Yoshida Shōin

Yoshida Shōin (吉田 松陰, 1830-1859) was one of the most distinguished intellectuals in the closing days of the Tokugawa shogunate. He devoted to developing many Ishin Shishi who made an outstanding contribution to the Meiji Restoration.

Born in Chōshū domain to a samurai family, at age five this child prodigy began to study tactics, at age eight he attended college, at age nine he "taught" in college, and at age ten he impressed the Mori daimyo family with a military lecture he had delivered.

Apprehensive of their ways, Yoshida tried to learn the ways of the West. Matthew Perry visited Japan in 1853 and 1854. Shortly before Perry left, Yoshida and a friend went to Shimoda where Perry's 'black ships' were anchored, and tried to gain admittance. They first presented a letter asking to be let aboard one of his ships. In the dead of night Yoshida tried to secretly climb aboard. Perry's troops noticed them, and they were refused. [http://www.koyagi.com/Hillsborough3.html] Shortly thereafter, they were caged by Tokugawa bakufu troops. Even in a cage, they managed to smuggle a written message to Perry. Yoshida Shoin was sent to a jail in Edo, then to one in Hagi where he was sentenced to house arrest.

Yoshida had never introduced himself to Perry, who never learned his name.

While in jail, he ran a school. After his release, he took over his uncle's tiny private school, Shoka Sonjuku to teach the youth military arts and politics. Forbidden from travelling, he had his students travel Japan as investigators.

By 1858 Ii Naosuke, a bakufu official who signed treaties with the Western powers, began to round up "sonnō-jōi" rebels in Kyōto, Edo, and eventually the provinces. Many of Yoshida Shoin's followers were caught up in the dragnet. That year Yoshida Shōin put down the brush and took up the sword. When Ii Naosuke sent a servant to (unsuccessfully) ask the emperor to support one of his treaties with "barbarians," Yoshida Shōin led a revolt, calling on ronin to aid him, but received very little support. Nonetheless, he and a small band of students attacked and attempted to kill Ii's servant in Kyoto. The revolt failed, and Yoshida Shoin was again imprisoned in Chōshū.

The next year, Chōshū was ordered to send its most dangerous insurgents to Edo's prisons. Once there, Yoshida Shōin confessed the assassination plot, and from jail, continued to plot the rebellion. He did not expect to be executed until the Tokugawa executed three of his friends. When it was Yoshida's turn, he was composed - his executioner said he died a noble death. He was 29 years old.

At least two of his students, Takasugi Shinsaku and Itō Hirobumi later became famous, and virtually all of the survivors of the Sonjuku group became officers in the Meiji Restoration. Takasugi led rifle companies against the shogun's army when it failed to conquer Chōshū in 1864, rapidly leading to the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ito Hirobumi became Japan's first prime minister. His admirer, Maebara Issei, was later killed rebelling against the Meiji regime. He is now enshrined in Setagayaku-（世田谷区）Tokyo, Japan.

"To consider oneself different from ordinary people is wrong, but it is right to hope that one will not remain like ordinary people."

References

[http://www.shotokai.com/ingles/history/hagi.html National Geographic Article]

External links

* Robert Louis Stevenson on Yoshida Shoin (Yoshida Torajiro) - see [http://dinamico.unibg.it/rls/essays/famstuds/fs-5.htm here] .