Mizuno Tadakuni - Mizuno Tadakuni

He was a senior councilor and lord of Hamamatsu Domain who led the Tenpo Reforms. He was born in the upper residence of Karatsu Domain in Edo to Mizuno Tadamitsu, lord of Karatsu Domain, and his concubine Jun. His childhood name was Otogoro. In 1805 (Bunka 2), he took the name Tadakuni and was officially recognized by the shogunate as Tadamitsu's heir, and in 1807 he was given his first audience with the shogun. In 1812, at the age of 19, he was given the title of Izumi no Kami and became the 11th lord of Karatsu Domain with an official stipend of 60,000 koku (250,000 koku internal stipend). At the age of 22, he was appointed as Sojaban, and in 1817, despite the financial disadvantages, he achieved a transfer to Hamamatsu Domain with an official stipend of 60,000 koku, which was favorable for the promotion of a fudai daimyo. In the same year, he also served as the Magistrate of Temples and Shrines, and thereafter in 1822 (Bunsei 8) he was appointed as the Osaka Castle Deputy, and the following year he was appointed as the Kyoto Shoshidai, and was given the title of Echizen no Kami. In 1828, at the age of 35, he was promoted to Nishinomaru Roju under Ieyoshi, and in 1831 (Tenpo 5) he was finally appointed as Honmaru Roju.

In the middle of the Tenpo era (1830-44), the Shogunate was forced to deal with internal troubles that had escalated to the point of war, such as the Mikawa Kamo Rebellion, the Gunnai Disturbance, the Sado Province Disturbance, and the Oshio Rebellion, as well as external threats from the Western powers. In 1837, Ienari became the 12th Shogun, and in 1839, Tadakuni became the chief senior councilor and was given an additional stipend of 10,000 koku, reaching the pinnacle of the Shogunate. The following year, the results of the Opium Wars were announced, and in 1841, the death of the great shogun Ienari, who had continued to wield hidden power, prompted a purge of Ienari's supporters and a unification of the reformists. On May 15 of that year, an order was issued from the shogun for the Tenpo Reforms. Tadakuni was well versed in calligraphy, painting, gagaku music, waka poetry, and classical studies, but he always lived frugally, always wearing cotton clothing, and with his Confucian ideals of asceticism, he promoted the warrior spirit and aggressively controlled the lives and customs of the common people. Furthermore, he tried to carry out policies that were fundamental to the shogunate and feudal domain system, such as the dissolution of stock associations, land surveys of the shogunate, and the Agechi Order.

However, Tadakuni was described by the common people of Edo as "a man with a beast's heart, the worst villain of all time," and his policies drew opposition from within the shogunate, leading to setbacks. In leap September 1843, the confiscation order was revoked, and he was dismissed from his position as senior councilor on the 13th of the same month. On that day, Tadakuni's residence was stoned by several thousand Edo citizens. In 1844 (Koka 1), he was reinstated as senior councilor, but after eight months he resigned again due to a worsening chronic illness. The following September, on the grounds of misconduct in his official duties, his 10,000 koku additional land stipend, 10,000 koku of his head tax, his residence, and his work were confiscated, and his eldest son, Kingoro (Tadakiyo), was ordered to be transferred to Yamagata in Dewa with a fief of 50,000 koku in November. When he was transferred the following year, a riot broke out in Hamamatsu, and when the transfer was complete, the people of the domain even celebrated. In 1841, Tadakuni's military reforms in Hamamatsu Domain, such as the organization of a farmer's army, also caused the people of the domain to become dissatisfied. Tadakuni was unable to accompany him to Yamagata, and in 1849 (Kaei 2), due to his worsening condition, he was allowed to move from his residence in Nakashibuya Village, Ebara County to Mita, where he died of the disease on February 10, 1851. He was 58 years old by traditional Japanese age reckoning. He was buried at Bansho-ji Temple in Yamakawa, Shimousa (Yuki City, Ibaraki Prefecture).

[Takashi Asami]

“Mizuno Tadakuni” by Masamoto Kitajima (1969, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

天保(てんぽう)の改革を主導した老中で浜松藩主。唐津(からつ)藩主水野忠光と側室恂(じゅん)との間に、江戸同藩上屋敷にて生まれる。幼名を於菟五郎(おとごろう)と称した。1805年（文化2）、忠邦と称し、幕府より正式に忠光の世子として許可され、07年初の将軍御目見(おめみえ)。12年、19歳にして和泉守(いずみのかみ)を称し、表高6万石（内高25万石）の唐津藩第11代藩主となる。22歳にして奏者番(そうじゃばん)を拝命し、17年には、財政的な不利も顧みず、譜代(ふだい)大名の昇進に有利な浜松藩6万石への転封を実現させた。この年、寺社奉行(ぶぎょう)を兼務し、以後は25年（文政8）大坂城代、翌年京都所司代(しょしだい)に就任して、越前守(えちぜんのかみ)を名のった。28年、35歳で家慶(いえよし)付の西ノ丸老中に昇進し、34年（天保5）ついに本丸老中に就任した。

　天保(てんぽう)年間（1830～44）の中ごろには、三河加茂一揆(かもいっき)、郡内(ぐんない)騒動、佐渡一国騒動、そして大塩の乱という兵乱の危機にまで高まった「内憂」と、欧米列強の「外患」に対処せざるをえなくなっていた。1837年第12代将軍に家慶がつき、39年忠邦は老中首座となり、1万石加増となって、幕閣の頂点を極めた。翌年にはアヘン戦争の結果も伝えられ、41年隠然たる力をもち続けていた大御所家斉(いえなり)の死を契機に、家斉派の粛清と改革派の結集が図られた。同年5月15日、天保の改革の上意が発せられた。忠邦は、書道、絵、雅楽、和歌、古典研究などに通じていたが、平素はつねに綿(めん)服を着用するというように質素倹約に彼自身が努め、儒教的禁欲主義の理念をもって、士風の振興から庶民の生活・風俗統制まで強圧的に行っていった。さらに、株仲間の解散、幕領検地、上知(あげち)令など幕藩制の屋台骨にかかわる政策を断行しようとした。

　しかし、忠邦は、江戸庶民から「人面獣心、古今の悪玉」とまでいわれ、政策には幕閣内部からも反発が出て、挫折(ざせつ)に追い込まれていった。1843年閏(うるう)9月の上知令撤回を機に、同月13日老中罷免となった。この日、忠邦の役宅は、江戸市民数千人による投石にみまわれたのである。44年（弘化1）老中復職、しかし8か月にして、持病悪化を理由に再辞職。翌年9月、役務中の不正を理由に、加増地1万石と本高のうち1万石および居屋敷・家作ともに没収、嫡子金五郎（忠精(ただきよ)）が11月に出羽(でわ)山形5万石へ転封と発令された。翌年の転封には、浜松で打毀(うちこわし)が起き、転封完了には領民が祝うことすらあったという。44年にはすでに農兵隊の組織化などが行われた、忠邦による浜松藩の軍事改革も領民の不満を蓄積させていたのであった。忠邦は山形には同行できず、49年（嘉永2）、病状悪化を理由に、荏原(えばら)郡中渋谷(なかしぶや)村の下屋敷から三田(みた)への転居を認められ、嘉永(かえい)4年2月10日病死した。数え年58歳。下総(しもうさ)山川（茨城県結城(ゆうき)市）万松(ばんしょう)寺に葬られる。

［浅見　隆］

『北島正元著『水野忠邦』（1969・吉川弘文館）』

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