UESUGI Yôzan's Life

Uesugi family was a honorable family of samurai patricians, it had a title, Lord of Kantô.
A famous lord, Uesugi Kenshin governed Echigo (recent Niigata Pref.).
In his era, 16th century, Japan was in civil war.
Only force of arms saved the power of domain lords. Uesugi family was the most powerful in all big samurai lords.
Uesugi Kenshin was a genious on military affairs.
But we know now of him as a man of justice. He never fought for his merits and ambition. His battles were all caused to save weak people.
Therefore, Uesugi family couldn't get the rule of all Japan. Ones who got it were ODA Nobunaga and his inheritor, TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi.
Under the rule of Toyotomi administration, Uesugi Kagekatsu, who was a Kenshin's niece and the next lord of Uesugi family after Kenshin, became one of the five dominant lords.
His domain's scale was 1.2 million rice rates.
The biggest lord except Toyotomi admistration's central government was TOKUGAWA Ieyasu, his domain's scale was 4 million rice rates.
Rice rate was an unit, it showed how much rice made from the land.
After Toyotomi Hidetoshi was dead, Tokugawa Ieyasu caused a war to get the rule of the state.
Uesugi Kagekatsu stood by Toyotomi admistration, but he was beaten by Ieyasu.
So his domain was cut down from 1.2 million rice rates to 0.3 million rice rates.
Later, Toyotomi family went to ruin, and the era of Tokugawa admistration started.
Under the government of shôgun, the title of the samurai's highest ruler; Tokugawa family had it since 1603 to 1867, Uesugi family became one of liege.
By an accident, their domain was cut down to 0.15 million rice rates in 1664.
Uesugi's domain became very small.
But it didn't brush off their too many lieges. Beacause of it, their economy collapsed.
When Uesugi Harunori , he identified himself "Yôzan" lately, became the lord of Uesugi family, the house's economy was perfectlly broken.
In 1767, he was 24 years old.
He was born in a family of Uesugi's indirect descent, and married with a daughter of Uesugi Shigesada. Shigesada was the Uesugi's former lord.
Shigesada faced to financial collaspe, and the admistration of the domain was handed off.
It was the hardest time to Uesugi family.
There were not any magic to reintegrate finance. Without suppresssing expenditure and increasing income, it was impossible to rebuild finance.
When it was successfull, Uesugi Yôzan had become already 70 years old.
His life may be boring. But things he did were never so.
On his old days, Yonezawa, his domain's name, became the richest area in Japan.
In 1878, when Isabella Bird, a British female traveler, visited to Yonezawa, she admired the beautiful and rich land, and called it, "Arcadia in Orient".
A famine happened on Yôzan's old days aroud his domain's area.
Many people died. But in only Uesugi's domain, nobody died.
Because Yôzan stocked foods in preparation for deseases.

When he retired in 1785, he delivered admonition to his successor.
We call it now, "Denkoku no ji (admontion to successor)".

"I succeeded this state from our ancestors, and now I carry down it to you with missions. You must do the same thing to your succesor at some future. This state is never your personal own. Never forget.
People are belonging to state. They are never your personal owns. Never forget.
We exist for state and people. State and people never exist for us. We are servants of them. Never forget."