At the time of the grant, the newly organized military had been shook up due to social unrest caused by Seinan War, Takebashi and Movement for democratic rights, and therefore, in order to settle the situation and establish a mental pillar they drafted the imperial rescript, which was made from the admonition for military men printed and distributed to all the officers and soldiers by Aritomo YAMAGATA, director general of the army, in October, 1878.
下賜当時、西南戦争・竹橋・自由民権運動などの社会情勢により、設立間もない軍部に動揺が広がっていたため、これを抑え、精神的支柱を確立する意図で起草されたものされ、1878年（明治11年）10月に陸軍卿山縣有朋‎が全陸軍将兵に印刷配布した軍人訓誡が元になっている。