Yokoi Shonan

Yokoi Shonan

memorial

Yokoi Shōnan ( Japanese 横 井 小楠 ; born September 22, 1809 in Kumamoto ; died February 15, 1869 ) was a Japanese thinker and politician during the late Edo and early Meiji periods .

life and work

As a samurai, Yokoi Shōnan attended the Han school of Kumamoto-han , the Jishūkan ( 時 修 館 ) , which is known for its academic quality . In 1839 he was sent to Edo , where he a. a. Fujita Tōko (藤田 東湖; 1806-1857), a leading representative of the Mitogaku , met. The talks brought both together on a reform course, which concerned the structure of the state. After ten months in Edo, Yokoi was called back to Kumamoto, where he opened a school in 1847, which campaigned for the renewal of the state administration according to neo-Confucian principles.

1857 invited Matsudaira Yoshinaga (1828-1890), daimyo of Fukui ( Echizen Province ), Yokoi to teach at the school of his domain. In 1862 Yoshinaga was suddenly called to Edo to take over the newly created position of Seiji Sōsai ( 政治 総 裁 ), as a kind of president of Bakufu. His first task was to obtain the imperial approval of the Harris Treaty , one of the "Ansei Treaties" with five colonial powers that the Shogunate was forced to conclude. Then Yokoi was also called to Edo to advise Yoshinaga on the reform of Bakufu and closer cooperation with the emperor. Yokoi was in favor of opening up Japan to foreign trade, reforming the finances of the domains, greater involvement of the great daimyo in the government and strengthening Japan's military position, all under the premise of Kōbu gattai ( 公 武 合体 ), i.e. des Cooperation between the court nobility and the sword nobility.

In 1863 Yokoi was assaulted by conservatives, after which he returned to Kumamoto. Because he fled the attack without looking after two wounded companions, he lost his samurai status and was placed under house arrest. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, he was honored with the post of State Advisor ( 参与 , san'yo ). In 1869 he was murdered by a samurai who suspected him of being a Christian and of representing republican ideas.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Yokois house in Kumamoto .
2. ↑ ^{a b} Hunter: Yokoi Shōnan .

literature

• S. Noma (Ed.): Yokoi Shōnan . In: Japan. An Illustrated Encyclopedia. Kodansha, 1993, ISBN 4-06-205938-X
• Hunter, Janet: Yokoi Shonan . In: Concise Dictionary of Modern Japanese History. Kodansha International, 1984. ISBN 4-7700-1193-8 .

Web links

Commons : Yokoi Shōnan  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . Thus Yokoi is the family name, Shōnan the first name.