Yoshikuni Katsu

...A politician in the late Edo and Meiji periods. The eldest son of Katsu Koyoshi, a low-ranking shogunate official, he was commonly known as Rintaro, and his given name was Yoshikuni, with the pen name Kaishu. As a child, he served as a companion to Shogun Tokugawa Ienari's grandson Hatsunojo, but after his death he returned to the life of a low-ranking vassal. He perfected swordsmanship under Shimada Toranosuke, and then, at Shimada's suggestion, learned Western military science through Dutch studies. His Dutch studies teacher was Nagai Seigai. He grew up in Honjo, but moved to Akasaka for the convenience of studying Dutch, and in 1850 (Kaei 3), he opened a military science school in Akasaka Tamachi. After Perry's arrival, he often wrote letters to the shogunate officials, making his insights known, and in the beginning of 1855 (Ansei 2), he joined the Coast Defense Department inspection team to investigate the defense systems around Ise and Osaka Bay, and was then sent as a senior student to the naval training that began in Nagasaki in the same year.

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Katsuyoshikuni" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…幕末･明治の政治家。下級幕臣勝小吉の長男で通称麟太郎，名は義邦，海舟は号。幼少のころ将軍徳川家斉の孫初之丞の相手をつとめたが，その死によって微禄御家人の生活に戻り，島田虎之助について剣術をきわめ，ついで島田のすすめで蘭学により西洋兵学を身につけた。蘭学の師は永井青崖。本所に育ったが，蘭学修学の便のため赤坂に移り，1850年(嘉永3)赤坂田町に兵学塾を開いた。ペリー来航後しばしば上書してその識見を幕府有司に知られ，55年(安政2)初頭の海防掛視察団に加わって伊勢および大坂湾一帯の防備体制を調査，ついで同年から長崎ではじまる海軍伝習に幹部学生として派遣された。…

※「勝義邦」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報