Yoshiyasu Yanagisawa

He was a favorite aide of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the fifth Shogun of the Edo Shogunate. His first name was Fusayasu, Yasuakira, and he was commonly known as Yataro. The Yanagisawa clan was a former retainer of the Takeda clan of Koshu, and served the Tokugawa clan after the downfall of Takeda Katsuyori. Yasuaki's father, Yasutada, served the Suruga Dainagon Tadanaga, but when Tadanaga was demoted, he became a ronin for a time. However, he soon served Tsunayoshi when he was the lord of the Tatebayashi domain, and served as the domain's chief accountant, receiving a stipend of 160 koku and 370 bales of stored rice. Yasuaki inherited the position in 1675 (Enpo 3), served as Tsunayoshi's page, and was added to the Shogunate's vassals in 1680 when Tsunayoshi became Shogun, becoming a small storehouse official. He was subsequently promoted and his stipend increased frequently, and in 1685 (Jokyo 2) he was appointed Dewa no Kami with a rank of Junior Fifth Rank. In 1688 (Genroku 1) he was promoted to Sobayonin, becoming a daimyo with a stipend of over 12,000 koku. In 1690 he was promoted to Junior Fourth Rank with an additional stipend of 20,000 koku. In 1694 he was promoted to Chamberlain, and as lord of Kawagoe Castle in Musashi (Saitama Prefecture) he was given a stipend of 72,000 koku and became a Roju rank. In 1698 he was promoted to Sakon'e Gon no Shosho, a rank higher than Roju. In 1701 (Genroku 14), the Matsudaira family was allowed to use the Matsudaira family name, and was given the first part of Tsunayoshi's name. Yasuaki changed his name to Yoshiyasu, and his son Yasuda changed his name to Yoshizato. In 1704 (Hoei 1), he was granted a fief of over 150,000 koku in Kai Province (Yamanashi Prefecture), a fief that had previously only been given to members of the Tokugawa clan, and became the lord of Kofu Castle. However, when Tsunayoshi died in 1709 and his nephew Ienobu became the sixth shogun, Yoshiyasu retired and took the name Hozan Genyo. He died on November 2, 1712, at Rikugien Garden, a villa in Komagome. He was buried at Eikei-ji Temple in Yamanashi County, Kai, and later reburied at Erin-ji Temple in the same county.

Yoshiyasu's remarkable rise was due to the extraordinary favoritism of Shogun Tsunayoshi, and so rumors are widely circulating that Yoshiyasu was a wicked schemer, but he was not such a bad person, nor was he a man of such skill that he could influence the politics of the country. Rather, he was a close aide who followed Tsunayoshi's will with an almost naive honesty, and it is likely that his lack of talent was the reason he was able to serve the mercurial Shogun for so long. However, as a feudal lord, he was very attentive to governance and was loved by his subjects. In terms of scholarship and culture, Yoshiyasu seems to have pandered to Tsunayoshi's love of learning, but he also employed excellent scholars such as Ogyu Sorai in his household, and in Japanese studies he was taught the Kokinshu style by Kitamura Kigin, and he was also fond of poetry. Since studying Zen under Jikudo Sobon at the age of 20 in 1677 (Enpo 5), many Zen monks have worked on it, and in 1695, he received approval from Kosen Shoton, the 5th abbot of Manpuku-ji Temple. Sorai and others compiled the records of these dialogues, and Emperor Reigen bestowed an imperial title and preface on them, forming the Chokushi Goho Jōōrokushō.

[Tatsuya Tsuji]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸幕府5代将軍徳川綱吉(つなよし)側近の寵臣(ちょうしん)。初名房安(ふさやす)、保明(やすあきら)、通称弥太郎(やたろう)。柳沢氏は甲州武田の旧臣、武田勝頼(かつより)滅亡ののち徳川氏に仕えた。保明の父安忠は駿河大納言(するがだいなごん)忠長(ただなが)付きとなり、忠長改易により一時浪人したが、ほどなく館林(たてばやし)藩主時代の綱吉に仕え、同藩の勘定頭(かんじょうがしら)を勤め、知行(ちぎょう)高160石と蔵米370俵を受けた。保明は1675年（延宝3）相続、綱吉の小姓(こしょう)を勤め、80年綱吉の将軍就任に従って幕臣に加えられ、小納戸(こなんど)となった。その後頻繁に昇進・加増を受け、85年（貞享2）従(じゅ)五位下出羽守(でわのかみ)に叙任。88年（元禄1）側用人(そばようにん)に昇り、1万2000石余の大名となる。90年従四位下に昇進、2万石加増。94年侍従に昇進、武蔵(むさし)（埼玉県）川越城主として7万2000石を領し、老中格となる。98年老中より上格の左近衛権少将(さこんえのごんのしょうしょう)に昇任。1701年（元禄14）には松平の家号を許されるとともに、綱吉の偏諱(へんき)を賜って、保明は吉保、その子安貞(やすさだ)は吉里と改名した。04年（宝永1）には従来徳川一門にしか与えられたことがない甲斐(かい)国（山梨県）15万石余に封ぜられ、甲府城主となったが、09年綱吉が死去し、その甥家宣(いえのぶ)が6代将軍に就任すると、吉保は隠居して保山元養と号し、正徳(しょうとく)4年11月2日駒込(こまごめ)の別荘六義園(りくぎえん)で死去した。甲斐山梨郡の永慶寺に葬り、のち同郡恵林(えりん)寺に改葬した。

　吉保の著しい栄進は将軍綱吉の異常なまでの寵愛(ちょうあい)によるものであったから、吉保は悪辣(あくらつ)な策謀家であったとの風評が広く流布しているが、彼はさほどの悪人ではなく、また天下の政治を左右するほどの手腕家でもなかった。むしろ愚直なほど誠実に綱吉の意に従った側近であり、なまじの才気のなかったことが、かえって気まぐれな将軍に長く奉仕しえたゆえんであろう。ただし、藩主としてはかなり施政に心がけ、領民に慕われていたらしい。また学問・教養の面では、綱吉の好学に迎合したとみられる点もあるが、家中に荻生徂徠(おぎゅうそらい)など優れた学者を召し抱え、和学では北村季吟(きぎん)について古今伝授を受け、詩歌のたしなみもあった。1677年（延宝5）20歳のとき竺道祖梵(じくどうそぼん)について参禅して以来、多くの禅僧によって工夫(くふう)を重ね、95年万福寺5世高泉性潡(こうせんしょうとん)から印可を受けた。その問答録を徂徠らに編纂(へんさん)させ、霊元(れいげん)法皇から勅題と序文を賜ったのが『勅賜護法常応録鈔(しょう)』である。

［辻　達也］

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