Kawai Suno - Kawai Suno

Japanese: 河合寸翁 - かわい・すんおう

Year of death: June 24, 1841 (August 10, 1841)
Year of birth: May 24, 1767 (June 20, 1767)
A senior retainer of the Himeji domain in the late Edo period. Born as the son of Kawai Munemi, his childhood name was Inokichi, and he later changed his name to Shunnosuke. He was also given the name Michiomi by the domain lord Sakai Tadamichi, and in his later years he took the name Suno. In 1787 (Tenmei 7), he inherited the family headship and became a senior retainer, but he suffered a setback and after a dozen years of obscurity, he was ordered by Tadamichi to take over the administration of the Himeji domain again in 1808 (Bunka 5), where he carried out reforms of the domain's government. In the same year, he was allowed to change his surname back to his maiden name, Kawai. He ruled as a senior retainer of the Sakai family for 30 years, during which time he implemented many economic policies and made a major contribution to the liquidation of the domain's debt, which amounted to 730,000 ryo. He established silkworm farms, textile factories, dyeing factories, and pottery factories, as well as a leather exchange for product inspection and the cultivation of ginseng, and implemented a wide range of policies to encourage industry and trade. Among these, the most notable policy development was the monopoly of Himeji cotton and its direct storage in Edo, which was implemented in 1821 after 10 years of preparation and trials. This cotton monopoly was successful because it consciously linked the policy measure of issuing domain notes with the domain monopoly, and it is confirmed that the storage of Himeji cotton in Edo also grew rapidly. Sun'o regarded this cotton monopoly as "not an easy thing to do, as it was fundamental to the wealth of the entire Harima Province," and had a good understanding of its historical significance. References: Horie Yasuzo, "Himeji Domain Elder Kawai Sun'o" (Economic History Research, Vol. 25, No. 6), Hozumi Katsujiro, "Study on the Economic History of the Cotton Industry in the Himeji Domain"

(Masatoshi Amano)

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

Japanese:

没年：天保12.6.24(1841.8.10)
生年：明和4.5.24(1767.6.20)
江戸後期の姫路藩家老。川合宗見の子として生まれ,幼名は猪之吉,のち隼之助と改名。また藩主酒井忠道より道臣の名を下賜され,晩年寸翁と号した。天明7(1787)年家督相続をして家老席に列するも,いったん挫折し,雌伏十数年ののち,忠道の命により文化5(1808)年再び姫路藩政にあずかり,藩政改革を遂行した。同7年には川合姓を旧姓の河合に復すことを許される。酒井家家老として執政30年におよび,その間多くの経済政策を実施し,73万両にのぼった同藩の藩債の整理に大きな貢献をした。養蚕所,織物所,染色工場,陶器所などの設立をはじめ,製品検査のための革会所の設置や朝鮮人参の栽培など広範な殖産興業政策を行ったが,なかでも著名な政策展開は,10年におよぶ準備と試行を経て文政4(1821)年に実施された姫路木綿の専売制とその江戸直積みである。この木綿専売制は,藩札の発行という政策手段を意識的に藩専売制とリンクさせて成功を収めたものであり,姫路木綿の江戸積みも急成長していたことが確認されている。寸翁はこの木綿専売制を「播磨国一国之富に可相成基本に候間,不容易事に而候」ととらえ,その歴史的意義をよく把握していた。<参考文献>堀江保蔵「姫路藩老・河合寸翁」(『経済史研究』25巻6号),穂積勝次郎『姫路藩綿業経済史の研究』

(天野雅敏)

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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