Shigenobu Okuma

A politician of the Meiji and Taisho periods. Born on February 16, Tempo 9, in Saga Kaisho-koji, Hizen Province, as the eldest son of Nobuyasu, the Saga Domain's gunnery chief, and Miiko. His childhood name was Yataro. In 1864 (Genji 1), he proposed economic policies to the domain authorities and traveled between Nagasaki and Hyogo as the domain's representative. Around this time, he studied English in Nagasaki under the Dutch-American missionary Verbeck, and the following year founded and ran the English school Chienkan in Nagasaki. In March 1867 (Keio 3), he escaped from the domain to Kyoto with Soejima Taneomi to advise Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return power to the Emperor, but was captured and sent back to Saga.

When the Meiji government was established, he was appointed counselor and judge of the Foreign Affairs Bureau in March 1868, negotiated with British envoy Parkes on the issue of the punishment of Christians, and was subsequently promoted to lieutenant governor of the Foreign Affairs Bureau. In February 1869 (Meiji 2), he married Saegusa Ayako. In March of the same year, he was appointed lieutenant governor of the Treasury, and in July he was appointed assistant minister of finance, and then assistant minister of civil affairs. He worked hard on the counterfeit currency issue, the construction of railways and telegraphs, and the establishment of the Ministry of Public Works. In September 1870, he became a councilor, and in October 1873, he was appointed minister of finance, and in February 1880, he became a full-time councilor. During this time, while Iwakura Tomomi and his party were in Europe, he took a stance against the argument for the expedition to Korea led by Saigo Takamori and others in the government in absentia. He then took charge of finances under Okubo Toshimichi, and promoted the disposal of stipends and land tax reform. After Okubo's death, he became the top councillor and promoted the policy of industrial development. It was during this period that the so-called Okuma finance was developed, and he also built a close relationship with Mitsubishi. In March 1881, he submitted a statement of opinion on the establishment of a national parliament, calling for the immediate establishment of a parliament based on a party cabinet system, and opposed the transfer of public property from the Hokkaido Colonization Agency at the time. As a result, he was ostracized by the Satsuma-Choshu faction and the court group, and resigned from council in October. At the same time, many of the Okuma faction bureaucrats also resigned in unison (the political upheaval of Meiji 14).

After the political upheaval, he took action to form a political party, and in April 1882, he formed the Constitutional Reform Party with Yano Fumio, Ono Azusa, and others, becoming its Prime Minister. In October, with the help of Ono and Takada Sanae, he founded Tokyo Senmon Gakko (renamed Waseda University in 1902). In December 1884, he nominally left the Constitutional Reform Party. In February 1888, he became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the first Ito Hirobumi Cabinet, and then remained in Kuroda Kiyotaka Cabinet, negotiating treaty revisions. However, he faced strong public opposition over the appointment of foreign judges, and the following year, he was injured by a bomb thrown by Kurushima Tsuneki, a member of the Genyosha Society, and had his right leg amputated. In December, he resigned as Minister of Foreign Affairs and became a Privy Councilor. With the opening of the Diet, he rejoined the Constitutional Reform Party in December 1891 and became chairman of the general assembly. In March 1896, he formed the Progressive Party with the same party as his core member and became its leader. In September, he compromised with the Satsuma faction and became Minister of Foreign Affairs in the second Matsukata Masayoshi cabinet (the Matsukuma Cabinet). In March of the following year, he also served as Minister of Agriculture and Commerce, but resigned in November due to disagreements with the Satsuma faction. In June 1898, together with Itagaki Taisuke, he merged the Liberal Party and the Progressive Party to form the Constitutional Party, and organized the first party cabinet, the First Okuma Cabinet (the Okuma-Ichi Cabinet). However, due to conflicts between the two factions and feuds within the cabinet, the party split into the Liberal Party-affiliated Constitutional Party and the Progressive Party-affiliated Constitutional Honto Party, and the cabinet resigned en masse after four months. In December 1900 (Meiji 33), he became Prime Minister of the Constitutional Government Party, and continued his party activities, but in January 1907 he resigned and retired from politics for a time, and in April he became President of Waseda University. After the First Constitutional Government Protection Movement, he returned to politics again, and in April 1914 (Taisho 3), he organized the Second Okuma Cabinet, and also served as Minister of the Interior. Japan participated in World War I, and in 1915 he submitted the Twenty-One Demands to China, and expanded the military by adding two divisions. In August of the same year, he reshuffled the cabinet and also served as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and in July 1916 he was awarded the title of marquis, after which he resigned en masse in October.

Okuma was a politician and also made a great contribution as a promoter of Meiji civilization. He devoted his life to educational endeavors, starting with the founding of Waseda University. He also worked tirelessly to educate citizens worthy of a constitutional monarchy, through the founding of the Kokusho Kankokai and the Dai Nippon Bunmei Kyokai, presiding over magazines such as Shin Nihon and Taikan, and writing Kaikoku 50 Nen Shi and Kaikoku Taisei Shi. He never traveled to the West, and although he was an orator he left no handwritten writings. He was also known for his vast knowledge and was maligned as "big talk," but it was also true that he was regarded as a people's politician. He died of cholelithiasis on January 10, 1922. A public funeral was held in Hibiya Park. His grave is at Gokokuji Temple in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.

[Nomaru Sato]

"The 85-Year History of Marquis Okuma, compiled and published by the Marquis Okuma 85-Year History Compilation Committee, 3 volumes and 1 supplementary volume (1926)" ▽ "Okuma Shigenobu, by Nakamura Naomi (1961, Yoshikawa Kobunkan)" ▽ "Okuma Shigenobu in the History of Meiji Civilization, by Yanagida Izumi (1962, Waseda University Press)" ▽ "Catalogue of Works on Okuma Shigenobu, by Kono Akimasa" (included in Waseda University Historical Summary, volumes 6-8, 1973-1975, Waseda University History Editorial Office)" ▽ "Documents Related to Okuma Shigenobu, compiled by Waseda University Archives Center, 10 volumes in total and 1 supplementary volume (2004-, Misuzu Shobo)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明治・大正期の政治家。天保(てんぽう)9年2月16日肥前国(ひぜんのくに)佐賀会所小路に、佐賀藩砲術長の父信保(のぶやす)、母三井子(みいこ)の長男として生まれる。幼名八太郎。1864年（元治1）藩当局に経済政策を建言し、藩の代品方として長崎―兵庫間を往来、このころより長崎でオランダ系アメリカ人宣教師フルベッキに英学を学び、翌年長崎に英語学校致遠館(ちえんかん)を設立しその経営にあたった。1867年（慶応3）3月、将軍徳川慶喜(とくがわよしのぶ)に大政奉還を勧告しようとして副島種臣(そえじまたねおみ)とともに脱藩上洛(じょうらく)したが、捕らえられて佐賀に送還された。

　明治政府成立に際し、1868年3月参与兼外国事務局判事に登用され、キリスト教処分問題でイギリス公使パークスと交渉にあたり、ついで外国官副知事に昇進した。1869年（明治2）2月三枝綾子(さえぐさあやこ)と結婚。同年3月会計官副知事兼任、7月大蔵大輔(たいふ)、ついで民部大輔兼任となり、贋貨(がんか)問題、鉄道電信建設、工部省設置などに尽力し、1870年9月参議となり、1873年10月大蔵卿(きょう)を兼任、1880年2月参議専任となった。この間、岩倉具視(いわくらともみ)一行の遣欧中の留守政府内では西郷隆盛(さいごうたかもり)らの征韓論に反対の立場をとり、ついで大久保利通(おおくぼとしみち)の下で財政を担当しつつ、秩禄(ちつろく)処分、地租改正を進め、大久保没後は参議筆頭となって殖産興業政策を推進した。いわゆる大隈財政が展開されたのがこの時期で、他面、三菱(みつびし)と親密な関係をも結んだ。1881年3月国会開設意見書を提出して政党内閣制を基軸とする即時議会開設を主張するとともに、おりからの北海道開拓使官有物払下げに反対したため、薩長(さっちょう)勢力および宮廷グループに排斥され、10月参議を辞任し、同時に大隈派官僚多数も連袂(れんべい)辞職した（明治十四年の政変）。

　政変後、政党結成を実行に移し、1882年4月矢野文雄、小野梓(おのあずさ)らと立憲改進党を結成してその総理となり、また10月小野や高田早苗(たかださなえ)らの尽力を得て東京専門学校（1902年早稲田(わせだ)大学と改称）を創立した。1884年12月名目上、立憲改進党を脱党。1888年2月第一次伊藤博文(いとうひろぶみ)内閣の外務大臣となり、ついで黒田清隆(くろだきよたか)内閣にも留任して条約改正交渉にあたったが、外人裁判官任用問題で世論の大反対にあい、翌年玄洋社(げんようしゃ)社員来島恒喜(くるしまつねき)に爆弾を投げつけられて負傷し右脚を切断。12月外相を辞任して枢密顧問官となった。議会開設に伴い、1891年12月立憲改進党に復党し代議士総会長に就任。1896年3月同党を中心に進歩党を結成して党首となり、9月薩派と妥協して第二次松方正義(まつかたまさよし)内閣の外務大臣となった（松隈内閣(しょうわいないかく)）。翌年3月農商務大臣を兼任したが、薩派とあわず11月辞任。1898年6月板垣退助(いたがきたいすけ)とともに自由党と進歩党を合同して憲政党を結成し、最初の政党内閣第一次大隈内閣（隈板内閣(わいはんないかく)）を組織した。しかし、両派の対立と閣内確執のため、党は自由党系の憲政党と進歩党系の憲政本党に分裂し、内閣は4か月で総辞職した。1900年（明治33）12月憲政本党総理に就任し、政党活動を続行したが、1907年1月辞任して、一時政界から引退、4月早稲田大学総長に就任した。第一次憲政擁護運動ののち、ふたたび政界に復帰し、1914年（大正3）4月第二次大隈内閣を組織、内務大臣を兼任した。第一次世界大戦に参戦し、1915年には対華二十一か条要求を提出、また2個師団増設などの軍備拡張を行った。同年8月内閣を改造して外務大臣を兼任し、1916年7月侯爵に叙せられたのちの10月に総辞職した。

　大隈は政治家であると同時に広く明治文明の推進者としての功績をもっている。早稲田大学の創設をはじめとして終生教育事業に力を尽くし、また国書刊行会、大日本文明協会の設立、『新日本』『大観』などの雑誌の主宰、『開国五十年史』『開国大勢史』の著述などによって、立憲君主制の国家にふさわしい国民の養成に精励した。一度も洋行せず、弁論家であったが直筆を残さず、また、博覧強記で「大風呂敷(おおぶろしき)」と陰口もされたが、民衆政治家と目されていたことも事実であった。大正11年1月10日胆石症で死去。日比谷(ひびや)公園で国民葬が行われた。墓所は東京都文京区護国寺。

［佐藤能丸］

『大隈侯85年史編纂会編・刊『大隈侯85年史』3巻・別巻1（1926）』▽『中村尚美著『大隈重信』（1961・吉川弘文館）』▽『柳田泉著『明治文明史における大隈重信』（1962・早稲田大学出版部）』▽『河野昭昌「大隈重信論著目録」（『早稲田大学史記要』6～8所収・1973～1975・早稲田大学史編集所）』▽『早稲田大学大学史資料センター編『大隈重信関係文書』全10巻・別巻1（2004～　・みすず書房）』

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