Tadamitsu Nakayama

A nobleman of the Sonno Joi faction in the late Edo period. Born on April 13, 1842. His father was Nakayama Tadayasu. He became a chamberlain in 1858 (Ansei 5), and in 1860 (Man'en 1) was ordered to serve as a vassal of Prince Mutsuhito (Meiji Emperor). He was influenced by and associated with Sonno Joi extremists such as Takechi Zuizan, Kusaka Genzui, and Maki Izumi, and rose to prominence as a Sonno Joi extremist nobleman. In February 1863 (Bunkyu 3), he became a kokuji yoryuudo (member of the national government), but in early March, he left Kyoto without permission and entered the Choshu domain, relinquishing his official rank and changing his name to Mori Shunsai (or Shusai). On May 10, he boarded a Choshu domain warship at Shimonoseki and participated in the bombardment of an American merchant ship. In June, he returned to Kyoto and escaped with Yoshimura Torataro and others. In August, he attacked the magistrate of Gojo in Yamato and raised an army to overthrow the shogunate, but this uprising for divine punishment ended in failure. He then fled to the Choshu domain, but was assassinated by an assassin from the domain on November 15, the following year (Genji 1).

[Masaru Sasaki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末期尊攘(そんじょう)派の公家(くげ)。弘化(こうか)2年4月13日生まれ。父は中山忠能(ただやす)。1858年（安政5）侍従となり、60年（万延1）睦仁親王(むつひとしんのう)（明治天皇）祗候(しこう)を命ぜられた。武市瑞山(たけちずいざん)、久坂玄瑞(くさかげんずい)、真木和泉(まきいずみ)ら尊攘激派と交遊して彼らの影響を受け、公家尊攘激派として台頭した。63年（文久3）2月国事寄人(こくじよりゅうど)となったが、3月初め無断で京都を脱し長州藩に入り、官位を返上、名も森俊斎（または秀斎）と改め、5月10日には下関(しものせき)で長州藩軍艦に同乗しアメリカ商船の砲撃に加わった。6月京都に帰り、吉村虎太郎(とらたろう)らとともに京都を脱出、8月大和(やまと)五條(ごじょう)代官を襲撃し討幕の兵をあげたが、この天誅(てんちゅう)組挙兵は失敗に終わった。その後長州藩に逃れたが、翌元治(げんじ)元年11月15日藩の刺客により暗殺された。

［佐々木克］

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