Takachika Mori

Japanese: 毛利敬親 - もうり・たかちか

Year of death: March 28, 1871 (May 17, 1871)
Year of birth: Bunsei 2.2.10 (1819.3.5)
Lord of the Choshu (Hagi) domain during the Meiji Restoration period at the end of the Edo period. His names were Noriaki, Takachika, and Yoshichika. He was also called Yunoshin and Daizendayu. Born as the eldest son of the previous domain lord, Narimoto, he was adopted by the domain lord, Narihiro, in 1837 and inherited the family headship. In fact, he was what is known as a late adoptee. In the same year, he entered the country and promoted Murata Seifu to carry out the Tenpo Reforms, and later promoted Tsuboi Kuemon, who was opposed to Murata, to reform the domain's government. In 1853, when Perry arrived, he guarded Sagami, and in 1858, he was transferred to guard Hyogo. In the same year, in response to a consultation by the shogunate about a trade treaty, he replaced Tsuboi with Shufu Masanosuke, who had been trained by Murata, and others, who submitted an opinion of expulsion of foreigners that went against the shogunate's diplomatic policy. Before the Ansei Purge, a secret imperial decree was handed over from the Imperial Court, but Shufu, who was secretly dispatched, made a complete turnaround and argued that opening the country to the outside world was inevitable. From then on, he placed Shufu in a highly favorable position, established the three main principles of the domain's policy, made domain autonomy a policy, and began reforms such as introducing a Western-style military system. In 1861, using Nagai Gagaku, he tried to cooperate with the shogunate on a policy of opening the country to the outside world through a sea navigation strategy, but this failed due to opposition from Shufu, Kido Takayoshi, and others, and the arrival of Shimazu Hisamitsu's troops in Kyoto, and in 1862, he made a major shift to a policy of expulsion of foreigners led by Shufu and Kido. On the one hand, Takachika was described as a fair-minded person, but on the other hand, he was sickly and tended to approve the outcome of internal feuds within the domain. He moved his clan headquarters to Yamaguchi, and in May 1863, he bombarded a foreign ship, which led to a dramatic rise in the clan's power, but in a political upheaval on August 18 of the same year, the clan was driven out of Kyoto, and the following year, he was defeated in the Kinmon Incident and stripped of his official rank. When the First Choshu Expedition began, he executed many former government officials and was placed under house arrest. However, after the Genji civil war within the clan, he created a divided system centered around Kido, formed the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance, and succeeded in reforming the military system to a Western style, winning the Bakufu-Choshu War in 1866 (Keio 2). In 1867, he met with Admiral King and secured ties with Britain, and after receiving a secret imperial decree to overthrow the shogunate, he led clan soldiers to Tokyo together with the Satsuma clan and others, and succeeded in a coup d'état to restore the monarchy. In 1869 (Meiji 2), he submitted a petition for the return of the domain and people to the emperor together with the lords of Satsuma and Tosa, and then handed over the family headship to Motonori and retired. His posthumous name was Tadamasa. <References> Kensumi Suematsu, Revised History of the Bōchō Kaiten

(Katsuo Inoue)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：明治4.3.28(1871.5.17)
生年：文政2.2.10(1819.3.5)
幕末維新期の長州(萩)藩主。名は教明,敬親,慶親。猷之進,大膳大夫と称す。前藩主斉元の長子に生まれ,天保8(1837)年藩主斉広の養子となり,家督を継いだ。実はいわゆる末期の養子であった。同9年,入国し,村田清風を登用して,天保の改革を行い,その後,村田と対抗する坪井九右衛門をも藩政改革に登用した。ペリーの来航した嘉永6(1853)年に相模を警衛し,安政5(1858)年兵庫警衛に転じた。同年,通商条約についての幕府の諮問に,坪井を退けて村田の薫陶を受けた周布政之助らを登用し幕府の外交方針に反する攘夷意見を提出,安政の大獄前,朝廷から密勅が渡されたが,密かに派遣された周布は一転,開国やむなしと説いた。以後は周布を重用し,藩是三大綱を立て,藩の自律を方針とし,洋式軍制を導入するなど改革に着手する。文久1(1861)年長井雅楽を用い,航海遠略策の開国策で幕府との協調策を執るが,周布や木戸孝允らの反対と,島津久光の率兵上京で破綻し,同2年,周布や木戸の主導による攘夷方針に大きく転換した。敬親は公平な性格と評される一面,また病弱で藩内抗争の行方を追認する傾向があった。藩庁を山口に移し,文久3年5月外国艦を砲撃し,藩勢飛躍したが,同年8月18日の政変で藩は京都を追われ,翌年,禁門の変にも敗れ,官位を剥奪された。第1次長州征討が始まると,旧政府員多数を処刑して,謹慎した。しかし,藩内での元治の内戦後,木戸を中心とする割拠体制をつくり,薩長同盟を結び,洋式軍制改革に成功し,慶応2(1866)年の幕長戦争に勝った。同3年,キング提督と会見するなど,イギリスとの関係を確保し,討幕の密勅を受け,薩摩藩らと共に藩兵を上京させ王制復古のクーデタを成功させる。明治2(1869)年,薩摩藩主,土佐藩主らと版籍奉還を建白したのち家督を元徳に譲り,隠居。諡は忠正。<参考文献>末松謙澄『修訂防長回天史』

(井上勝生)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

<<: Takamoto Mori

>>: Shigeyoshi Mori