Nabeshima Shigeyoshi (鍋島茂義)
Shigeyoshi NABESHIMA (December 11, 1800 - January 16, 1863) was the 28th feudal lord of Takeo in the Saga Domain in the late Edo period (Takeo was a dominion in the Saga Domain). His given name was Juzaemon. His grave is located in Enno-ji Temple in Takeo City, Saga Prefecture.
Career
In the former part of his life, Shigeyoshi NABESHIMA was responsible for budget reform of the domain as Ukeyaku (an administrative officer who manages the affairs of the domain) of the Saga Domain. In 1832, however, he was dismissed as the Ukeyaku because he severely warned Narinao NABESHIMA, the former lord of the Saga Domain, not to go to Edo due to the serious financial situation of the Saga Domain.
He spent the latter part of his life in Takeo, where in 1834 he became a student of Shuhan TAKASHIMA for the first time as a feudal lord in Japan to study Western gunnery and science and technology, while making a great impact on Naomasa NABESHIMA, the lord of the Saga Domain, thereby leading to the development of advanced military and technical power of the Saga Domain in the end of Edo period.
Incidentally, in 1839, Shigeyoshi resigned as the lord of Takeo to relinquish the position to his 7-year old heir Shigeharu NABESHIMA, and then retired.
Involvement in the administration of the Saga Domain
In 1800, he was born as a son of Shigeyori NABESHIMA, the 27th lord of Takeo. His childhood name was Motaro and Tomihachiro. In December 1822, he was appointed as the Ukeyaku of the Saga Domain at the age of 22 before succeeding to the family head. In those days, the Saga Domain was under severe financial circumstances, and Gonnojo ARITA, who was a secretary of Naomasa NABESHIMA (the lord of the Saga Domain), attempted to impose a poll tax in the territory with no exceptions. However, Shigeyoshi opposed to this, saying "to impose a poll tax is not the essence of politics" and resigned as the Ukeyaku in December only after one month from appointment.
In September 1823, he was appointed as the Ukeyaku again. In 1824, it was decided that Morihime, a daughter of shogunate Ienari TOKUGAWA, would be married to Naomasa NABESHIMA, the heir of Narinao NABESHIMA (the lord of the Saga Domain); but Shigeyoshi went to Edo to make a petition to postpone the marriage due to the severe financial circumstances of the Saga Domain. However, bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) rejected his petition, and in December 1825 he solemnized a marriage between Naomasa NABESHIMA and Morihime in Edo as Ukeyaku accordingly.
When he went to Edo in 1824, he impeached a person in charge of managing edohantei (residence maintained by a daimyo in Edo) of the Saga Domain, insisting that the edohantei's finance was falling into confusion. As a result, chief retainer Iwami NABESHIMA lost his position, and secretary Gonnojo ARITA and Juemon NOTOMI were sent back to Saga and ordered Seppuku (suicide by disembowelment).
In April 1826, on his way back to Saga after completion of a substantial role for the marriage, Shigeyoshi forcibly closed a villa in Shinagawa, a place for pleasure for Narinao NABESHIMA (the lord of the domain), insisting that it was one of the causes of the financial collapse. This provoked Narinao's anger and Shigeyoshi lost his position as Ukeyaku and was ordered Seppuku. On this occasion, Naotaka NABESHIMA, the lord of the Ogi Domain (branch of the Saga Domain) and Shigeto TAKU, the lord of the Taku, admonished Narinao NABESHIMA for exemption of Shigeyoshi's seppuku.
In January 1827, he was appointed as the Ukeyaku for the third time. In the same year, Shigeyoshi married Kamadohime, a daughter of Narinao NABESHIMA, the lord of the Saga Domain, and consequently became a brother-in-law of Naomasa NABESHIMA. Accordingly, Shigeyoshi actively got involved in the education of the heir Naomasa NABESHIMA and it is assumed that Shigeyoshi had a great impact on Naomasa NABESHIMA in his growth period.
In 1830, Narinao NABESHIMA, the lord of the Saga Domain, retired and Naomasa NABESHIMA became the 10th lord of the domain. Shigeyoshi NABESHIMA was frequently asked for advice by Naomasa as the Ukeyaku and worked on financial reform. In August 1832, Shigeyori NABESHIMA, the lord of Takeo, retired and Shigeyoshi became the 28th lord of Takeo. In January 1833, however, Shigeyoshi admonished Narinao NABESHIMA, the lord of the Saga Domain, not to go to Edo because it would need a large amount of expense unacceptable under the domain's financial crunch. This provoked Narinao's anger and Shigeyoshi was confined to his house for 12 days while being removed of his post as Ukeyaku.
In this way, Shigeyoshi tried to overcome the financial crisis of the Saga Domain by stopping extravagance of the people in upper posts of the domain. However, the way he took was so radical that he was not able to fully achieve reformation of the domain; after he resigned from the third Ukeyaku, he stopped being involved in the domain duties and returned to Takeo to spend the rest of his life.
Shigeyoshi's military research
In 1831, before losing his post as Ukeyaku, Shigeyoshi imported a flintlock (gun) operable in rainy weather from the Netherlands. Furthermore, it is said that he invited the Dutch to have a military drill, thereby changing the military system of Takeo into the Dutch style (see Note). In 1832, Shigeyoshi made his vassal Junzaemon HIRAYAMA become a disciple of Shuhan TAKASHIMA, Nagasaki machi toshiyori (an important local officer under the Tokugawa Shogunate of Nagasaki-machi Town), to learn Western gunnery. In 1834, Shigeyoshi himself also became a disciple of Shuhan TAKASHIMA and was conferred full mastership in the following year.
(Note) The Dutch in Dejima were under the severe control of bakufu, and the fact was that Shuhan TAKASHIMA came to Takeo to perform the military drill in Dutch. Accordingly, it was supposedly passed around by word of mouth that the Dutch came to Takeo.
As described above, before Hidetatsu EGAWA, Nirayama Daikan of the bakufu, paid attention to Shuhan TAKASHIMA, Shigeyoshi had had deep exchange with Shuhan TAKASHIMA, and in 1835, he was presented with a Western gun (bronze mortar gun), which was fabricated for the first time in Japan by Takashima. This bronze mortar gun is valuable because it has Dutch descriptions indicating the name of Shuhan TAKASHIMA and that the gun was fabricated for the first time in Japan in 1835 (according to the Dutch calendar). Currently it is displayed at Takeo City Library and Historical Museum.
In those days, Western guns were made and trial launches were conducted in Takeo, and Shigeyoshi was deemed to be the first person among the feudal lords of Japan who was successful in introducing Western military techniques.
Five years later, in 1840, the Saga Domain noticed the military techniques of Takeo when Naomasa NABESHIMA, the lord of the Saga Domain, reviewed the military maneuvers of the soldiers of Takeo. The Saga Domain was sensitively aware that Tadakuni MIZUNO, roju (member of shogun's council of elders) of Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), was showing an interest in the western gunnery, and employed Junzaemon HIRAYAMA in Takeo to drive gunnery training and casting of guns in 1842.
(Note) It is said that Hidetatsu EGAWA, Nirayama Daikan of the bakufu, visited Takeo and observed the military drill and casting of guns in 1841.
However, Shuhan TAKASHIMA was arrested in the end of the year due to slander of Yozo TORII, who was a bakufu machi-bugyo (town magistrate), and subsequently Junzaemon HIRAYAMA was executed in Takeo the next year. In this way, movements to remove the network of Takashima developed in the Saga Domain and Takeo for a certain period.
Under the circumstances, kajutsugata (gunnery research institute) of the Saga Domain sometimes asked Shigeyoshi for advice, and Shigeyoshi studied a new gun (paixhan gun) ahead of other domains. This implies that Shigeyoshi, who had a personal connection with Dutch interpreters, felt a crisis of the country due to the appearance of powerful foreign countries around Japan and further continued the military research.
Shigeyoshi's scientific research
In Takeo, there is a collection of 138 Dutch books and there also remain imported goods such as globes, celestial globes, measurement tools, clocks, and drugs at present; these items were all purchased from the Netherlands at the time of Shigeyoshi. In addition, in Takeo in the Tenpo era, glass products such as cylinders for science experiments and ceramics such as an alembic (distilling equipment), a mortar and pestle were manufactured at Tsukazaki-jo Castle (castle for the lord of Takeo; present-day Takeo High School). Shigeyoshi and his vassals conducted science experiments with these laboratory instruments and it is said that they particularly conducted research for gunpowder and blasting caps. The Saga Domain established a seirengata (science research institute) in 1851 to seriously work on scientific research. It is assumed that the research findings made by Takeo were greatly referenced in those days.
In 1854, Shigeyoshi NABESHIMA was appointed as a leader in charge of steamship construction in the seirengata by Naomasa NABESHIMA, the lord of the Saga Domain, which also implies that Shigeyoshi already had knowledge about steam engines.