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Inoue Enryō
| Birth Place | Miyagi Prefecture |
|---|---|
| Birth | 1816 |
| Death | 1897 |
Overview
He became the castellan of Hamamatsu castle right after Edo period ended in 1868. His achievements include the construction of the canal which connects Lake Hamana and Higashiiba-cho, the foundation of vocationally aid institution, and the establishment of the tea plantation in Mikatahara.
Biography
He was born in 1816 in Miyazaki Prefecture. His father was a samurai and his mother was a daughter of a draper. He grew up in his grandparents’ draper shop with his mother. She wasn’t allowed to enter a samurai’s house because she was from a merchant family. His name originally was Hachirō. He was also known as Seiko. He changed his name to Enryō at age of 55
While he worked as a servant at a wealthy merchant family, he studied at a school. He learned metrical arts and horseback riding.
He traveled all around the nation to learn more skills of metrical arts. On this trip he fulfilled his dream, meeting his father. Even though he learned that his parents were then allowed to live together, his mother died two days before his return. It was 1846, and he was 31.
He married to Yoshiko three years later. She was 17.
In 1856, the Tokugawa government ordered him to be a teacher at the newly established military school in Edo, Kōbujō.
1867, Taisei Hōkan (the government returning political power to the emperor) was undertaken. Shōgitai, the guards of Tokugawa, fought against the Meiji government in spite of his persuasion. They were defeated after several days. Those who told they were followers of Inoue were released.
As a shogunate retainer, Inoue followed Tokugawa Yoshinobu to Sunpu (Shizuoka-city). In 1888, he became castellan of Hamamatsu castle and moved to Hamamatsu with his wife, a daughter, and brother in law he adopted.
He built a barrack at the area from Motouwo-cho to Naruko-cho for samurais and their families. People learned how to manufacture umbrella, paper lamps, and textiles through the vocational education offered there. He also encouraged them to cultivate the land at Mikatahara.
The tea plantation established in this period is called Hyakurien.
He asked leaders in the region for help to improve transportation system for travelers. The canal from Lake Hamana to Higashiiba-cho was built in half a year. It was named Inotagawa Horikatsu after him and Tamura Hirozō as gratitude for their hard work. It was usually called Horikatsu Unga.
The canal allowed people to travel from Hamamatsu to Kosai in about 4 hours.
He retired when he was 56 and changed his name to Enryō.
He became the president of the first national bank in Shizuoka Prefecture in 1978. He made the fundamental part and left the bank after three year.
He worked on building a branch of Tōshō Shrine at the ruin of Hikuma Castle. He thought there should be a shrine to honorTokugawa Ieyasu in Hamamatsu.
Later on, he gave all rights of the shrine to Hotoku Sha, a public-interest corporation. He moved to Tenjin-cho, Tokyo, and died in 1897 at age of 82
Personality
On the event of Tenryu River’s flood and leaves break, he provided foods and place to stay for victims and collect a relief fond from rich too.
Reference
“Enshū Ijinden Daiikkan“ (Stories of Great Figures of Enshū vol.1)