Imperial Way Faction
| Imperial Way Faction | |
|---|---|
| 皇道派 | |
 General Sadao Araki was regarded as the leader and primary philosopher of the Kōdōha. | |
| Other name | Kōdōha |
Leaders | Sadao Araki Jinzaburō Masaki Heisuke Yanagawa |
| Founded | 1920s |
| Dates active | 1931–1936 |
| Dissolved | 29 February 1936 |
| Country |  Japan |
| Allegiance | Emperor of Japan |
| Groups | Saga clique Tosa clique |
| Active regions | Tokyo (1st Division) |
| Ideology | |
| Status | Dissolved and purged |
| Part of | Imperial Japanese Army |
| Part of a series on |
| Japanese nationalism |
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| Part of a series on |
| Kokkashugi |
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The Kōdōha or Imperial Way Faction (皇道派) was a political faction in the Imperial Japanese Army active in the 1920s and 1930s. The Kōdōha was a traditionalist movement that envisioned a return to an idealized pre-Westernized Japan, promoting militaristic and aggressive imperialist ideals. Led by Generals Sadao Araki and Jinzaburō Masaki, the faction sought to establish a Shōwa Restoration by returning absolute power to the Emperor of Japan, purging the state of liberal politicians, bureaucrats, and industrial conglomerates (zaibatsu). The Kōdōha emphasized the "spiritual power" of the army over the rapid industrialization and material modernization of the Tōseiha, in an attempt to revive traditionalist Statist Shinto Japan in the form of Kokutai. It was supported by junior officers who sympathized with rural agrarian reform and loyalty to the Emperor.
The radical Kōdōha rivaled the Tōseiha (Control Faction) for influence in the army with force, executing multiple assassination attempts for influence. After the failed February 26 incident in 1936, it was dissolved and many supporters were disciplined or executed. The Kōdōha was never an officially organized political party, and it failed to enact lasting reforms on the military.