Nagai Naoyuki
Encyclopedia
, also known as or , was a Japanese samurai
and Tokugawa
retainer during the Bakumatsu and Meiji period
s.
by a concubine to . Noritada, while head of a collateral branch of the Tokugawa, was not classified as shinpan, like the Matsudaira of Aizu, but instead as fudai
. Iwanojō, Noritada's second son, lost his father at the age of three. Subsequently, he was moved to Edo, to the Okutono domain's main residence, where he was in the care of his adoptive brother, , before being adopted by Tokugawa retainer Nagai Naonori. Following his adoption he took the adult name of Naoyuki (also read "Naomune").
. Shortly after Matthew Perry
's arrival, Nagai was placed in charge of casting cannons for coastal defense, and in 1855, he was transferred to the Nagasaki Naval Training Center
, where he served as its director. Katsu Kaishu
later credited Nagai for much of the training center's progress, as well as the construction of one of its training ships, the Kottoru. In 1857 he went to Edo (modern-day Tokyo
) on board the Kanko Maru
, Japan's first steam warship, together with 103 of his students.
In 1858, Nagai was appointed one of the first gaikoku bugyō
(commissioner for foreign affairs). He served from August 1858 through March 1859; and he served again from November 1865 through April 1867.
Nagai was transferred yet again in 1862, this time to serve as one of the city magistrates of Kyoto
. He served as Kyoto machi-bugyō from August 1862 through March 1864. Following this two-year stint in the capital, he was made a shogunate inspector or overseer (ōmetsuke) from March 1864 through May 1865. He was promoted to the position of wakadoshiyori-kaku (aide to the junior counselors) from April 1867 through January 1868; and thereafter, he was one of the wakadoshiyori
(junior counselor) from January to March 1868 when the Meiji Restoration
signaled the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
, he then joined Enomoto Takeaki
and the Tokugawa navy, boarding the Kaiten
and heading to Hokkaido
by way of Matsushima, in the Sendai domain. In Hokkaido, Nagai was chosen to be one of the city magistrates of Hakodate by the new Ezo Republic. However, the Imperial Army soon began its attack on Hokkaido, and Nagai surrendered at the small fortress of Benten Daiba
, along with the survivors of the Shinsengumi
.
.
One of his descendants, through his adopted son Naotada, was the famous author Yukio Mishima
.
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
and Tokugawa
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
retainer during the Bakumatsu and Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
s.
Early life
Nagai Naoyuki, or as he was first known, , was born in the Nukada district of the Okutono DomainOkutono Domain
, was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kamo District and Nukata Districts of Mikawa Province , and in Saku District, Shinano Province, Japan. The domain was also known as and later known as and...
by a concubine to . Noritada, while head of a collateral branch of the Tokugawa, was not classified as shinpan, like the Matsudaira of Aizu, but instead as fudai
Fudai
was a class of daimyo who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa in Edo period Japan. It was primarily the fudai who filled the ranks of the Tokugawa administration.-Origins:...
. Iwanojō, Noritada's second son, lost his father at the age of three. Subsequently, he was moved to Edo, to the Okutono domain's main residence, where he was in the care of his adoptive brother, , before being adopted by Tokugawa retainer Nagai Naonori. Following his adoption he took the adult name of Naoyuki (also read "Naomune").
Career
After completing a thorough education in literature, art, and military training, Nagai entered the ranks of the Tokugawa bureaucracy. He served from 1851 to 1852 as an instructor at the Kitenkan, a branch of the Shogunate's Shoheizaka academy, located in the city of KofuKofu, Yamanashi
is the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city had a estimate population of 197,540, with 85,794 households. The total area is 212.41 km².-History:Kōfu's name means "capital of Kai Province"...
. Shortly after Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry (naval officer)
Matthew Calbraith Perry was the Commodore of the U.S. Navy and served commanding a number of US naval ships. He served several wars, most notably in the Mexican-American War and the War of 1812. He played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854...
's arrival, Nagai was placed in charge of casting cannons for coastal defense, and in 1855, he was transferred to the Nagasaki Naval Training Center
Nagasaki Naval Training Center
The was a naval training institute, between 1855 when it was established by the government of the Tokugawa shogunate, until 1859, when it was transferred to Tsukiji in Edo....
, where he served as its director. Katsu Kaishu
Katsu Kaishu
was a Japanese statesman, naval engineer during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and early Meiji period. Kaishū was a nickname which he took from a piece of calligraphy by Sakuma Shōzan. He went through a series of given names throughout his life; his childhood name was and his real name was...
later credited Nagai for much of the training center's progress, as well as the construction of one of its training ships, the Kottoru. In 1857 he went to Edo (modern-day 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...
) on board the Kanko Maru
Kanko Maru
The was Japan's first steam warship. The ship was a 3-masted top sail schooner , with an auxiliary coal-fired steam engine turning a side paddlewheel...
, Japan's first steam warship, together with 103 of his students.
In 1858, Nagai was appointed one of the first gaikoku bugyō
Gaikoku bugyo
were the commissioners or "magistrates of foreign affairs" appointed at the end of the Edo era by the Tokugawa shogunate to oversee trade and diplomatic relations with foreign countries...
(commissioner for foreign affairs). He served from August 1858 through March 1859; and he served again from November 1865 through April 1867.
Nagai was transferred yet again in 1862, this time to serve as one of the city magistrates of Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
. He served as Kyoto machi-bugyō from August 1862 through March 1864. Following this two-year stint in the capital, he was made a shogunate inspector or overseer (ōmetsuke) from March 1864 through May 1865. He was promoted to the position of wakadoshiyori-kaku (aide to the junior counselors) from April 1867 through January 1868; and thereafter, he was one of the wakadoshiyori
Wakadoshiyori
The ', or "Junior Elders", were high government officials in 17th century Tokugawa Japan. The position was established around 1631, but appointments were irregular until 1662....
(junior counselor) from January to March 1868 when the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
signaled the end of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Tenure as Hakodate Magistrate
Returning to Edo following the Battle of Toba-FushimiBattle of Toba-Fushimi
The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 , when the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and the allied forces of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa domains clashed near Fushimi...
, he then joined Enomoto Takeaki
Enomoto Takeaki
Viscount was a samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate who fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War...
and the Tokugawa navy, boarding the Kaiten
Japanese warship Kaiten
The Japanese warship was a warship of the troops loyal to the Shogun during the Boshin War in Japan in 1868. She was armed with 13 cannons, had a complement of 153 men, a displacement of 710 tons, and an engine of 400 hp capable of generating a speed of 12 knots. Her length was 68.4 meters, width...
and heading to Hokkaido
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
by way of Matsushima, in the Sendai domain. In Hokkaido, Nagai was chosen to be one of the city magistrates of Hakodate by the new Ezo Republic. However, the Imperial Army soon began its attack on Hokkaido, and Nagai surrendered at the small fortress of Benten Daiba
Benten Daiba
was a key fortress of the Republic of Ezo in 1868-1869. It was located at the entrance of the bay of Hakodate, in the northern island of Hokkaidō, Japan....
, along with the survivors of the Shinsengumi
Shinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
.
Later life
After a period of 3 years in prison, he was pardoned, and again rose to positions of political prominence, serving most notably as the secretary to the GenrōGenro
was an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen, considered the "founding fathers" of modern Japan, who served as informal extraconstitutional advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods in Japanese history.The institution of genrō...
.
One of his descendants, through his adopted son Naotada, was the famous author Yukio Mishima
Yukio Mishima
was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...
.
External links
- http://www.mirai.ne.jp/~jkj8/bakusin.html
- http://bakusin.jp/eiketu/nagai.html