Hosokawa Shigekata

The 6th feudal lord of the early modern Higo Kumamoto domain with a fief of 540,000 koku. Born as the 13th child (5th son) of the 4th feudal lord Nobunori on December 26, 5th year of the Kyoho era (according to some sources, 3rd year) at the Edo domain residence. His childhood name was Rokunosuke, and later he was called Minbu and Shume. His given name was Norio. His 3 older brothers died young, and his elder brother Munetaka succeeded him as the 5th feudal lord. Since there was no heir, Norio was adopted. In 1747 (4th year of the Enkyo era), Munetaka was killed by the samurai Itakura Katsukane in Edo Castle in a case of mistaken identity. Norio, who lived in his room, became the 6th feudal lord, and was given the name Shigetaka, a name given to the shogun Tokugawa Ieshige. The finances of the domain at that time were in dire straits, and the family was described as refusing to lend money at the time by Mitsui Takafusa in his "Townspeople's Journal," and was in such dire straits that they could not even afford the expenses of attending Edo shogunate. Shigetaka appointed Hori Heitazaemon Katsuna to Chief Magistrate (later to become Churo and Karo), carried out administrative reforms, compiled the most excellent cursive criminal code of the time, established the domain school Jishukan, the medical school Saishunkan, and the Banjien medicinal garden, and also controlled the production of haze and cocoons, established a law to reduce the land holdings of domain samurai, cracked down on hidden rice fields through the land survey (jihikiawase) law, and attempted to implement a fixed exemption system.At that time, he was known as a great ruler along with Kishu (Tokugawa Harusada) and Yonezawa (Uesugi Harunori). These reforms, supported by mid-ranking samurai reformers in response to the stratification caused by the commodity economy of the time, are known as the Horeki Domain Government Reforms. Shigekata was nicknamed Gindai after the place name Shiroganedai, where the Edo domain residence was located. He had a deep knowledge of natural history and left many belongings behind. He died on October 26, 5th year of Tenmei, and his grave is located in Kitaoka Nature Park in Chuo Ward, Kumamoto City.

[Seiichi Morita]

"Hosokawa Shigetaka" by Morita Seiichi (included in "Daimyo Retsuden 4", 1967, Jinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

近世肥後熊本藩54万石の第6代藩主。第4代宣紀(のぶのり)の第13子（五男）として、享保(きょうほう)5年（一説には3年）12月26日江戸藩邸に生まれる。幼名六之助(ろくのすけ)、のち民部(みんぶ)、主馬(しゅめ)と称す。諱(いみな)を紀雄(のりお)という。兄3人は早世、兄宗孝(むねたか)が第5代藩主を嗣(つ)ぎ、嗣子(しし)なきため紀雄はその養子となる。1747年（延享4）宗孝は江戸城で人違いから旗本板倉勝該(かつかね)に斬殺(ざんさつ)された。部屋住みの紀雄が第6代藩主になり、将軍徳川家重(いえしげ)の一字をもらい重賢と称した。当時の藩財政は困窮を極め、当時借金断りの家として三井高房(たかふさ)の『町人考見録』にも書かれ、参勤の費用にも窮乏するありさまであった。重賢は堀平太左衛門勝名(ほりへいたざえもんかつな)を大奉行(おおぶぎょう)（のち中老、家老）に抜擢(ばってき)、行政改革を断行、当時もっとも優れている刑法草書を編纂(へんさん)、藩校時習館(じしゅうかん)、医学寮再春館(さいしゅんかん)、薬園蕃滋園(ばんじえん)を設け、櫨(はぜ)・繭の統制、藩士の知行(ちぎょう)世減の法、検地（地引合(じひきあわせ)）法により隠田畑の摘発、定免(じょうめん)制実施を企図するなど、当時紀州（徳川治貞(はるさだ)）、米沢(よねざわ)（上杉治憲(はるのり)）とあわせて名君と称せられた。これらは、当時の商品経済による階層分化に応じた中級武士改革派に支えられた改革で、宝暦(ほうれき)藩政改革という。重賢は江戸藩邸の白銀台(しろがねだい)の地名にちなみ銀台(ぎんだい)と称す。博物学への造詣(ぞうけい)深く遺品も多い。天明(てんめい)5年10月26日死去、墓は熊本市中央区の北岡自然公園内にある。

［森田誠一］

『森田誠一著「細川重賢」（『大名列伝 4』所収・1967・人物往来社）』

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