Gisuke Sasamori - Gisuke Sasamori

Explorer and economist. Born on January 25, 1842, to a samurai family of the Tsugaru domain. As he grew up, he held a succession of minor positions in the domain, and after the abolition of the domains and the establishment of prefectures, he became the governor of Nakatsugaru County. However, he eventually resigned from his government position and, under the motto of "contributing to the country by industry," worked tirelessly to provide jobs for the samurai class. In 1891 (Meiji 24), he began traveling to remote areas, visiting the Kuril Islands, Okinawa, Korea, Siberia, and other places. During this time, he served as the island governor of the Amami Oshima region for four years from 1894, but was devoted to traveling, burning with a sense of problem-solving as an economist. He wrote works such as "Explorations in the Kuril Islands" (1893) and "Explorations in the Southern Islands" (1894), of which "Explorations in the Southern Islands" is particularly highly regarded for its detailed record of the actual conditions in Okinawa. In his later years, he became mayor of Aomori City. His books are kept at the Aomori Prefectural Library. He died on September 29, 1915.

[Takara Kurayoshi]

"Collection of Historical Materials on the Lives of the Common People in Japan, Volume 1" (1968, San'ichi Shobo) ▽ "The Life of Sasamori Gisuke, by Yokoyama Takeo" (1934, Imaizumi Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

探検家、経世家。弘化(こうか)2年1月25日、津軽藩士の家に生まれる。長じて藩の軽職を歴任し、廃藩置県後は中津軽郡長となったが、やがて官職を辞し、産業報国をモットーに士族授産のため奔走する。1891年（明治24）から辺境地探検旅行を開始し、千島、沖縄、朝鮮、シベリアなどを探訪。この間94年から4年間奄美(あまみ)大島地方の島司(とうし)となったほかは、経世家としての問題意識に燃え旅行に明け暮れる日々であったという。『千島探験』（1893）、『南島探験』（1894）などの著作を残しているが、とくに『南島探験』は沖縄の実情を克明に記録したものとして声価が高い。晩年青森市長となる。蔵書は青森県立図書館に保管されている。大正4年9月29日死去。

［高良倉吉］

『『日本庶民生活史料集成　第1巻』（1968・三一書房）』▽『横山武夫著『笹森儀助翁伝』（1934・今泉書店）』

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