culture and intimate knowledge of the mountainous terrain, the Truku possessed an estimated 2,000 firearms and 50,000 rounds of ammunition—a substantial arsenal by indigenous standards, but woefully inadequate against modern military equipment.
What the Truku lacked in numbers and modern weaponry, they made up for in tactical ingenuity and territorial advantage. Employing traditional hunting methods adapted for warfare, they utilized traps, triggered rockfalls, and masterful camouflage to inflict casualties on Japanese forces. Night operations, ambushes, and guerrilla warfare became their primary tools as they fought to defend their ancestral homeland.
The Japanese had managed to recruit approximately 400 Seediq people, who launched their own offensive against Japanese imperialism 16 years later, to serve as scouts, but the Truku themselves remained largely isolated, having maintained hostile relationships with most other indigenous groups over the years.
Battles That Shook the Mountains
The war began in earnest on May 17, 1914, with the establishment of military lines with fortified positions designed to encircle and contain Truku resistance. What followed were brutal engagements that demonstrated both Japanese overwhelming firepower and Truku tactical skill.
A series of engagements, lasting from May 30 to June 11, saw fierce resistance led by the Truku leader. Japanese casualties mounted as warriors exploited their knowledge of local terrain, leading to retaliatory attacks on civilian communities. The Japanese response was swift and merciless—burning Truku villages and destroyed crops under the protection of machine guns and mountain artillery.
On June 5, Truku counterattack delivered a shock to Japanese confidence when Truku warriors completely annihilated a Japanese squad in Truku territory.
June 14 marked a turning point in the conflict. On that day, the largest Truku settlement fell to concentrated Japanese infantry and artillery assault, with houses and fields burned in the aftermath. It appeared that even the strongest indigenous positions could not withstand the combination of Japan’s modern artillery and superior numbers.
The Price of Resistance
As the war progressed, the reality of the situation became increasingly clear to Truku leadership. On July 3, paramount chief Haruk Kanasaw made the difficult decision to lead his people in surrendering their weapons. However, the Japanese were not satisfied with partial surrender and continued pursuing Truku warriors who had fled south, initiating their a “second operation.”
The war officially concluded on August 28, 1914, with a victory celebration held at the Taiwan Shrine. But for Governor-General Sakuma Samata, personal triumph turned to tragedy when he was injured during a cliff inspection on June 26, ultimately dying from his injuries on August 5, 1915.
Legacy of Destruction and Transformation
The Japanese victory brought immediate and lasting changes to Truku society. Surviving Truku people faced forced relocation to the plains, where they were dispersed among different locations and often placed in Han Chinese residential areas. This deliberate “mixed residency policy” was designed to destroy traditional social structures and cultural practices that had sustained Truku identity for generations.
Colonial authorities established institutions designed to provide “Japanization education” to indigenous children, systematically erasing traditional knowledge and replacing it with colonial values. Traditional hunting and gathering practices gave way to settled agriculture focused on sericulture, ramie, and tobacco cultivation—crops that served Japanese economic interests rather than indigenous nutritional and cultural needs.
The physical landscape itself was transformed as Japanese engineers constructed bridges, roads, and police stations throughout former Truku territory. Permanent infantry companies were stationed at strategic locations to ensure continued military control over the mountainous regions.
The Erica Chang, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Remembering the Forgotten War
The Truku War represents more than a military conflict. It was a stark example of how technologically superior colonial powers employed overwhelming force and planning to subjugate indigenous populations. The consequences extended far beyond the battlefield, fundamentally altering the social, cultural, and economic fabric of Truku society.
Today, as Taiwan grapples with questions of indigenous rights and historical justice, the Truku War serves as a powerful reminder of the costs of colonialism and the resilience of indigenous peoples who fought to preserve their way of life. The mountains that once echoed with the sounds of battle now stand as silent witnesses to a pivotal moment when traditional Taiwan confronted the forces of modern imperialism.
The story of the Truku War deserves remembrance not just as a historical footnote, but as a crucial chapter in understanding how colonial powers reshaped indigenous societies and how communities responded to existential threats to their survival.