Abe Masato

Japanese: 阿部正外 - あべ・まさと

Year of death: April 20, 1887
Year of birth: Bunsei 11.1.1 (1828.2.15)
A senior councilor at the end of the Edo period. Born as the second son of Abe Masazo, a shogunate official. After serving as a member of the Imperial Court, the magistrate of Kanagawa, and the magistrate of foreign affairs, he became a town magistrate. In March 1864 (Genji 1), he was adopted by the head of the family, Abe Masanori, and became the lord of Shirakawa Domain with 100,000 koku of rice. In June of the same year, he was appointed a senior councilor and represented the hard-line faction within the shogunate. In February 1865 (Keio 1), he led 3,000 shogunate soldiers to Kyoto with Honjo Munehide, and attempted to strengthen control over the imperial court, but failed. In September of the same year, in response to requests from diplomatic corps from the UK, France, the US, and the Netherlands, the shogunate council decided to open the port of Hyogo as soon as possible. The imperial court, dissatisfied with this, ordered him to be stripped of his official rank, dismissed as a senior councilor, and placed under house arrest in his home country. In June of the following year, by order of the shogunate, his castle was moved to Tanagura, and he handed over his position as lord of the domain to his son Masashige and was placed under house arrest. During the Boshin War, he participated in the Oshu-Uetsu Reppan Dōmei (the Alliance of Feudal Lords).

(Inoue Isao)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：明治20.4.20(1887)
生年：文政11.1.1(1828.2.15)
幕末の老中。幕臣阿部正蔵の次男に生まれる。禁裏付,神奈川奉行,外国奉行を経て町奉行。元治1(1864)年3月,宗家阿部正耆の養子に入り白河10万石の藩主となり,同年6月老中に就任,幕府内強硬派を代表した。慶応1(1865)年2月,本荘宗秀と幕兵3000を率いて上洛,朝廷への管理強化を図ったが失敗。同年9月,英仏米蘭の外交団の要求を受け,兵庫の早期開港を幕議として決定,これを不満とした朝廷によって,官位剥奪,老中罷免,国許謹慎を命じられた。翌2年6月,幕命により城を棚倉に移され,藩主の座を子の正静に譲って蟄居。戊辰戦争では奥羽越列藩同盟に参加した。

(井上勲)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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