Kajido

Prime Minister of the Southern Song Dynasty in China. His courtesy name was Shixian. He was from Taizhou, Zhejiang Province. He was the son of Jia She, who played an active role in the defense of Huainan as a temporary envoy during the Ningzong Dynasty of the Southern Song Dynasty. He was promoted to a central government position after his elder sister became the empress of Lizong. He was subsequently promoted to Chancellor in 1259 and to Pingzhang Military and National Chief Administrator in 1267, and literally wielded power as the most powerful man in the country. The monopoly of politics by the so-called Jinshi bureaucrats and the intensification of factional strife among them led to the emperor's extraordinary trust in him, who had deviated from the prescribed course. He was entrusted with the difficult diplomatic negotiations with Mongolia, while at the same time carrying out bold reforms to resolve the domestic currency system and land issues that were no longer salvageable. However, the plan backfired, and the Southern Song Dynasty collapsed without any results. He too was held solely responsible for the country's demise, and was exiled to the Cotton Hermitage in Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, where he was killed by his captors on the way.

[Masahiro Yamauchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国、南宋(なんそう)の宰相。字(あざな)は師憲(しけん)。浙江(せっこう)省台州の人。南宋の寧宗朝に制置使として淮南(わいなん)の防衛に活躍した賈渉(かしょう)の子。姉が理宗の貴妃(きひ)となったことから中央官僚に抜擢(ばってき)され、以後1259年に丞相(じょうしょう)、67年に平章軍国重事となり、文字どおり国家最高の実力者として権勢を振るった。いわゆる進士官僚による政治の独占と彼らの間での派閥抗争の激化が、かえってその規定のコースから外れた彼への皇帝の異常な信頼となり、その委託を受けて困難なモンゴルとの外交交渉にあたる一方、もはや救いようのない国内の幣制や土地問題の解決に大胆な改革を断行した。しかし、結果は裏目に出て、成果があがらぬままに南宋は瓦解(がかい)し、彼もまた亡国の責任を一身に負う形で福建省漳州(しょうしゅう)の木綿庵(もくめんあん)に落とされ、途上、監送人の手によって殺された。

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