Nobumasa Ando

A senior councilor during the late Edo period. Lord of Iwaki-taira Domain (Fukushima Prefecture) in Mutsu Province. Born November 25, 1822. His name was originally Nobuyuki, then Nobuyuki and Nobumasa. He was the governor of Tsushima. In January 1860 (Man'en 1), he was promoted from Wakadoshiyori to senior councilor and was put in charge of foreign affairs. Under the leadership of the chief councilor Ii Naosuke, he suppressed the Hitotsubashi faction, and after Ii Naosuke's violent death in March of the same year, he became the central figure in the shogunate along with Kuze Hirochika, who was reappointed. He dealt with a series of diplomatic difficulties, including the assassination of American interpreter Heusken, the attack on the British Embassy at Tozenji by Mito ronin, and the incident in which the Russian ship Posadnik was anchored in Tsushima, and also began border negotiations with Russia. In domestic affairs, he carried on Ii's will and promoted the union of the Imperial Court and the Shogunate, marrying Emperor Komei's younger sister, Princess Kazunomiya Chikako, to Shogun Iemochi, and the wedding took place in February 1862 (Bunkyu 2). However, his policy of opening the country and his plan to restore the power of the shogunate by uniting the Imperial Court and the Shogunate were met with opposition from the Sonno Joi extremists, and on January 15, just before the wedding, he was attacked by Mito samurai outside Sakashita Gate and injured, and in April he resigned from his position as a senior councilor and retired. In July 1868 (Meiji 1), Taira Castle was attacked by the new government forces during the Boshin War. He died on October 8, 1874.

[Hachiro Kawachi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末期の老中。陸奥(むつ)国磐城平(いわきたいら)（福島県）藩主。文政(ぶんせい)2年11月25日生まれ。名は初め信睦(のぶゆき)、ついで信行、信正と改める。対馬守(つしまのかみ)。1860年（万延1）正月、若年寄から老中に昇任、外国事務取扱となる。大老井伊直弼(なおすけ)のもとで、一橋(ひとつばし)派を押さえ、同年3月、井伊直弼の横死後、再任された久世広周(くぜひろちか)とともに、幕閣の中心となった。アメリカの通訳ヒュースケン暗殺事件、水戸浪士による東禅寺(とうぜんじ)イギリス公使館襲撃事件、ロシア船ポサドニック号の対馬滞泊事件など、次々に起こった外交の難事を処理、ロシアとの国境画定交渉も開始した。内政問題では、井伊の遺志を継いで公武合体を進め、孝明(こうめい)天皇の妹和宮親子(かずのみやちかこ)内親王を将軍家茂(いえもち)夫人として降嫁させ、1862年（文久2）2月の婚儀にこぎつけた。しかし、彼の開国策と、公武合体による幕府権力回復策は、尊攘(そんじょう)激派の反発を受け、婚儀直前の1月15日、水戸浪士らによって坂下門外に襲撃され負傷、4月に老中を辞任して退隠。1868年（明治1）7月、戊辰(ぼしん)戦争で平(たいら)城は新政府軍の攻撃を受けた。明治4年10月8日没。

［河内八郎］

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