Shinpei Eto

A politician in the late Edo period and the Meiji Restoration. Leader of the Saga Rebellion. His given name was Taneo and his pen name was Nanpaku. He was born on February 9, Tempō 5, to a family of low-ranking samurai in the Saga domain. He studied under the scholar of Japanese classics, Edakishi Shinyo, and gradually became involved in the Sonnō-jō (revere the expedition of all nations) movement. In 1862 (Bunkyū 2), he escaped from the domain and went to Kyoto, where he became acquainted with Sanjō Sanetomi and others. However, he was eventually ordered to return to the domain and sentenced to permanent house arrest. In 1867 (Keio 3), he was pardoned and made a Kori-metsuki (county inspector), and was appointed by the Meiji government, travelled to Kyoto, where he was appointed as a military inspector in Edo, and advocated moving the capital to Edo. He was subsequently appointed as a judge of the Edo prefecture and a judge of the Edo garrison, in charge of civil administration and financial maintenance, and in 1871 (Meiji 4) he was appointed Minister of Education, then Vice-President of the Left House, where he worked on compiling a French-style civil code, and in 1872 he became Minister of Justice, where he worked to make the judiciary independent and to unify the police system, and achieved the establishment of the Revised Code. In 1873 he was appointed as a councilor, but after arguing for the expedition to Korea with Saigo Takamori and Itagaki Taisuke, he was defeated and resigned in October. In January of the following year he signed a petition for the establishment of a popularly elected parliament together with Itagaki Taisuke, Soejima Taneomi and others. In February, he was recommended to become the leader by the Saga Seikanto (Saga Expeditionary Party), and joined forces with the Yukokuto (Patriotic Party) to raise an army. However, he was suppressed by government forces, and fled to Satsuma and Tosa, where he was captured and executed on April 13th. Although he implemented modernization policies that reflected the demands of the people, such as introducing a modern legal system, lowering land and house rents, and abolishing the monopoly on wholesale brokerage, he made mistakes in overcoming the autocratic system of the government controlled by Okubo Toshimichi and Iwakura Tomomi, and instead sought to overcome it through a samurai rebellion.

[Takaaki Ikai]

"Eto Nanpaku, by Matono Hansuke, 2 volumes (1914, Minyusha)" ▽ "Eto Shinpei, by Sugitani Akira (1962, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "Eto Shinpei - The Tragedy of a Radical Reformer, by Mori Toshihiko (Chuko Shinsho)" ▽ "Eto Shinpei, Minister of Justice, by Saki Ryuzo (Bunshun Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

幕末・維新期の政治家。佐賀の乱の首領。名は胤雄(たねお)、号は南白(なんぱく)。天保(てんぽう)5年2月9日、佐賀藩下級武士の家に生まれる。国学者枝吉神陽(えだよししんよう)に師事、しだいに尊攘(そんじょう)運動に参加し、1862年（文久2）脱藩して京に上り、三条実美(さんじょうさねとみ)らと交わった。しかし結局帰藩を命ぜられ、永蟄居(えいちっきょ)に処せられた。1867年（慶応3）許されて郡目付(こおりめつけ)となり、明治政府に登用され、出京して江戸軍監に任ぜられ、江戸遷都を主張した。ついで江戸府判事、江戸鎮台判事として民政兼会計営繕(えいぜん)の任にあたり、1871年（明治4）文部大輔(もんぶたいふ)、ついで左院副議長となり、フランス流の民法典編纂(へんさん)に従事、1872年司法卿(しほうきょう)となり、司法権の独立、警察制度の統一に尽くし、改定律例(かいていりつれい)の制定を実現した。1873年参議に任ぜられたが、西郷隆盛(さいごうたかもり)、板垣退助(いたがきたいすけ)らと征韓論を主張して敗れ、10月下野した。翌年1月の民撰(みんせん)議院設立建白書には、板垣退助、副島種臣(そえじまたねおみ)らとともに署名した。2月佐賀征韓党に推されて首領となり、憂国党と結んで挙兵した。しかし政府軍によって鎮圧され、薩摩(さつま)、土佐に逃れたが、捕らえられ、4月13日処刑された。近代的な法体系の導入や、地代、家賃の値下げ、問屋仲買の独占の廃止など、民衆の要求を反映した近代化政策を行いながらも、大久保利通(おおくぼとしみち)や岩倉具視(いわくらともみ)らが政権を牛耳(ぎゅうじ)る有司(ゆうし)専制体制を克服する道を誤り、士族の反乱にそれを求めることとなった。

［猪飼隆明］

『的野半介著『江藤南白』全2巻（1914・民友社）』▽『杉谷昭著『江藤新平』（1962・吉川弘文館）』▽『毛利敏彦著『江藤新平──急進的改革者の悲劇』（中公新書）』▽『佐木隆三著『司法卿江藤新平』（文春文庫）』

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