The Reign of Shogun Ishida Mitsunari: (1616 - 1633)
The Foundation of the Ishida Shogunate
Hideyori's death without heir or issue left the position of Shogun vacant, and Japan without a ruler (in name, at least). The Kizokuin, in it's capacity as Japan's "House of Regents" would be tasked with finding a solution to Japan's constitutional problem. The most obvious solution would be to abolish the shogunate and have the Kampaku rule as Japan's head of government, as Hideyoshi had done. Doing this would imply that the Kampaku (i.e. Mitsunari) was audacious enough to consider emulating the late Taiko, and was therefore somehow sullying Hideyoshi's good name. The idea was quickly dropped.
A much more appealing (and oddly by Japanese sensibilities,
less audacious) would be to install a new Shogun. The new Shogun would have to be a Toyotomi loyalist of aristocratic heritage, and would be chosen by a majority of his peers - in other words elected by the Kizokuin. Only in feudal Japan could the usurpation of an old ruling house be considered less audacious than the restoration of an old one.
Mitsunari favoured the second idea, as did a majority of his colleagues (and those that did not could easily be "convinced" of it's merits). Indeed, it was an idea that was hard to argue against, if it's detractors argued that it was an usurpation of the Toyotomi (which indeed it was) it's supporters could retort that the alternative was an insult to Hideyoshi. The Kizokuin was set for debate, and the Ishida whips were out in full force.
Many Toyotomi loyalists felt - to use a Chinese term - that the mandate had passed from the Toyotomi to the Ishida. Mitsunari had defended the Toyotomi name when the likes of Mouri Terumoto had refused to speak up. He had led the country from conflict to peace in Hideyori's infancy, and done most of the work in keeping the country intact throughout his adulthood. They voted accordingly and ordered their vassals to do the same. There were a few dissenting voices, namely from rebellious lords acting more out of self-interest than out of loyalty to the Toyotomi. In fact some historians have suggested that the only thing which stopped Date Masamune from outright rebellion was the fact that most his troops were too busy pacifying the Ainu in Hokkaido. Masamune was one of the few lords capable of prolonged resistance against the Ishida, without hm to act as a lightning rod the rest of the dissenters were kept in line. In the end even the Date voted for Mitsunari's ascension to the position of Shogun; even Masamune knew the writing was on the wall.
Mitsunari was unanimously "crowned" shogun by the Kizokuin on the 12th of September, 1616 with his coronation taking place on the 21st, a day still celebrated as Foundation day; a public holiday in Japan. The position of Kampaku was retained by Mitsunari until his death, making him the only person to hold both the titles of Kampaku and Shogun at the same time. This was done out of respect for Hideyoshi, who had resigned the title before his death thus earning the title of Taiko, or retired Kampaku. Mitsunari felt it was quite audacious for himself to resign as Kampaku and obtain the title of Taiko.
Mitsunari knew the importance of a good bureaucracy, and one of his first actions as Shogun was to appoint a series of his fellow lords to oversee important roles in the nation's development; a "cabinet" if you will. The most important position was that of
Tairo or regent (as in the Go-Tairo of Hideyoshi's day). Under Mitsunari's shogunate, the Tairo was a sort of deputy shogun and minor Kampaku, acting as a liaison to the Imperial court and entrusted with the education and development of the next hereditary shogun. It was thus a position of little power, but great importance and it's holder would be well respected throughout the land. Otani Yoshitsugu would be an obvious choice, had he not died in 1604. In his stead the position was granted to Uesugi Kagekatsu, the most senior of the living
Go-Tairo.
Mitsunari's next act was to appoint a series of
Bugyo or ministers[1]. As a former Bugyo himself, Mitsunari took great care to appoint men of both loyalty and ability; fortunately for him such men were not in short supply.
Perhaps the most important position was that of
Hyobu-kyo or Head of the Army. This was an ancient title dating back to the Heian period[2] which traditionally was reserved for a Prince or other member of the Imperial family. Mitsunari was not one for sinecures, and instead (with the Emperor's approval of course) appointed a man of real ability to the post, his top general, ally and close friend, Konishi Yukinaga. In keeping with tradition[3], his deputy (known as the
Hyobo-taifu)would be HM Prince Konoe Nobuhiro, younger brother of the reigning Emperor and the most martial of the contemporary princes.
Under the Hyobu-taifu in the military hierarchy were to be the Four Generals, a Chinese innovation newly adopted by Mitsunari. Date Masamune was appointed as General of the North, in charge of pacifying the Ainu. Otani Yoshimune, son of the late Otani Yoshitsugu was named General of the Centre while Shimazu Yoshihiro was promoted to General of the West and entrusted with the subjugation of the Ryukyu. Chosokabe Morichika became General of the South.
The
Gaikoku Bugyo or Foreign Secretary[4], was another newly created post. It's holder was perhaps the most powerful man in Japan apart from the Shogun himself, and was entrusted with both foreign relations and foreign trade, a "Minister for Trade and Foreign Affairs" if you will. Such a responsibility required a man of great enthusiasm and ability, as well as a man of morality, someone incorruptible. Otomo Yoshinobu was the perfect candidate, and accepted the position with great alacrity.
First among Bugyo in terms of status and precedence was the
Jisha-Bugyo or Minister of Shrines and Temples[5]. Its holder needed to be a pious and upright man, someone who could command respect. Ankokuji Ekei was made for the role, and as lord of Nara, Japan's religious centre, perfectly poised to manage the role effectively.
Perhaps second in importance to the Gaikoku Bugyo was the
Zaimu-Bugyo or Minister for Financial Affairs. Under the old Heian court system, taxation and the treasury were run by two separate departments, each overseen by two different court officials. As a former financial minister himself, Mitsunari saw this as an unnecessary complication and wisely merged the two departments together. The Zaimu-Bugyo would be responsible for managing all domestic finance save agriculture, which would have it's own department. In what can only be described as sheer nepotism, Mitsunari appointed his son and heir, Ishida Shigeie to this post. Most likely, Mitsunari felt that a background in finance was important for any would-be Shogun and wanted his son to have the same grounding in financial matters that he himself had. Shigeie's deputy Bugyo were to be Natsuka Masaie, an old colleague of Mitsunaris from his magisterial days and Kuroda Nagamasa, son of Mitsunari's former rival Kanbei.
Slightly lower in rank to the Zaimu-Bugyo was the
Nomusho-Bugyo or the Minister of Agriculture[6]. Given the key role that agriculture played in the economy of feudal Japan, his role would often be in tandem with the Zaimu Bugyo only with more emphasis on wealth creation as opposed to taxation and book-balancing. The Shogun tasked Ukita Hideie with this important post.
In charge of law and order was the
Gyobu Bugyo or Minister of Justice[7], another title with origins in the Court Ranks of the Heian period. Obviously the Gyobu Bugyo had to be a man of integrity and moral fortitude, a tough but fair man capable of discerning a person's moral character. Sanada Yukimura was a natural choice, his family's shinobi connections also made him ideal for handling the "less-savoury" side of his job as head of the secret police.
The ongoing conflict with the Ainu people was a major worry for the shogunate, and unlike the Ryukyuans would likely be an ongoing conflict for many years to come, or so the Shogun thought. Historians have also speculated that the creation of the
Hokkaido Bugyo, or Department for Hokkaido, was simply an excuse to keep tabs on the ambitious Date clan. If that was the case, Date Masamune was certainly an odd choice for it's head. His deputy would be Matsumae Kinhiro, lord of Ezochi.
Lowest on the Bugyo totem pole were the
Kaigun Bugyo, or Ministers of the Navy. The Japanese navy was something of a pet project for the Shogun as we have seen, so what the department and it's Bugyo lacked in prestige they more than made up for with funding and shogunal interest. Konishi Yukinaga and Otomo Yoshinobu had both made earlier suggestions for naval development, and as they both had their own departments to look after, Mitsunari wisely suggested that they both take on the duty of naval ministers lest they be too overworked to handle their other, more important positions.
Finally came the
Osaka Jodai or Guardian of Osaka Castle. The Osaka Jodai had the least power of any of the Bugyo, but his position was one of the most important. He was responsible for defending Osaka Castle, the seat of shogunal power, in times of war and for the personal security of the Shogun. In peacetime, he would be responsible for running the daily affairs of the castle - and since that was where the Shogun held court - he was responsible for running the Shogun's court as well. In this sense, he was the "Sergeant of Arms" of the Kizokuin. The position of Osaka Jodai was only given to a swordsman of the highest calibre, as he was expected not only to defend his lord at all times but to teach his lord how to defend himself; he would also be the kenjutsu instructor of the Shogun and his family. The position was given to a top-class swordsman under Ukita Hideie, a little known man by the name of Miyamoto Musashi.
Mitsunari's reign as shogun were some of the most peaceful and stable years Japan had experienced in recent memory. His financial reforms made the average Japanese citizen wealthier and better fed, and modern historians have estimated an average three-to-five year increase in life expectancy by 1633 compared with 1603.
The biggest economic success of Mitsunari's reign however remained the treaty ports, which helped make Japan the second richest country in Asia, and indeed richer than most contemporary European Kingdoms (sans France and Spain). Inflation was kept low due to Mitsunari's economic finesse, and Japan for the first time made great strides in the import market; Japanese armys industries were fueled with Spanish steel and Mexican minerals.
Foreign trade had its side effects, and Mitsunari's reign was also notable for the increase of Japanese Catholics. Some of the Shogunate's most ardent supporters were also ardent Christians: Konishi Yukinaga, Otomo Yoshinobu, Kuroda Nagamasa and Otani Yoshimune among the most prominent, so though the old ways remained dominant Christians could be assured the right to practice their religion freely without persecution; a luxury which unfortunately many of their foreign contemporaries had to do without. The foreign trading ports were a magnet for Christians (indeed over 98% of the inhabitants of Greater Nagasaki were Catholic, according to the Hizen Province census) and a prominent Catholic merchant middle class began to surface during this period. The wealth of Catholic adherents was reflected in the construction of many churches during Mitsunari's reign, including grand Catholic cathedrals like the Cathedral of St. Mary in Nagasaki, it's construction funded entirely by Lord Otomo himself.
Originally known as the Cathedral of St. Mary, St. Yoshinobu's Cathedral remains one of Nagasaki's most impressive sights. A testament to the wealth, power and piety of it's patron, it would be named after him in the 1840's following Otomo Yoshinobu's canonization.
It wasn't just grand Churches and Cathedrals being constructed during these times. The shogun always stressed the importance of his link to the Oda and Toyotomi and required the constant maintenance of the shrines and temples dedicated to Nobunaga and Hideyoshi. Ankokuji Ekei constructed many great Rinzai school temples during this period, and supervised the construction of many so called Toyokuni Shrines, or Shinto shrines dedicated to Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Perhaps his most famous Toyokuni work was the Hokoku shrine in Osaka, near Osaka Castle.
The second most prominent Shinto shrine constructed during this period, the Hokoku Shrine remains one of Osaka's busiest Shinto Shrines.
Towards the end of Mitsunari's reign, his thoughts - like perhaps those of all great founders - turned to the preservation of his legacy after his death. In 1630 (on his seventieth birthday) Mitsunari ordered the construction of a grand shrine/mausoleum in the province of his birth, Omi. The construction of the shrine was a grand affair, and the finest craftsmen and artisans from across Japan were drafted in to help build it. A frieze atop the sacred stable featuring three wise monkeys was a gift by the Ming Emperor given especially for the shrine's construction while the shrine's torii gate was inscribed by calligraphy from the hand of the reigning Japanese Emperor (Go Mizunoo) himself.
The shrine was completed in 1633, but subsequent shoguns would see to it's enlargement for many years to come. Mitsunari abdicated due to ill health the same year, at the age of 73; he died two years later in 1635.
Statue of Shogun Ishida Mitsunari, Osaka Castle. Similar to his former lord, Mitsunari started his life as a humble magistrate and finished it as Lord of all Japan. His achievements included peace, good governance and a better quality of life and standard of living for his people. His legacy would last well beyond his death and the dynasty he founded would shape Japan's destiny for the next three centuries
Notes:
[1] Bugyo literally means magistrate but I've altered the meaning to minister to simplify things for the readers and myself and to save me some hassle later on. Usually there were more than one Bugyo to fill any given role and unlike a minister, a Bugyo was more like a commission than a permanent role: i.e. once the task was completed the holder would cease to be Bugyo of x and become Bugyo of y, for example. We'll assume Mitsunari with all his bureaucratic wisdom thinks that Bugyo would be more efficient if they were more like modern-day ministers as opposed to freelance commissioners.
[2] From 784 to 1185 AD
[3] Traditionally the Hyobu-kyo was reserved for a member of the imperial family while the Hyobo-taifu would be given to a noble unaffiliated with the royal house. What Mitsunari has effectively done is flip the tradition around; a move some might label heretical. This is actually quite an audacious move by Mitsunari and sends a strong message that things will be very different under his reign.
[4] Gaikoku Bugyo literally translates into "Foreign Countries Magistrate" and was sort of Foreign Secretary meets Minister of Trade in terms of responsibility. In real life it wasn't an actual position until the 1850's. Mitsunari's decision to appoint one shows that he considers foreign relations and trade to be a top priority.
[5] Literally Temple Society (as in group, club, etc.) Magistrate.
[6] Literally Agriculture Examination Magistrate.
[7] Gyobu literally translates into Ministry of Justice, so Gyobu Bugyo translates into Magistrate of the Ministry of Justice.