Asano Nagamasa

Japanese: 浅野長政 - あさの・ながまさ

Year of death: April 7, 1611 (May 19, 1611)
Year of birth: Tenbun 16 (1547)
A military commander in the Sengoku and early Edo periods. Nicknamed Yabei no Jō, his given name was Hajime Nagayoshi. He was born as the eldest son of Yasui Yabei no Jō Shigetsugu of Kitano, Kasugai County, Owari Province, but as his mother's older brother, Asano Mataemon Nagakatsu, had no sons, he married Nagakatsu's adopted daughter Yaya and inherited the Asano family. Nagakatsu's other adopted daughter was Nene, who became Hideyoshi's wife, and Hideyoshi and Nagamasa became husbands-in-law. He initially served Oda Nobunaga, but soon began serving Hideyoshi, and in 1573, when Hideyoshi was granted the Asai clan's legacy following their downfall, he was given a fief of 120 koku in Omi. In August of the same year (10th year, 11th year or 12th year), he was appointed as the magistrate of Kyoto together with Sugihara Ietsugu, and after Ietsugu fell ill and was replaced by Maeda Gen'i, Nagamasa and Gen'i handled the complicated issues of the Imperial Court and the Monzeki territories. In the same year, he also served as the magistrate for the Yamashiro Province land survey, which is said to be the beginning of the Taiko land survey, and was a behind-the-scenes figure supporting Hideyoshi's domestic affairs. After the Battle of Shizugatake in the 11th year, he was given 20,300 koku in the two counties of Koga and Kurita in Omi, and the following year he was entrusted with Omi Sakamoto Castle and Otsu Castle. In the 15th year, he was given 80,000 koku in the whole of Wakasa Province and became the lord of Obama Castle, and the following year he was appointed as Junior Fifth Rank and Danjo Shosuke. During the Bunroku War, he shared in the construction of Hizen Nagoya Castle and also traveled to sea as a military inspector. At this time, he came into conflict with Ishida Mitsunari, who was also traveling to the sea as a military inspector, and thereafter, there was a rift between them. In Bunroku 2 (1593), he was given 225,000 koku in Kai and became the lord of Kai Fuchu Castle, but at this time, he also gave 160,000 koku to his son, Yukinaga, as a sign of his succession to the family. In Keicho 3 (1598), he became one of the so-called five magistrates, but because he had been friends with Tokugawa Ieyasu through the game of Go, he was confined to Kai due to a slanderous accusation by Masuda Nagamori, and at the Battle of Sekigahara, he and his son, Yukinaga, joined the Eastern Army. He excelled in civil administration, and was admired for his virtues by the people of Harima during Hideyoshi's time and by the people of Kai. He also had a particular love for Go, and it is said that Ieyasu, who often played with Nagamasa, stopped playing Go after his death.

(Tetsuo Owada)

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

Japanese:

没年：慶長16.4.7(1611.5.19)
生年：天文16(1547)
戦国・江戸前期の武将。通称は弥兵衛尉,名ははじめ長吉。尾張国春日井郡北野の安井弥兵衛尉重継の長男として生まれたが,母の兄に当たる浅野又右衛門長勝に男子がなかったため,長勝の養女だったややと結婚,浅野家を継いだ。長勝のもうひとりの養女が秀吉の妻となったねねで,秀吉と長政は相婿の間柄となる。はじめ織田信長に仕えたが,まもなく秀吉に仕えるようになり,天正1(1573)年,秀吉が浅井氏滅亡後その遺領を与えられたとき,近江で120石の知行を与えられている。同10年(11,12年説もある)8月,杉原家次と共に京都奉行を命ぜられ,家次が病気になって前田玄以と交代したあと,長政,玄以のふたりが禁裏御領や門跡領などの複雑な問題を処理し,また同年,太閤検地のはじまりとされる山城国検地の奉行も務めており,秀吉の内政面を裏方で支える存在であった。同11年の賤ケ岳の戦後,近江の甲賀・栗太2郡の内に2万300石を与えられ,翌年,近江坂本城と大津城を預けられた。同15年には若狭一国8万石を与えられて小浜城主となり,翌16年には従五位下・弾正少弼に叙任された。文禄の役では,肥前名護屋城の普請を分担し,また軍監として渡海。このとき同じく軍監として渡海していた石田三成と対立し,以後,三成とは不和になった。文禄2(1593)年,甲斐で22万5000石を与えられ,甲斐府中城主となったが,このとき家督相続の意味もこめて子幸長に16万石を与えている。慶長3(1598)年,いわゆる五奉行となったが,徳川家康と囲碁を通して親交があったことなどから増田長盛の讒訴によって甲斐に閉居させられ,関ケ原の戦のときには,子幸長と共に東軍に属した。民政手腕にすぐれ,秀吉時代の播磨の領民や,甲斐の領民からその遺徳を慕われた。また囲碁を特に好み,しばしば共に盤を囲んだ家康は長政没後,囲碁を絶ったと伝えられる。

(小和田哲男)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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