Yoshio Oishi - Oishi Yoshio

Japanese: 大石良雄 - おおいし・よしお

Year of death: February 4, Genroku 16 (March 20, 1703)
Year of birth: Manji 2 (1659)
He was the central leader of the 47 ronin who participated in the Ako incident in the mid-Edo period. His real name was "Yoshitaka". His childhood name was Kinai. He was commonly known as Kuranosuke. He was born into a family of senior vassals in the Ako domain in Harima Province (Hyogo Prefecture). After the death of his father, Kennai Yoshiaki, he inherited the position of head of the family from his grandfather, Kuranosuke Yoshikin. He became a chief retainer at a young age. His rice yield was 1,500 koku. He is said to have studied military science under Yamaga Soko and Chinese classics under Ito Jinsai in Kyoto, but if he had not done anything else, he would have ended his life as an ordinary chief retainer. It was because of the Ako incident that he became famous in history. The first of the Ako incidents occurred in 1701, when the lord of the domain, Asano Takumi no Kami Naganori, was serving as the entertainer for the imperial envoys. On March 14, Naganori injured the head of the high-ranking family, Kira Kozukenosuke Yoshinaka, in the palace, as he had a grudge against him. Naganori was immediately placed in the care of Tamura Ukyodayu Takeaki's residence, and it was decided that he would commit seppuku, disown his family, and have the castle land confiscated the same day, as per the wishes of Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. Meanwhile, Yoshinaka was not reprimanded. The news of the incident reached Ako on March 19th. The retainers, including Yoshikatsu, gathered in the castle and debated whether to surrender, commit seppuku, or resist. A group of 300 retainers, some of whom would stay and others of whom would leave, each showing their own way of life. Yoshikatsu brought the family together, and also worked to deal with the domain's bills and debts, and on April 19th, he safely handed the castle over to the castle envoy, Wakisaka Awaji no Kami Yasuteru, and others. All the arrangements were completed on May 21st, and the 100th day memorial service for Naganori was held at Hanagakuji Temple on June 25th, after which the castle was moved to Yamashina in Yamashiro (Kyoto Prefecture). From this point, the incident shifted to revenge. Yoshikatsu seemed to be thinking of atoning for his master's disgrace, restoring the Asano clan through Nagahiro, the younger brother of Naganori, and killing Yoshinaka if that failed, but the public opinion in both Edo and Kamigata was that of sympathy for the former Ako clan samurai who had become ronin. In November, Yoshikatsu entered Edo and stayed there for about a month. During this time, Yoshinaka's request to move his residence was granted in August, and he moved from his residence in Gofukubashi to Honjo Hitotsume across the river in Ryogoku, and in December, his grandson (adopted son), Uesugi Yoshichika, inherited the headship of the Kira clan. Some of the Ako ronin dropped out, and Yoshikatsu divorced his wife and children, leaving his eldest son, Kazura, and spent his time in Fushimi and Shimabara. In July 1582, it was decided that Nagahiro would be placed in the care of the main Asano family, and hopes of restoring the clan were gone. In the same month, Yoshikatsu gathered his comrades in Maruyama, Kyoto, and confirmed his intention to "attack the Kira residence." On December 14-15 of the same year, 47 ronin gathered in Edo and carried out the "attack". Yoshinaka's head was taken and presented at Naganori's grave at Sengaku-ji Temple. The ronin who attacked were divided into four families by the shogunate - Hosokawa, Hisamatsu, Mori, and Mizuno - and committed seppuku on February 4 of the following year. Their remains were buried next to Naganori's grave. As a result, Naganori's immaturity, which was the source of the incident, was not pursued, and he even attracted sympathy, and the ronin were praised as "loyal samurai". It has been dramatized in joruri and kabuki plays such as Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Goban Taiheiki" and Takeda Izumo's "Kanadehon Chushingura", and has gained a reputation that can be said to have attracted national interest through all kinds of performing arts. The entire incident has also come to be called "Chushingura". <References> Matsushima Eiichi, "Chushingura", Ako City Board of Education, "Chushingura"

(Eiichi Matsushima)

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

Japanese:

没年：元禄16.2.4(1703.3.20)
生年：万治2(1659)
江戸時代中期の赤穂事件の浪士47人の中心的指導者。名は正しくは「よしたか」。幼名は喜内。通称は内蔵助播磨国(兵庫県)赤穂藩の重臣の家に生まれ,父権内良昭の死後,祖父内蔵助良欽の家督を嗣ぐ。若くして家老職となった。石高1500石。山鹿素行に軍学を,京の伊藤仁斎に漢学を学んだといわれるが,そのまま何もなければ,平凡な一家老で生涯を終わっていよう。史上に名を遺すこととなったのは,赤穂事件のためである。赤穂事件のうちの第1の事件は元禄14(1701)年の勅使下向の接待役を,藩主浅野内匠頭長矩が勤めたときに起こった。3月14日,長矩が,高家筆頭吉良上野介義央を,遺恨ありとして殿中で負傷させた刃傷事件である。長矩はただちに田村右京太夫建顕の邸に預けられ,即日,切腹・断絶・城地没収が,将軍徳川綱吉の意向として決定した。一方,義央には何の咎めもなかった。事件の報が赤穂に伝えられたのは3月19日。良雄以下の家臣は,城中に集まり,開城か,切腹か,抵抗かをめぐって論議。300人の家臣団が,残る者,去る者,それぞれの生き方を示した。良雄は家中をまとめ,また藩札・藩の借金などの処置にも努め,4月19日に城を無事に受城使脇坂淡路守安照らに引き渡した。5月21日には万事の処置を終わり,6月25日の長矩の百カ日法要を花岳寺で行うと,山城(京都府)の山科に移った。ここから事件は仇討ちに移る。良雄は,主君の恥辱をそそぐことと,長矩の弟長広による浅野家の再興,それがかなわなかったときに義央を討つことを考えていたようであるが,世評は江戸・上方とも浪人となった旧赤穂藩士たちに同情の声が多かった。11月良雄は江戸に入り約1カ月滞在。この間,8月に義央は屋敷替えの願いを聞きとどけられて,呉服橋の邸から両国の川向うの本所一ツ目に移転,12月には孫(養子)の上杉義周が吉良の家督を相続した。赤穂の浪士の中には脱落する者も出て,良雄も長男主税をのこして妻子と離縁,伏見・島原などで遊ぶ。15年7月,長広の浅野本家預けが決まり,お家再興の望みは消えた。同月,良雄は京都円山に同志を集め,「吉良邸討入り」の意志を確認。江戸に集結した浪士47人が「討入り」を決行したのは,同年12月14～15日。義央の首級をあげ,泉岳寺の長矩の墓前に供えた。討入った浪士たちは,幕府により細川・久松・毛利・水野の4家に分れて預けられ,翌16年2月4日に切腹。遺骸は長矩の墓のそばに葬られた。この結果,事件の発端となった長矩の未熟さは追求されることなく,同情をさえ引くこととなり,浪士たちは「義士」とたたえられた。近松門左衛門の「碁盤太平記」,竹田出雲の「仮名手本忠臣蔵」など浄瑠璃や歌舞伎に劇化され,あらゆる芸能によって,国民的関心といってよいほどの評判を得ている。そしてこの事件全体も「忠臣蔵」といわれるようになった。<参考文献>松島榮一『忠臣蔵』,赤穂市教育委員会『忠臣蔵』

(松島榮一)

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