Kaname Okubo

A samurai and patriot of the Tsuchiura Domain in Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture). His given name was Chikaharu, and he also wrote the pen name Seisai. He was born in Tsuchiura as the eldest son of Tsuchiura samurai Chikanobu. He studied literature under Matsuzaki Kodo, and military science under Takenaka Shigemura and Hirayama Shiryu. He was the head of the domain school, Ikubunkan. As a professor of military science, he also educated samurai, but when Tsuchiya Tomonao became lord of the domain in 1838 (Tenpo 9), he proposed reforms to the domain government and worked hard as the lord's right-hand man. Furthermore, when the lord became involved in the shogunate government, he assisted him as an official, while also associating with many patriots, especially samurai of the Mito domain, and discussing national affairs. He assisted the Mito feudal lord Tokugawa Nariaki in his campaign to clear his name, and was also involved in the movement to subjugate the secret imperial decree to the shogunate to the Mito feudal domain, for which he was sentenced to life in confinement during the Ansei Purge. He died of an illness in a prison cell in the Tsuchiura domain.

[Yoshio Sakuma]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

常陸(ひたち)国（茨城県）土浦(つちうら)藩士、志士。名は親春、靖斎(せいさい)と号す。土浦藩士親修(ちかのぶ)の長男として土浦に生まれる。文学を松崎慊堂(こうどう)、兵学を竹中茂村、平山子竜らに学ぶ。藩校郁文(いくぶん)館の館頭。兵学教授として藩士の教育にもあたるが、1838年（天保9）土屋寅直(ともなお)が藩主に就任すると、藩政改革を献策、藩主の片腕として尽力した。また藩主が幕政に関与すると、公用人として補佐する一方、多くの志士、とりわけ水戸藩士と交際して国事を論じた。水戸藩主徳川斉昭(なりあき)の雪冤(せつえん)運動を助け、また討幕密勅の水戸藩への降下運動に関係して、安政(あんせい)の大獄では永押込(えいおしこめ)の処罰を受けた。土浦藩の獄舎で病没。

［佐久間好雄］

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