Goryo Hamaguchi
Encyclopedia
was the seventh business owner of current Yamasa Corporation
in Japan
He saved many lives of his fellow villagers of Hiro, Kii Province
(current Hirogawa, Wakayama
), when a massive tsunami
struck the Kii Peninsula
in 1854. He set fire to stacks of "Inamura" (rice sheaves) to use as landmarks and help him guide those villagers to safe place. Lafcadio Hearn
wrote a story about him in "Gleanings in Buddha-Fields: Studies of Hand and Soul in the Far East (1897). Inamura no Hi: The burning rice fields (published in the U.S. by Sara Cone Bryant
in 1963) also chronicled Goryo's heroic exploits and accounts of his efforts were also introduced into Japanese textbooks.
Hamaguchi participated in various recovery efforts in Hiro, including the construction of a sea wall that spans more than 600 meters long, 20 meter wide and 5 meters high, which minimized damage from tsunamis in later years. He spent his own money on the project (94 kan and 344 monme of silver which is equivalent to 1,572 ryo: gold piece) and hired a total of 56,736 villagers to work on it.
In the field of education, Hamaguchi established a private academy for learning swordplay
and Chinese classics with Hamaguguchi Toko and Iwasaki Meigaku at the end of the Edo period
. This private academy was later called "Taikyu-Sha" and became the current Taikyu Junior High School after a
few changes.
Hamaguchi became the Minister of Post and Telecommunications at the behest of Ōkubo Toshimichi
in 1871 before he was elected the first chairman of the Wakayama Prefecture
Assembly in 1879. After resigning as chairman, he founded the "Kinokuni Doyukai (Association)" and developed activities that encouraged democracy.
On April 21, 1885, Hamaguchi died in New York during his tour of Europe and the United States, which had been a long-cherished desire of his.
His funeral was held on June 15, 1885 in Hiro-Mura and more than 4,000 people people gathered to pay their final respects.
Note) In July 1871, the abolition of the han system
(feudal clan system) and establishment of the prefecture system was an act to replace the traditional han system and introduce new local government.
As Goryo Hamaguchi described above he appreciated the beauty of his hometown in those islands and colors of waves that he could see on any given day from the village by the bay. Even though it would change the natural beauty of the village, he decided to spend a significant amount of money to build a seawall along the coastline of the village (more than 650 meters). He also planted rows of adult pine trees behind the seawall in order to prevent damage to the whole village from such a natural disaster as a tsunami.
The seawall and pines trees are not only the symbol of acts by this great man but also the eternal message to the villagers of what life is all about. Mr. Hamaguchi set an example of overcoming any hardship that we may encounter in our lives with dignity and wisdom. This is how he lived in the period of Meiji Restoration
when Japan was searching for a leader can bring a country to right direction.
The Hamaguchi family was known for a ruling family of Hiro-Mura in Arida country over the years. They are the descendents of Yasutada of Taira who served the Lord Shiba in Owari (now called Aichi prefecture
) and later renounced his regular daily life to practice at the Hodoin Temple in Mt. Koya. During the Meio period (1492–1500), he moved to Hro-Mura and became a believer of the ninth priest of Jitsunyo (Shonin) in the Honganji Temple sect. And during the Eisho period (1504–1520), he became a Buddhist monk called Seiryo and opened his own center of practice in Hiro-Mura.
His youngest son, Masaayoshi, took over his position to represent current Anraku-ji Temple in Hirogawa-cho. Yajiro Sanekage, another son of Yasutada, started a new family and it marked the beginning of the Hagaguchi family. The family engaged in soy sauce
manufacturing business at the port of Choshi in Kamifusa (currently the northern part of Chiba prefecture
) during the Genroku period (1688–1703) under Tomonao’s watch. It was the foundation of Yamasa Corporation. The family tradition of using Gihei for the head of Hamagichi family started after Tomonao’s tenure.
Thanks to the geographical advantage of Chiba
and other attributes related to soy sauce manufacturing, as well as dedicated efforts by the members of Hamagichi family over the generations after the first Gehei, Yamasa’s business flourished during the periods of Kyoho (1716–1735) and Houreki (1751–1763). Yamasa products were gaining popularity and in a huge demand by people in Edo (now called Tokyo) because of its premier quality. During the Bunsei period (1818–1829), the feudal government of Japan enforced its price control for almost all products. However Yamasa products were exempted from governmental pricing control since its product quality was so superior to others; the government even gave its highest honor to Yamasa as a soy sauce manufacture.
Shichiemon, a younger brother of the fourth Gihei and the first to carry that name, started a branch family under the Hamagichi’s name. Since the second Shichiemon had no child, the younger brother of the fifth Gihei became the next Shichiemon. The sixth Gihei had no child either and the first son of the third Shichiemon became a successor of the original Hamaguchi family. He was Goryo Hamaguchi. Although he was adopted to the original Hamaguchi from its branch family, the fifth Gihei was his grandfather and his stepfather was a real uncle of his. Therefore, the bloodline of Hamaguchi is still intact.
The fifth Gihei, grandfather of Goryo with a great personality, was truly polite and showed his interest in variety of things. He found time to study and enjoyed fine arts every time he could get away from his work. He mastered the painting style of southern Chinese school under Kaiseki Noro and used “Kampo” as his signature. Goryo admired and respected him and was well taken care of by him. In that regard, Goryo was very much influenced by his grandfather in developing his own personality.
Goryo Hamaguchi was born on June 15, 1820 in Hiro-mura. He was raised by his biological mother Shin after his father, the third Shichiemon, died at the age of 22 when he was 2 years old. In September 1831, he was adopted to the original Hamaguchi family as a successor and renamed his name to “Gita”. He soon left Hiro-mura for Choshi where he started learning the family business. The Hamaguchi family (Kichiemon) had house in Koami-cho, a Nihon-bashi district of Edo, where he stayed for a while before coming to Choshi because it was an important place for its business geographically (on the way to Choshi from Kishu). According to the Hamaguchi family creed, family members were treated equally with other employees and were not allowed to fool around. One of the reasons was to learn how to handle lots of problems and to learn how to deal with people. He was not an exception and slept in the same room and ate the same dishes as other employees. Overcoming many hardships in his early ages, he dedicated himself to the family business. At the age of 15, he celebrated his “Genko”, a ceremony to be recognized as an adult, and renamed himself “Gitaro”. He put lots of efforts in practicing swordsmanship and studying the I Ching
, as his grandfather Kampo encouraged him. Kampo died in the autumn when he turned 18.
) and devoted himself in medical study since his birth in 1817 (Bunka 14). He studied science introduced to Japan by Dutch in Nagasaki and later moved to Edo. At that time, people were debating over Chinese medicine and Western medicine until the feudal government made a favorable ruling to Chinese medicine because of its similar environment to Japanese. Western medicine is prohibited from practicing for practical use in the following March.
Yamasa
Yamasa Corporation is a Japanese corporation founded in 1645 whose primary field of business is the manufacturing of soy sauce and various seasonings. It was incorporated in November 1928. With its head office located in Choshi, Chiba, it runs two factories in Choshi and Salem, Oregon, United...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
He saved many lives of his fellow villagers of Hiro, Kii Province
Kii Province
, or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. The Kii Peninsula takes its name from this province....
(current Hirogawa, Wakayama
Hirogawa, Wakayama
is a town located in Arida District, Wakayama, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 8,221 and a density of 125.80 persons per km²...
), when a massive tsunami
1854 Ansei-Nankai earthquake
The 1854 Ansei-Nankai earthquake occurred at about 16:00 local time on 24 December, 1854. It had a magnitude of 8.4 and caused a damaging tsunami...
struck the Kii Peninsula
Kii Peninsula
The is the largest peninsula on the island of Honshū in Japan. The area south of the “Central Tectonic Line” is called Nankii , and includes the most poleward living coral reefs in the world due to the presence of the warm Kuroshio Current, though these are threatened by global warming and human...
in 1854. He set fire to stacks of "Inamura" (rice sheaves) to use as landmarks and help him guide those villagers to safe place. Lafcadio Hearn
Lafcadio Hearn
Patrick Lafcadio Hearn , known also by the Japanese name , was an international writer, known best for his books about Japan, especially his collections of Japanese legends and ghost stories, such as Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things...
wrote a story about him in "Gleanings in Buddha-Fields: Studies of Hand and Soul in the Far East (1897). Inamura no Hi: The burning rice fields (published in the U.S. by Sara Cone Bryant
Sara Cone Bryant
Sara Cone Bryant was the author of various children's book in the early 20th century, including*How to Tell Stories To Children*Stories to tell the littlest ones*Epaminondas and His Auntie*I am an American...
in 1963) also chronicled Goryo's heroic exploits and accounts of his efforts were also introduced into Japanese textbooks.
Hamaguchi participated in various recovery efforts in Hiro, including the construction of a sea wall that spans more than 600 meters long, 20 meter wide and 5 meters high, which minimized damage from tsunamis in later years. He spent his own money on the project (94 kan and 344 monme of silver which is equivalent to 1,572 ryo: gold piece) and hired a total of 56,736 villagers to work on it.
In the field of education, Hamaguchi established a private academy for learning swordplay
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
and Chinese classics with Hamaguguchi Toko and Iwasaki Meigaku at the end of the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. This private academy was later called "Taikyu-Sha" and became the current Taikyu Junior High School after a
few changes.
Hamaguchi became the Minister of Post and Telecommunications at the behest of Ōkubo Toshimichi
Okubo Toshimichi
, was a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma, and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. He is regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan.-Early life:...
in 1871 before he was elected the first chairman of the Wakayama Prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the Kii Peninsula in the Kansai region on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Wakayama.- History :Present-day Wakayama is mostly the western part of the province of Kii.- 1953 Wakayama Prefecture flood disaster :...
Assembly in 1879. After resigning as chairman, he founded the "Kinokuni Doyukai (Association)" and developed activities that encouraged democracy.
On April 21, 1885, Hamaguchi died in New York during his tour of Europe and the United States, which had been a long-cherished desire of his.
His funeral was held on June 15, 1885 in Hiro-Mura and more than 4,000 people people gathered to pay their final respects.
Life
| Year | Japanese Year | Event |
|---|---|---|
| 1820 | Bunsei Bunsei was a after Bunka and before Tenpō. This period spanned the years from April 1818 through December 1830. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:... 3 |
Born on June 15 in Hiro-mura, Childhood name, Shichita |
| 1831 | Tenpō Tenpo was a , also known as Tempō, after Bunsei and before Kōka. The period spanned the years from December 1830 through December 1844... 2 |
Adopted into the head family in September and renamed Gita |
| 1839 | Tenpō 10 | Married to Matsu in November |
| 1851 | Kaei Kaei was a after Kōka and before Ansei. This period spanned the years from February 1848 through November 1854. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:... 4 |
Founded Sugidan (Self Defense Group) in Hiro-Mura |
| 1852 | Kaei 5 | Established a private academy (later called “Taikyu-sha”) in Ta-machi |
| 1853 | Kaei 6 | Succeeded the head family to become Gihei VII in March |
| 1854 | Ansei Ansei was a after Kaei and before Man'en. This period spanned the years from November 1854 through March 1860. The reigning emperor was .- Change of era :... 1 |
The tsunami caused by the Ansei Earthquake struck the village in November |
| 1855 | Ansei 2 | Commenced building the Hiro-mura Seawall in February |
| 1858 | Ansei 5 | Completion of the Hiro-mura Seawall in December |
| 1859 | Ansei 6 | Contributed 300 Ryo (gold piece) for the reconstruction of the Vaccination Center |
| 1868 | Meiji 1 | Selected as Commissioner of Finance in Kishu-Han (Wakayama) in January |
| 1869 | Meiji 2 | Appointed the president of Gakushu-kan for Ohiroma-seki (a feudal position) in February |
| 1870 | Meiji 1 | Appointed Gondai-Sanji (Counselor) of Kishu-Han in December |
| 1871 | Meiji 4 | Appointed Ekitei-no-kami (Minister of Post and Telecommunications) in August |
| 1879 | Meiji 12 | Elected the first chairman of the Wakayama Prefectural Assembly |
| 1882 | Meiji 15 | Organized the Kinokuni Doyukai (Association) |
| 1884 | Meiji 17 | Left Yokohama in May and arrived in the United States |
| 1885 | Meiji 18 | Died on April 21 in New York, the United States of America |
Note) In July 1871, the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...
(feudal clan system) and establishment of the prefecture system was an act to replace the traditional han system and introduce new local government.
Early Life (from "A Short Story of Goryo Hamaguchi")
“The northwestern part of Hiro-Mura (current Hirogawa-cho) is facing the ocean and Miya-zaki (part of current Arida City) is located about 12 kilometers away right across of the bay. Kiri-saki and Ta-saki are parts of Tamura and Suhara (districts in current Yuasa-cho) along the jugged coastline between Hiro-Mura and Miya-zaki. Shira-saki (part of current Yura-cho) is located about 12 kilometer away from Hiro-Mura in the other direction. Nabae-saki and Medo-saki can be found near the area. The distance between Miya-zaki and Shira-saki is about 16 kilometer and there are Ashika-shima, Tsuru-shima and Kuro-shima in the Hidaka county side of the triangle area in the bay. Taka-shima, Karumo and Kenashi Islands are scattered in the east of those three islands like stars in night sky.”As Goryo Hamaguchi described above he appreciated the beauty of his hometown in those islands and colors of waves that he could see on any given day from the village by the bay. Even though it would change the natural beauty of the village, he decided to spend a significant amount of money to build a seawall along the coastline of the village (more than 650 meters). He also planted rows of adult pine trees behind the seawall in order to prevent damage to the whole village from such a natural disaster as a tsunami.
The seawall and pines trees are not only the symbol of acts by this great man but also the eternal message to the villagers of what life is all about. Mr. Hamaguchi set an example of overcoming any hardship that we may encounter in our lives with dignity and wisdom. This is how he lived in the period of Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
when Japan was searching for a leader can bring a country to right direction.
The Hamaguchi family was known for a ruling family of Hiro-Mura in Arida country over the years. They are the descendents of Yasutada of Taira who served the Lord Shiba in Owari (now called Aichi prefecture
Aichi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...
) and later renounced his regular daily life to practice at the Hodoin Temple in Mt. Koya. During the Meio period (1492–1500), he moved to Hro-Mura and became a believer of the ninth priest of Jitsunyo (Shonin) in the Honganji Temple sect. And during the Eisho period (1504–1520), he became a Buddhist monk called Seiryo and opened his own center of practice in Hiro-Mura.
His youngest son, Masaayoshi, took over his position to represent current Anraku-ji Temple in Hirogawa-cho. Yajiro Sanekage, another son of Yasutada, started a new family and it marked the beginning of the Hagaguchi family. The family engaged in soy sauce
Soy sauce
Soy sauce is a condiment produced by fermenting soybeans with Aspergillus oryzae or Aspergillus sojae molds, along with water and salt...
manufacturing business at the port of Choshi in Kamifusa (currently the northern part of Chiba prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
) during the Genroku period (1688–1703) under Tomonao’s watch. It was the foundation of Yamasa Corporation. The family tradition of using Gihei for the head of Hamagichi family started after Tomonao’s tenure.
Thanks to the geographical advantage of Chiba
Chiba, Chiba
is the capital city of Chiba Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 40 km east of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. Chiba City became a government designated city in 1992. Its population as of 2008 is approximately 960,000....
and other attributes related to soy sauce manufacturing, as well as dedicated efforts by the members of Hamagichi family over the generations after the first Gehei, Yamasa’s business flourished during the periods of Kyoho (1716–1735) and Houreki (1751–1763). Yamasa products were gaining popularity and in a huge demand by people in Edo (now called Tokyo) because of its premier quality. During the Bunsei period (1818–1829), the feudal government of Japan enforced its price control for almost all products. However Yamasa products were exempted from governmental pricing control since its product quality was so superior to others; the government even gave its highest honor to Yamasa as a soy sauce manufacture.
Shichiemon, a younger brother of the fourth Gihei and the first to carry that name, started a branch family under the Hamagichi’s name. Since the second Shichiemon had no child, the younger brother of the fifth Gihei became the next Shichiemon. The sixth Gihei had no child either and the first son of the third Shichiemon became a successor of the original Hamaguchi family. He was Goryo Hamaguchi. Although he was adopted to the original Hamaguchi from its branch family, the fifth Gihei was his grandfather and his stepfather was a real uncle of his. Therefore, the bloodline of Hamaguchi is still intact.
The fifth Gihei, grandfather of Goryo with a great personality, was truly polite and showed his interest in variety of things. He found time to study and enjoyed fine arts every time he could get away from his work. He mastered the painting style of southern Chinese school under Kaiseki Noro and used “Kampo” as his signature. Goryo admired and respected him and was well taken care of by him. In that regard, Goryo was very much influenced by his grandfather in developing his own personality.
Goryo Hamaguchi was born on June 15, 1820 in Hiro-mura. He was raised by his biological mother Shin after his father, the third Shichiemon, died at the age of 22 when he was 2 years old. In September 1831, he was adopted to the original Hamaguchi family as a successor and renamed his name to “Gita”. He soon left Hiro-mura for Choshi where he started learning the family business. The Hamaguchi family (Kichiemon) had house in Koami-cho, a Nihon-bashi district of Edo, where he stayed for a while before coming to Choshi because it was an important place for its business geographically (on the way to Choshi from Kishu). According to the Hamaguchi family creed, family members were treated equally with other employees and were not allowed to fool around. One of the reasons was to learn how to handle lots of problems and to learn how to deal with people. He was not an exception and slept in the same room and ate the same dishes as other employees. Overcoming many hardships in his early ages, he dedicated himself to the family business. At the age of 15, he celebrated his “Genko”, a ceremony to be recognized as an adult, and renamed himself “Gitaro”. He put lots of efforts in practicing swordsmanship and studying the I Ching
I Ching
The I Ching or "Yì Jīng" , also known as the Classic of Changes, Book of Changes and Zhouyi, is one of the oldest of the Chinese classic texts...
, as his grandfather Kampo encouraged him. Kampo died in the autumn when he turned 18.
Friendships
In October 1839, Goryo married to a daughter of Umetaro Ikenaga in Yuasa at the age of 20. After staying in Hiro-mura for another 6 months, he came back to Choshi via Edo in the following spring. By the time, he already mastered techniques of various martial arts especially for swordsmanship. In addition, thanks to efforts he put in for general studies and fine arts earlier, he was very good at composing and writing poets. He accidentally met Gonsai Miyake, who became his mentor and friend for life, in his academic quest and physical training. Gonsai was originally from Shimabara in Hizen (current Nagasaki prefectureNagasaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.- History :Nagasaki Prefecture was created by merging of the western half of the former province of Hizen with the island provinces of Tsushima and Iki...
) and devoted himself in medical study since his birth in 1817 (Bunka 14). He studied science introduced to Japan by Dutch in Nagasaki and later moved to Edo. At that time, people were debating over Chinese medicine and Western medicine until the feudal government made a favorable ruling to Chinese medicine because of its similar environment to Japanese. Western medicine is prohibited from practicing for practical use in the following March.