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."

Empress Michiko and Her Era (1)

Empress Michiko is the only wife of Emperor Akihito.
She is the first Empress on Japanese history who are from commonage.
She was born in 1934, as a daughter of SHÔDA Eizaburô and his wife Tomiko.
Shôda owned a big food company, Nisshin Seifun, and he was a billionaire.
Therefore, Michiko's girlhood was very rich.
But it was also the era of war.
She lived in Tôkyô, but she must evacuate to escape from bomb by US airplanes.
After the war had ended, she was 11 years old. Japan regained peace, and the economy rapidly developped. It meant her father's business also grew up.
She was in very rich family, but she and her family were frugal.
She was educated in a women's school of catholic, School of Sacred Heart managed by Jesuits.
She loved to pray, and was almost a christian.
But she didn't recieve baptism. Offcourse if she wasn't married with Crown Prince, she would be a christian.
We know her self-immolating spirit made in the school.
But in fact, when she met with Akihito at the first, she was not a christian.
It was very lucky to Prince Akihito. Because if she was a christian, he never could marry with her.
He was the Crown Prince, the oldest son of Emperor Shôwa (Hirohito). Imperial family is the highest oracle of Shintoism.
From a commonsense standpoint, they cannot marry with christians.
On history, imperial brides were provided from imperial family and other five highest ancestries of patricians.
After the war, national system of patrician was already abolished in Japan, but people thought that Crown Prince Akihito's bride would be selected from the traditional ancestries.
But when Akihito watched Michiko in a summer resort Karuizawa, he fell in love soon.
He had deep distress.
At a time in past, it was an honoroble charter to marry with imperial family.
But in the modern time, any pareants didn't want their daugter marry with imperial family.
Because it gives her an uneasy life, it is certain that she becomes unhappy.
So, all dominant candidates of Crown Prince's bride married soon with other males.
Crown Prince was very alone.
He strongly wanted warm home. He was raised separating from his parents and brother and sisters. Because he was the son of nation.
All people around him never gave him serenity. He thought he would die alone.
But he fell into love.
Michiko was beautiful, elegant, intelligent and very gentle.
Many journalists knew that crown prince hobnobbed with the beautiful lady.
But they weren't care. Because she wasn't a daughter of patrician.
They thought she was just a friend.
And she touhght so too.
Offcourse she liked and respected him. He was the Crown Prince. But he was very manly, and very intelligent.
If he was not a prince, he would be loved easily by women.
Michiko respected him as a man.
But that's all.
She knew that her status was low to marry with him.
So, when she was proposed by him, she was very surprised.
Crown Prince's aide KOIZUMI Shinzô, was the president of Keiô University, asked to Emperor Shôwa if he accept or not that his most important son marry with the common woman.
His answer was "YES".
Japan was in new era. In the days, imperial family also needed new princess.
The propose gave much fear to Michiko and her family.
They knew, if she said OK, her life would be so hard. Also her family's life.
Then, University of Sacred Herat gave a chance to her.
She went to Europe as a student ambassador from Japan's Sacred Heart for two months.
It was a plan, for making him gave up.
But he never gave up.
After Michiko returened to Japan, Akihito phoned to her, and he said.
"I had been isolate. I can never die with being isolate."
She whined. And decided.
She knew the way was never easy. But she decided to be with him. She decided so that she never make him isolate. Anymore.
Japanese nations were full of joy with hearing the news.

---to be continued