Gentaro Dairaku

A patriot of the Sonnjou faction of the Choshu Domain during the Meiji Restoration. The son of Yamagata Shinshichiro, he was born in Daido Village, Yoshiki County, Suo Province (Hofu City, Yamaguchi Prefecture) and entered the Dairaku family. His given name was Hirotake and Okutoshi. Gentaro was his nickname. He went by the name Nishiyama. He studied Confucianism at a private school in nearby Migita, Saba County (Hofu City), but he joined the rising Sonnjou movement in the domain at the time and traveled all over the place. He organized the Chufuntai (one of the various units) in Miyaichi, Sawa County, and when he was ordered to disband it in 1865 (Keio 1), he opened a school in Miyaichi, and the following year opened the Nishiyama Shodo in Taido Village to educate children. In 1869 (Meiji 2), he opposed the government's national conscription system and was implicated in the assassination of Hyobu Taifu (Minister of War) Omura Masujiro, and was imprisoned, but escaped. He was subsequently investigated for leading a riot of desertion from the clan, and the following year, while on the run after leading a peasant uprising in Hita Prefecture, Kyushu, he was assassinated in Kurume.

[Shigeru Kobayashi]

"Continuation of the History of Hofu City (1960, Hofu City)" ▽ "Dairaku Gentaro by Shin Uchida (1971, Fusetsusha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末維新期の長州藩尊攘(そんじょう)派の志士。山県(やまがた)信七郎の子で、周防国(すおうのくに)吉敷(よしき)郡台道(だいどう)村（山口県防府(ほうふ)市）に生まれ、大楽家に入る。名は弘毅(ひろたけ)、奥年。源太郎は通称。西山と号した。近くの佐波(さば)郡右田(みぎた)（防府市）の私塾で儒学を修めたが、おりからの藩の尊攘運動の高揚に加わり、東奔西走した。佐波郡宮市(みやいち)に忠憤隊(ちゅうふんたい)（諸隊の一）を組織、1865年（慶応1）この解散を命ぜられるや、宮市に開塾、ついで翌年台道村に西山書堂を開いて子弟の教育にあたった。1869年（明治2）、政府の国民徴兵制に反対し、兵部大輔(ひょうぶたいふ)大村益次郎(ますじろう)の暗殺事件に関係ありとして幽閉されたが脱走した。ついで藩の脱隊騒動を指導したとして探索を受け、翌年九州日田県の農民一揆(いっき)を指導し逃走中、久留米(くるめ)で暗殺された。

［小林　茂］

『『続防府市史』（1960・防府市）』▽『内田伸著『大楽源太郎』（1971・風説社）』

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