Biographical dictionary of Japanese history

635 Pages·1978·30.66 MB·English

by  Seiichi Iwao

Staff
Akio Yasuoka
Kenzo Tanji
Koichi Fujimoto
Mitsumasa Yamamoto
Yoshiko Yamamoto
Mitsuo Fuse
Fumihiko Sueki
Yoshimitsu Iwakabe
Fumiko Umezawa
Mitsue Kuroda
Yoko Nakajima
BIOGRAPHICAL
DICTIONARY
OF
JAPANESE
HISTORY
supervising editor
Seiichi Iwao
translator
Burton Watson
Kodansha International Ltd.
in collaboration with the
International Society for Educational Information
Photo Credits
The compilers and publishers are grateful to the following
institutions and individuals for permission to reproduce the
photographs in this book: the Imperial Household Agency;
the National Diet Library; Tokyo National Museum; the
Institute for Compilation of Historiographical Materials of
University of Tokyo; Kyodo News Service; Sanyo Photo;
Daihikaku Senko-ji; Yamazaki Fumiko; Kodansha, Ltd.;
Jimyo-in; Kitano Temman-gu; Toji-in; Kinkaku-ji; Jingo-ji;
Kennin-ji; Nishi Hongan-ji; Seiken-in; Waseda University
Library; Matsuura Shiryo Hakubutsukan; Tokyo Shisei
Chosakai; Shorin-ji; Yogen-in; Kyoto University Library;
Manpuku-ji.
Distributed in the United States by Kodansha
International/USA Ltd., through Harper & Row,
Publishers, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street, New York,
New York 10022, and in Japan by Kodansha
International Ltd., 2-12-21 Otowa, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 112.
Published by Kodansha International Ltd., 2-12-21
Otowa, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 112 and Kodansha
Intemational/USA Ltd., 10 East 53rd Street, New
York, New York 10022 and 44 Montgomery
Street, San Francisco, California 94104 in
collaboration with the International Society for
Educational Information, Inc., 7—8 Shintomi
2-chome, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104. Copyright © 1978
by the International Society for Educational
Information, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed
in Japan.
LCC 76-9359
ISBN 0-87011-274-0
JBC 1521-786265-2361
First edition, 1978
Contents
Foreword 7
Preface 9
Ancient Period 11
Medieval Period 75
Early Modern Period 147
Modern Period 287
Appendices
Imperial Family Lineage 529
Fujiwara Family Lineage 532
Minamoto and Taira Family Lineages 533
Lineages of the Hojo Regents and
Ashikaga Shoguns 534
Lineage of the Tokugawa Shoguns 535
Buddhist Sects 536
Organization of the Ritsuryo
Bureaucracy 541
Organization of the Kamakura
and Muromachi Shogunates 542
Organization of the Tokugawa
Shogunate 543
Organization of the Dajokan
Bureaucracy 544
Major Military Actions 546
Japanese Army Cliques 551
Japanese Navy Cliques 552
Major Right-Wing Organizations 553
Political Parties 555
Cabinets since 1885 558
Institutions and Terms 561
Maps 578
Bibliography 580
6iy
Index
Foreword
Since its establishment in 1958, the International Society for Educa-
I ional Information has been working in various ways to insure that
Japanese history and culture are better understood abroad. One
aspect of its endeavor has been to examine the treatment of subjects
pertaining to Japan in the textbooks and reference works of foreign
countries. Where patent errors or misunderstandings were found in
l lie written or visual material on Japan, notices have been sent to the
authors or publishers so that corrections can be made in later edi­
tions. The response to these efforts has been highly favorable.
In addition to measures taken to correct errors in material already
published, the Society has engaged in the compilation and publica­
tion of reference works that it hopes will help prevent future errors.
Among these is a series of biographical dictionaries dealing with
various aspects of Japanese life. The first volume in the series, the
Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Literature edited by the late Pro­
fessor Sen’ichi Hisamatsu, appeared in 1976 and has been warmly
welcomed in Japan and abroad. The present volume, Biographical
Dictionary of Japanese History, is a sequel to that work and deals with
persons who have played outstanding roles in Japanese political,
economic and social life. A third biographical dictionary now being
compiled deals with figures historically important in the field of fine
arts in Japan; such persons have not been included in the present
volume.
Conceived more than ten years ago, much preparatory planning and
research has gone into this project. The entries were written by a
research staff composed of acknowledged Japanese historians;
research and editing were coordinated and supervised by Dr. Seiichi
Iwao, professor emeritus of Tokyo University and member of the
Japan Academy.
The Society is highly indebted to all members of the editorial staff
and to numerous others who have contributed both financial and
moral support to this project. In particular, we would like to acknowl­
edge the financial support provided by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and the Commemorative Association for the 1970 Japan
World Exposition.
Kodansha International has expressed its support of and enthu­
8
siasm for this project by designing, producing, and publishing the
commercial editions of these dictionaries internationally in coopera­
tion with the Society.
We believe that this comprehensive dictionary will assist those
who desire an authoritative account of Japanese historical figures and
that it will provide useful information to the English reading public
for many years to come.
Michiko Kay a
Executive Director
International Society for Educational Information
Preface
After many years of planning and research, we are pleased to present
this Biographical Dictionary of Japanese History, a volume that should
prove of special value to all interested in the culture and history of the
Far East.
It is an understatement to say that the effort put into this project
has been ambitious. In the initial stages, a basic list of Japanese
historical figures mentioned in foreign textbooks and reference works
was compiled. This list was then expanded by the addition of care­
fully selected and screened names of persons of prominence in the
political, social, religious, and scientific spheres of Japanese history.
A biography of each figure was then composed, drawing upon the
latest research data. Every effort was made to include the salient facts
in the background and career of each personality and to convey the
nature of the person’s contribution to Japanese history and culture.
Naturally, the amount of space devoted to each entry reflects the
relative importance of the person, although some material required
special explanation for the benefit of English readers. Portraits and
visual material have been included when available, and a selected
Bibliography is also provided.
The volume is divided into four chronological sections, with entries
arranged alphabetically in each. In cases where a life spans two
periods, the entry has been included in the period that witnessed the
individual’s most notable activity or contribution. The four periods
reflect the major social and political transitions in Japanese history
and represent the consensus of the scholarly community.
The first section, the “Ancient Period,” includes the age of myth
and legend and extends through the Asuka, Nara, and Heian periods.
This period saw the ascendency of the nobility, centered on the
emperor and his court, and the introduction of continental culture and
thought, which exerted vast influence on the society.
The ensuing “Medieval Period” (1185-1572), including the
Kamakura, Northern and Southern Courts, and Muromachi periods,
was characterized by the establishment of the shogunate and a feudal
society. The long period of strife between feudal lords at the end of
this period set the stage for the unification of the country.
In the third historical division, herein called the “Early Modern
10
Period” (1572-1868), the feudal system continued, with the Toku-
gawa shogunate attaining undisputed control over a unified nation,
and Japan entered a period of more than two and one-half centuries
of peace. Domestic concerns became paramount, and learning and
culture spread to the general populace. A vibrant, popular culture
developed, and the foundations for the modem nation were gradually
laid.
In the “Modem Period,” the years following the Meiji Restoration
in 1868 witnessed vigorous modernization in all spheres of political,
economic, cultural, and social life. It was inevitable that this period
should produce some of the outstanding personalities in Japanese
history.
Appendices designed to clarify the social and political background
of the biographical accounts have been included. These comprise
genealogical tables, charts of the organization of political institu­
tions, and explanations of institutions and terms. Maps showing the
administrative divisions of Japan in past and present have also been
provided so that the reader may have a clearer understanding of the
geographical references in the biographies.
The editor and his associates hope that this volume will enable
readers to gain a better understanding of Japanese history and that
it will serve as a useful reference work in future studies of the subject.
Seiichi Iwao
ANCIENT PERIOD