Mishima Michitsune
Encyclopedia
Viscount Mishima Michitsune (三島通庸, 26 June 1835 – 23 October 1888) was a vassal
of the Satsuma Domain during the Late Tokugawa shogunate
, Home Ministry bureaucrat
and viscount
. He is also commonly known as Yahei or Yahée (弥兵衞 Yahee).
His second daughter Mineko was married to Ōkubo Toshimichi
's second son Makino Nobuaki
. His son Yatarō Mishima was an eighth-generation custodian of the Bank of Japan
, while his grandson Michiharu Mishima
served as the fourth Chief Scout of the Scout Association of Japan
.
In August 1875, Sakata Prefecture became Uruoka Prefecture; the following year it became Yamagata Prefecture
through the merging of Okitama (also Oitama) and Yamagata prefectures. Accordingly, Mishima became Ordinance of both Uruoka and Yamagata prefectures. Mishima's central policy for Yamagata was the maintenance of roads and bridges and the building of public facilities.
During the Edo Period
, the Yamagata region formed a strong bond with Osaka
, even more so than with Edo
, due to shipping routes via the Sea of Japan
and Mogami River
. However, when land-based transportation was emphasised as an objective of the Meiji Era government, traffic control on land routes were progressed so as to form ties with Tokyo
. Firstly, allowance was made for the Kuriko Highway between Yonezawa and Fukushima
, which was completed in 1880. Then, in 1882 the Sekiyama Highway between Yamagata
and Sendai was completed. Both these routes were constructed to allow for vehicles (or, in those days, horse-carriages).
, members of the Liberal Party
plotted for Mishima's assassination in what became known as the Mount Kaban Incident. Even despite this there is still speculation as to whether any pressure from Mishima somehow proved to be an obstacle to any Freedom and People's Rights Movement
s.
On December 25, 1887, Mishima as Superintendent General brought to execution the Regulations for the Preservation of Law and Order declared publicly by imperial edict, which aimed to remove so-called 'dangerous characters' from the imperial circles and opposed Freedom and People's Rights Movements such as the (三大事件建白運動 Sandai Jiken Kempaku Undō) and the United Front Movement. He was also the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police who brought to execution the Public Order & Police Law of 1900, the predecessor to the Peace Preservation Law of 1925.
It is speculated that with Chancellor Itō Hirobumi
's opposition to the Regulations for the Preservation of Law and Order and Home Minister Yamagata Aritomo
's passive nature at this time, it was Mishima who actively promoted the Regulations for the Preservation of Law and Order. Resultant targets were figures such as Ozaki Yukio, Kataoka Kenkichi, Nakae Chōmin
and Hoshi Tōru.
.
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
of the Satsuma Domain during the Late Tokugawa shogunate
Late Tokugawa shogunate
, literally "end of the curtain", are the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate came to an end. It is characterized by major events occurring between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku and transitioned from a feudal shogunate...
, Home Ministry bureaucrat
Bureaucrat
A bureaucrat is a member of a bureaucracy and can comprise the administration of any organization of any size, though the term usually connotes someone within an institution of a government or corporation...
and viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
. He is also commonly known as Yahei or Yahée (弥兵衞 Yahee).
His second daughter Mineko was married to Ōkubo Toshimichi
Okubo Toshimichi
, was a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma, and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. He is regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan.-Early life:...
's second son Makino Nobuaki
Makino Nobuaki
Count was a Japanese statesman, active from the Meiji period through the Pacific War.- Biography :Born to a samurai family in Kagoshima, Satsuma domain , Makino was the second son of Ōkubo Toshimichi, but adopted into the Makino family at a very early age.In 1871, at the age of 11, he accompanied...
. His son Yatarō Mishima was an eighth-generation custodian of the Bank of Japan
Bank of Japan
is the central bank of Japan. The Bank is often called for short. It has its headquarters in Chuo, Tokyo.-History:Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was founded after the Meiji Restoration...
, while his grandson Michiharu Mishima
Michiharu Mishima
was a novelist, playwright and drama critic. His pen name was Shōdō Mishima .-Early life:Mishima was born in Azabu, Tōkyō. His grandfather was Michitsune Mishima. His father was Yatarō Mishima, who was the 8th Governor of the Bank of Japan. His mother was Marquis Takauta Shijō 's third daughter,...
served as the fourth Chief Scout of the Scout Association of Japan
Scout Association of Japan
The is the major Scouting organization of Japan. Starting as boys only, the organization was known as the Boy Scouts of Japan from 1922 until 1971, and as Boy Scouts of Nippon from 1971 to 1995, when it became coeducational in all sections, leading to neutral naming...
.
Ordinance of Yamagata
In 1874, Mishima became the Ordinance of Sakata Prefecture. The focus of this new post soon turned to countermeasures aimed at an agrarian-sector demonstration known as the Wappa Rebellion. This was a peasant protest opposed to a failure on the part of the ordinance and government officials, who had come from being lords and vassals during the feudal era, to uphold a central edict and thereby imposing labour and taxes identical to those of the previous period. Mishima thus embarked on a full-scale reshuffling of all clerks and officials whilst simultaneously dealing with pressure from the agrarian sector. That following year the protests had been settled through the courts with the money returned to the farmers.In August 1875, Sakata Prefecture became Uruoka Prefecture; the following year it became Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
through the merging of Okitama (also Oitama) and Yamagata prefectures. Accordingly, Mishima became Ordinance of both Uruoka and Yamagata prefectures. Mishima's central policy for Yamagata was the maintenance of roads and bridges and the building of public facilities.
During the Edo Period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
, the Yamagata region formed a strong bond with Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, even more so than with Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
, due to shipping routes via the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
and Mogami River
Mogami River
The is a river in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan. It is 224 km long and has a watershed of 7,040 km². It is regarded as one of the three most rapid rivers of Japan ....
. However, when land-based transportation was emphasised as an objective of the Meiji Era government, traffic control on land routes were progressed so as to form ties with Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Firstly, allowance was made for the Kuriko Highway between Yonezawa and Fukushima
Fukushima, Fukushima
is the capital city of Fukushima Prefecture in the Tōhoku Region of Japan. As of May 2011 the city has an estimated population of 290,064 and an area of 746.43 km².It lies about 250 km north of Tokyo and 80 km south of Sendai.-History:...
, which was completed in 1880. Then, in 1882 the Sekiyama Highway between Yamagata
Yamagata
-Places in Japan:*Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata City, the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture**Yamagata Airport , an airport located in Yamagata**Yamagata Shinkansen, one of Shinkansen lines running between Tokyo Station and Shinjo Station...
and Sendai was completed. Both these routes were constructed to allow for vehicles (or, in those days, horse-carriages).
Pressures faced in the public eye
In 1884, whilst serving as Ordinance of TochigiTochigi
Tochigi can refer to:* Tochigi Prefecture, a Japanese prefecture* Tochigi, Tochigi, a city in Tochigi prefecture, Japan* Tochigi Station, a railroad station in Tochigi city, Japan.* Tochigi S.C., a Japanese soccer club...
, members of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Japan (1881)
The is the name of several liberal political parties in the history of Japan, two of which existed in the Empire of Japan prior to 1945.-Liberal Party of 1881:...
plotted for Mishima's assassination in what became known as the Mount Kaban Incident. Even despite this there is still speculation as to whether any pressure from Mishima somehow proved to be an obstacle to any Freedom and People's Rights Movement
Freedom and People's Rights Movement
The was a Japanese political and social movement for democracy in 1880s....
s.
On December 25, 1887, Mishima as Superintendent General brought to execution the Regulations for the Preservation of Law and Order declared publicly by imperial edict, which aimed to remove so-called 'dangerous characters' from the imperial circles and opposed Freedom and People's Rights Movements such as the (三大事件建白運動 Sandai Jiken Kempaku Undō) and the United Front Movement. He was also the Superintendent General of the Metropolitan Police who brought to execution the Public Order & Police Law of 1900, the predecessor to the Peace Preservation Law of 1925.
It is speculated that with Chancellor Itō Hirobumi
Ito Hirobumi
Prince was a samurai of Chōshū domain, Japanese statesman, four time Prime Minister of Japan , genrō and Resident-General of Korea. Itō was assassinated by An Jung-geun, a Korean nationalist who was against the annexation of Korea by the Japanese Empire...
's opposition to the Regulations for the Preservation of Law and Order and Home Minister Yamagata Aritomo
Yamagata Aritomo
Field Marshal Prince , also known as Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a field marshal in the Imperial Japanese Army and twice Prime Minister of Japan. He is considered one of the architects of the military and political foundations of early modern Japan. Yamagata Aritomo can be seen as the father of Japanese...
's passive nature at this time, it was Mishima who actively promoted the Regulations for the Preservation of Law and Order. Resultant targets were figures such as Ozaki Yukio, Kataoka Kenkichi, Nakae Chōmin
Nakae Chomin
was the pen-name of a journalist, political theorist and statesman in Meiji period Japan. His real name was . His major contribution was the popularization of the egalitarian doctrines of the French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in Japan...
and Hoshi Tōru.
Personal achievements
Mishima also displayed his enthusiasm for district developments outside the public office through the Chōkōsha firm in Nasunogahara, Tochigi (known today as Mishima Farms). He recruited his son Yatarō Mishima as managing director and fourteen of his closest subordinates to join the firm as shareholders, ensuring that land cultivation in the area would not succumb to monopolizationMonopolization
The term monopolization refers to an offense under Section 2 of the American Sherman Antitrust Act, passed in 1890. Section 2 states that any person "who shall monopolize . ....
.