Matsudaira Yoshinaga

He was the lord of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province during the late Edo period, and the Shogunate's Chief Politician. He was commonly known by the pen name Shungaku, which he took on at his coming-of-age ceremony. He was the eighth son of Tokugawa Narimasa of the Tayasu family, and in 1838 (Tenpo 9) at the age of 11, he succeeded the Echizen family and became the 16th lord of the domain. Over the next 20 years, he appointed Nakane Sekko (Yukie), Suzuki Chikara and others, and worked to reform the domain's administration. He also promoted the adoption of Western learning, such as strengthening military power by introducing Western artillery and rifle training, and establishing the domain school Meidokan and its attached Western book study school, as well as the introduction of vaccination. During this time, when Perry arrived in 1853 (Kaei 6), he advocated strengthening coastal defenses, and actively lobbied the shogunate to realize concrete measures for guarding the coast of Edo Bay and other areas. In 1857 (Ansei 4), he appointed Yokoi Shonan, a samurai of the Kumamoto domain, and leaned toward approving the opening of the country to trade. He also supported Hitotsubashi Yoshinobu as successor to the 13th shogun, Tokugawa Iesada, and thus came into conflict with the mainstream of the shogunate, along with Shimazu Nariakira (Satsuma domain), Date Munenari (Uwajima domain), Yamauchi Yodo (Tosa domain), and others. In 1858, as a result of his strong protest against the signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between the United States and Japan by the Chief Advisor Ii Naosuke and the decision to appoint Tokugawa Yoshitomi (later the 14th Shogun, Iemochi) of the Kii clan as the successor, he was placed under house arrest in July along with other former daimyo, including Tokugawa Nariaki, who had acted alongside him, and retired, handing over his position as lord of the domain to his relative Mochiaki.

After the assassination of Ii Naosuke in 1860 (Man'en 1), Keiei was released from house arrest, and returned to politics two years later (Bunkyu 2). In July of that year, following Yoshinobu's appointment as guardian of the Shogun, he was appointed chief administrator of government affairs, and assumed a leading position in the Shogunate. After his restoration, his position was to promote the unification of the Imperial Court and the Shogunate, and he was at the heart of the Shogunate, and in 1864 (Genji 1), he was temporarily appointed as Kyoto Shugoshoku, and was also a member of the Imperial Council, earning him great trust from the Imperial Court. In December 1866 (Keio 2), Yoshinobu became Shogun, but Keiei had a great influence on the administration of the Shogunate, and at the same time, he worked to reform national politics by unifying the Imperial Court and the Shogunate, as one of the "Four Lords" of the Council of Councilors, together with Munenari, Yodo, and Shimazu Hisamitsu (Saiakira's half-brother) who gathered in Kyoto. Keiei's advice and suggestions played a major role in Shogun Yoshinobu's handling of long-standing issues, such as the end of the attacks on Choshu, approval of the opening of the port of Hyogo and obtaining the "Imperial sanction" for it. After the Restoration of Imperial Rule and the return of power to the Emperor, he was appointed as one of the councilors in the new government, but after the Boshin Civil War he rebelled against the direction of the political world, which was increasingly harshly punishing Yoshinobu, and in 1869 (Meiji 2) he became Minister of Civil Affairs, then concurrently held the position of Minister of Finance, before retiring from all public office at the age of 42 in July 1870. After that, he compiled many writings, including "Anjishifu," a historical retrospective of his own experiences. He died of illness in June 1890, aged 62.

[Hachiro Kawachi]

"Houtou Kiji" by Nakane Yukie (1980, University of Tokyo Press)" ▽ "Sakumu Kiji" by Nakane Yukie, 4 volumes, Saimu Kiji and Zoku Saimu Kiji, 6 volumes (1921-22, Japan Historical Records Association)" ▽ "Matsudaira Shungaku" by Kawabata Taihei (1967, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "The Complete Works of Matsudaira Shungaku, 4 volumes (1939-42, only the 4th volume was published in 1973, Complete Works Publishing Association)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末期の越前国(えちぜんのくに)福井藩主、幕府の政事総裁。元服のときにつけた雅号春嶽(しゅんがく)が通称となる。田安(たやす)家徳川斉匡(とくがわなりまさ)の八男で、1838年（天保9）11歳のとき、越前家を継ぎ、第16代藩主となった。以後20年間のうちに、中根雪江(なかねせっこう)（靭負(ゆきえ)）、鈴木主税(すずきちから)らを登用し、藩政の刷新に努め、西洋砲術や銃隊訓練など軍事力の強化、藩校明道館の設立と併設の洋書習学所、種痘(しゅとう)の導入など洋学の採用も推進した。その間、1853年（嘉永6）ペリー来航に際して、海防の強化を説き、江戸湾など沿岸警備の具体策の実現を、幕府に対して積極的に働きかけた。1857年（安政4）、熊本藩士横井小楠(よこいしょうなん)を登用し、開国通商の是認に傾くとともに、13代将軍徳川家定(とくがわいえさだ)の継嗣(けいし)に一橋慶喜(ひとつばしよしのぶ)を推すなど、島津斉彬(しまづなりあきら)（薩摩(さつま)藩）、伊達宗城(だてむねなり)（宇和島藩）、山内容堂(やまうちようどう)（土佐藩）らとともに、幕府主流派と対立した。1858年、大老井伊直弼(いいなおすけ)による日米修好通商条約調印と、紀伊家の徳川慶福(とくがわよしとみ)（のち14代将軍家茂(いえもち)）の継嗣決定に強く抗議したため、7月、ともに動いた徳川斉昭(とくがわなりあき)はじめ、先の大名たちとともに謹慎(きんしん)処分を受け、退隠、藩主の地位を同族の茂昭(もちあき)に譲った。

　1860年（万延1）井伊直弼の暗殺後、謹慎を解かれ、さらに2年後（文久2）政界に復帰、その7月には慶喜の将軍後見職就任に続いて、政事総裁職に任ぜられて、幕政の指導的地位にたった。復権後の彼の立場は、公武合体の推進にあったが、幕府の中枢にあるとともに、1864年（元治1）には一時京都守護職に就任、朝議参予(さんよ)ともなって朝廷からも大きな信頼を受けた。1866年（慶応2）12月、慶喜が将軍職に就くが、慶永はその施政に大きな影響力をもち、一方、京都に集まった宗城、容堂、島津久光(しまづひさみつ)（斉彬異母弟）の3名とともに、参予会議の「四侯」として、公武合体による国政改革に努めた。長州攻撃の収拾や、兵庫開港の容認とその「勅許」の獲得など、年来の懸案を将軍慶喜が処理したことについては、慶永の建言・助言が大きな役割を果たしていた。大政奉還・王政復古で、新政府の議定(ぎじょう)職の一人に任命されたが、戊辰(ぼしん)内乱から、慶喜への厳しい処分が進む政界の方向に反発、1869年（明治2）民部卿(みんぶきょう)、続いて大蔵卿兼務を最後に、1870年7月、42歳でいっさいの公職を退いた。以後、自らの体験を歴史的に回顧した『逸事史補』など多くの著述をまとめた。明治23年6月、62歳で病没した。

［河内八郎］

『中根雪江著『奉答紀事』（1980・東京大学出版会）』▽『中根雪江著『昨夢紀事』4冊、『再夢紀事』、『続再夢紀事』6冊（1921～22・日本史籍協会）』▽『川端太平著『松平春嶽』（1967・吉川弘文館）』▽『『松平春嶽全集』全4巻（1939～42、第4巻のみ1973・同全集刊行会）』

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