Takeaki Enomoto

A former Shogunate official, Meiji government politician, and diplomat. He was commonly known as Kamajiro and Ryosen. He was born in Edo on August 25, Tempo 7, as the second son of Shogunate official Enomoto Takenori (1790-1860). In 1856 (Ansei 3), he entered the Nagasaki Naval Training School, where he studied engineering under Pels Rijcken (1810-1889) and Kattendiecke, and chemistry under Pompe. In 1858, he became a professor at the Tsukiji Naval Training School. In 1862 (Bunkyu 2), he studied abroad in the Netherlands. He learned the International Maritime Code from Fredericks. He gained a wide range of knowledge, including languages, military affairs, international law, and chemistry, and in 1867 (Keio 3), he returned to Japan aboard the warship Kaiyo Maru, which had been ordered by the Shogunate, and became its captain. In 1868 (Keio 4), he became Vice Admiral of the Navy. Even after the surrender of Edo Castle and the collapse of the shogunate in the Ueno War, he refused to hand over the shogunate warships to the Meiji government and escaped off the coast of Shinagawa with the former shogunate forces. He rebelled against the government from Goryokaku in Hakodate and declared a new government, but surrendered to the government forces in May of the following year, 1869, and was imprisoned. Thanks to the efforts of Kuroda Kiyotaka, Fukuzawa Yukichi, and others, he was released in 1872. He soon became involved in research into the development of Hokkaido. In 1874, he was stationed in Russia as an envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary, and the following year, in 1875, he concluded the Treaty of Exchange for Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. In 1882, he became the envoy extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Qing, negotiated with Li Hongzhang, and assisted in the signing of the Treaty of Tianjin. He returned to Japan in 1885. He subsequently served as Minister of Communications in the same year, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce in 1887, Minister of Education in 1889, Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1891, Minister of Agriculture and Commerce in 1894, and Privy Councillor in 1892. He was made a Viscount in 1887.

In 1878, on his way back from Russia, he crossed Siberia and inspected the geology of various places. In 1879, he advocated for the founding of the Geological Society and became its vice-president. He excelled in languages ​​and had the best scientific knowledge of his time. He wrote many reports on the geology and local products of Hokkaido, as well as reports on inspections of foreign territories, and was noted as a science and technology official. It is known that when he decided to fight to the death at Goryokaku, he presented the Imperial Army with the "Complete Book of the Laws of the Sea of ​​Nations" so that it would not be destroyed by the flames of war. He died on October 26, 1908.

[Kazuo Katagiri September 19, 2018]

"Enomoto Takamitsu, editor, "Enomoto Takeaki's Unpublished Letters" (2003, Shinjinbutsu Oraisha)" ▽ "Enomoto Takeaki, by Kamo Giichi (Chuko Bunko)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧幕臣、明治政府の政治家、外交官。通称釜次郎(かまじろう)、梁川(りょうせん)と号した。天保(てんぽう)7年8月25日、幕臣榎本武規(たけのり)（1790―1860）の次男として江戸に生まれる。1856年（安政3）長崎海軍伝習所に入り、ペルス・ライケンG・C・C・Pels Rijcken（1810―1889）、カッテンディーケに機関学などを、ポンペに化学を学び、1858年築地(つきじ)軍艦操練所教授となる。1862年（文久2）からオランダに留学。フレデリックスについて万国海律を学ぶ。語学をはじめ、軍事、国際法、化学など広い知識を得て、1867年（慶応3）、幕府の注文した軍艦開陽丸に乗って帰国、同艦の船将となる。1868年（慶応4）海軍副総裁となる。江戸開城、上野戦争で幕府が崩壊したのちも、幕府軍艦の明治政府への引き渡しを拒否、旧幕軍を率いて品川沖から脱走。箱館(はこだて)の五稜郭(ごりょうかく)に拠(よ)って政府に反抗、新政権を宣言したが、翌1869年5月官軍に降伏、投獄された。黒田清隆(くろだきよたか)、福沢諭吉(ふくざわゆきち)らの尽力により1872年出獄。まもなく北海道開拓の調査に従事。1874年特命全権公使としてロシアに駐在、翌1875年樺太千島(からふとちしま)交換条約を締結した。1882年駐清(しん)特命全権公使となり、李鴻章(りこうしょう)と折衝、天津(てんしん)条約の調印に助力。1885年帰国。以後、同年逓信(ていしん)、1887年農商務、1889年文部、1891年外務、1894年農商務の各大臣、1892年枢密顧問官を歴任。1887年子爵。

　1878年ロシアからの帰途シベリアを横断、各地の地質などを視察。1879年地学協会の創立を唱えて副会長となる。語学に優れ、科学知識も当代一流であった。北海道の地質・物産の調査報告が多く、外地の視察報告もあって、科学・技術官僚としても注目される。五稜郭において、玉砕を決意するに際し、『万国海律全書』が兵火のために烏有(うゆう)に帰すことなきよう、これを官軍に贈ったことは世に知られている。明治41年10月26日没。

［片桐一男　2018年9月19日］

『榎本隆充編『榎本武揚未公開書簡集』（2003・新人物往来社）』▽『加茂儀一著『榎本武揚』（中公文庫）』

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