Hayashi Shihei

A businessman from the late Edo period. Known as one of the "Three Eccentrics of the Kansei Era," he was also known for his eccentric behavior. He was born in Edo on June 21, 1700 (Genbun 3), as the second son of Okamura Gengobei (1700-1767), a shogunate official. His name was Tomonao. When his father became a ronin (masterless samurai), he and his older brother Kazen were raised by their uncle Hayashi Jūgo, and took the surname Hayashi. When his older brother entered the service of the Sendai domain, they moved to Sendai in 1757 (Hōreki 7).

In 1764 (Meiwa 1), he heard that a Korean envoy was coming to Edo and immediately went there. He wrote "Sendai Kanwa". The following year, in 1765, he submitted his first petition, "Proposals for Enriching the Nation," to the Sendai Domain, which was suffering from financial difficulties at the time, and advocated a policy to enrich the country. It consists of nine chapters, including education, military preparation, systems, geographical advantages, and frugality. He stated that the most important thing in national politics is human resources, and that since human resources are born from learning, the most important thing in national politics is education and governance. In "Geographical advantages," he formulated a plan based on the potential productivity of the Sendai Domain, and stated that military preparation = enriching the country and strengthening the military was "the first achievement of national politics," and that his advocacy of samurai staying in the country was a pioneering feature. In 1775 (An'ei 4), he went to Nagasaki and heard from the Dutch about the situation of Russia's southward advance. He felt the need for national defense, and aspired to study geography and military science. He later studied in Nagasaki twice, and in Edo he became acquainted with Dutch scholars such as Otsuki Gentaku, Udagawa Genzui, and Katsuragawa Hoshu, and acquired an "international" sensibility.

In 1777, he wrote the draft of Kaikoku Heidan. In 1785 (Tenmei 5), he wrote Sankoku Tsuran Zusetsu from the viewpoint of national defense, describing the geography of Korea, the Ryukyu Islands, Ezo, and the Ogasawara Islands. He also submitted a petition to the domain on the "Policy for Enriching the Nation." The following year, in 1786, he completed six volumes of Kaikoku Heidan and self-published it. It was a pioneering work against external pressure, explaining the national defense system and military preparations appropriate for a maritime nation like Japan. In the same year, Russian warships arrived in Ezo. The shogunate deemed the book a dangerous book that would destabilize the system, and in May 1792, the woodblocks and binding were confiscated, Shihei was ordered to live in seclusion at his brother's house in Sendai, and in December he was sent to Edo as a prisoner. He is famous for the poem he wrote at that time: "No parents, no wife, no children, no woodblocks..." Also, in the "Iroha Song," he wrote: "Reason should be set aside for favoritism and make the natural course of reason clear," which suggests the beginnings of modern reason and intelligence. He died in obscurity on June 21, 1790.

[Akihiro Tsukaya June 20, 2016]

"Naramoto Tatsuya's annotated "Japanese Thought Series 38: Early Modern Political Theory" (1976, Iwanami Shoten)" ▽ "New Edition: Complete Works of Hayashi Shihei, 5 volumes (1978-1980, Daiichi Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸後期の経世家。「寛政(かんせい)の三奇人」の一人といわれ、奇行もあって知られる。幕臣岡村源五兵衛(げんごべえ)（1700―1767）の次子として、元文(げんぶん)3年6月21日江戸に生まれる。名は友直(ともなお)。父が浪人したので、兄嘉膳(かぜん)とともに叔父の林従吾(じゅうご)に養われ、林姓を名のる。兄が仙台藩に仕官することになり、1757年（宝暦7）仙台に居を移した。

　1764年（明和1）朝鮮使来聘(らいへい)を聞き、急に江戸に赴く。『仙台閑話』を著す。翌1765年、第一上書「富国建議」を、当時財政難に苦しんでいた仙台藩に提出し富国策を説いた。学制、武備、制度、地利、倹約などの9篇(へん)からなる。国政の第一は人材であり、人材は学問によって生ずるから、国政の第一は学政であるとした。「地利」では仙台藩の潜在的生産力を基に策をたて、武備＝富国強兵は「国政の第一成事(なること)」とし、武士の土着を説いた点に先駆的特色がある。1775年（安永4）長崎に行き、オランダ人からロシア南下の形勢を聞き、国防の必要を痛感、地理学・兵学に志す。その後二度長崎に学び、江戸では大槻玄沢(おおつきげんたく)、宇田川玄随(うだがわげんずい)、桂川甫周(かつらがわほしゅう)ら蘭学(らんがく)者と交遊し、「国際的」感覚を身につけた。

　1777年『海国兵談』の稿をおこす。1785年（天明5）国防の見地から『三国通覧図説』を著し、朝鮮、琉球(りゅうきゅう)、蝦夷(えぞ)、小笠原(おがさわら)諸島の地理を記す。また「富国策」（上書）を藩に提出。翌1786年『海国兵談』6巻を完成、自費出版。海国日本にふさわしい国防体制、武備を説いた、外圧に対する先駆的著述である。この年ロシアの軍艦が蝦夷にきた。幕府は同書を体制を揺るがす危険の書とみなし、1792年5月、板木(はんぎ)・製本を没収、子平に仙台の兄宅での蟄居(ちっきょ)を命じ、12月囚人として江戸に送られた。このとき「親も無し妻無し子無し板木無し……」と詠んだ歌は有名。また「いろは歌」に「りひはただひいきの沙汰(さた)を取りのけて理の当然を明白にせよ」と詠んだあたり、近代的理性・知性の芽生えを感じさせる。寛政(かんせい)5年6月21日、不遇のうちに没。

［塚谷晃弘　2016年6月20日］

『奈良本辰也校注『日本思想大系38　近世政道論』（1976・岩波書店）』▽『『新編　林子平全集』全5巻（1978〜1980・第一書房）』

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