Oe Taku
Encyclopedia
was a samurai
, bureaucrat, politician, entrepreneur and social activist in the late Meiji
and Taishō period
Empire of Japan
. He is noted as one of the more progressive figures of the early Meiji period, although his record is complex. His wife was the younger daughter of Gotō Shōjirō
.
, Tosa Domain
, what is now Ōtsuki, Kōchi
. He grew up in Nagasaki, but towards the end of the Bakumatsu period returned to his native Tosa to join the Rikuentai, a paramilitary group of Tosa samurai supporting the Sonnō jōi
movement and dedicated to the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate
. His fellow members included Sakamoto Ryōma
, Nakaoka Shintarō and Mutsu Munemitsu
. In 1868, he participated in an attack against the foreign consulates in Kobe.
After the Meiji Restoration
, Ōe left Tosa for Tokyo
in 1871 and joined the new Meiji government. Somewhat ironically for his xenophobic background, he was assigned as a judge to assist Mutsu Munemitsu (who had been appointed governor of Kanagawa Prefecture
) in the management of foreign affairs at the port of Yokohama
. Ōe played a central role in the María Luz Incident
, in which the Japanese government took steps to rescue 232 Chinese indentured laborers from a Peru
vian ship, over the vehement protests by the Western nations. The incident also led to legislation in 1872, emancipating burakumin
outcasts, prostitutes and other forms of bonded labor in Japan.
In 1877, Ōe returned to Tosa, in an attempt to encourage his countrymen to rise up against the central government in support of the Satsuma Rebellion
. After the failure of the rebellion, he was arrested for treason
, and sentenced to twelve years in prison.
Ōe returned to Tokyo in 1890, having been elected a member of the lower house
in the Diet of Japan
in the Japanese general election, 1890
as one of the founding members of the Liberal Party
. He spoke out strongly against increasing government corruption, and the ever increasing military expenditures. He left the government in 1892 to become President of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
. In 1899, he became one of the founders of the Keifu Railway Company, which aimed at establishing a railway connecting the Korea
n capital of Seoul
with the southern port city of Pusan.
However, in 1914, Ōe retired from all business and political activities, took the tonsure
and became a Buddhist priest
of the Sōtō Zen
sect, and traveled around the country. In his final years, he became an outspoken proponent of ending all discrimination
with regards to the burakumin outcasts. He died of stomach cancer
in 1921.
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
, bureaucrat, politician, entrepreneur and social activist in the late Meiji
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
and Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
Empire of Japan
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. He is noted as one of the more progressive figures of the early Meiji period, although his record is complex. His wife was the younger daughter of Gotō Shōjirō
Goto Shojiro
Count was a Japanese samurai and politician during the Bakumatch and early Meiji period of Japanese history. He was a leader of which would evolve into a political party.- Early life :...
.
Biography
Ōe was born in Hata DistrictHata District, Kochi
is a district located in Kōchi, Japan.As of the Shimanto merger but with 2003 population statistics, the district has an estimated population of 22,402 and a density of 59.4 persons per km²...
, Tosa Domain
Tosa Domain
The was a feudal domain in Tosa Province of Japan during the Edo period. Its official name is . Some from the domain played important roles in events in the late Tokugawa shogunate...
, what is now Ōtsuki, Kōchi
Otsuki, Kochi
is a town in the Hata District, Kōchi Prefecture, Japan. It is located approximately 184 km away from downtown Kōchi in the southwestern corner of the prefecture....
. He grew up in Nagasaki, but towards the end of the Bakumatsu period returned to his native Tosa to join the Rikuentai, a paramilitary group of Tosa samurai supporting the Sonnō jōi
Sonno joi
is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement derived from Neo-Confucianism; it became a political slogan in the 1850s and 1860s in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu, during the Bakumatsu period.-Origin:...
movement and dedicated to the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
. His fellow members included Sakamoto Ryōma
Sakamoto Ryoma
was a leader of the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate during the Bakumatsu period in Japan. Ryōma used the alias .- Early life :Ryōma was born in Kōchi, of Tosa han . By the Japanese calendar, this was the sixth year of Tenpō...
, Nakaoka Shintarō and Mutsu Munemitsu
Mutsu Munemitsu
Count was a statesman and diplomat in Meiji period Japan.-Early life:Mutsu Munemitsu was born in Wakayama domain, Kii Province as the sixth son of Date Munehiro, a samurai retainer of the Kii Tokugawa clan...
. In 1868, he participated in an attack against the foreign consulates in Kobe.
After the 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...
, Ōe left Tosa for Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1871 and joined the new Meiji government. Somewhat ironically for his xenophobic background, he was assigned as a judge to assist Mutsu Munemitsu (who had been appointed governor of Kanagawa Prefecture
Kanagawa Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the southern Kantō region of Japan. The capital is Yokohama. Kanagawa is part of the Greater Tokyo Area.-History:The prefecture has some archaeological sites going back to the Jōmon period...
) in the management of foreign affairs at the port of Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
. Ōe played a central role in the María Luz Incident
María Luz Incident
The was a diplomatic incident between the early Meiji government of the Empire of Japan and the Republic of Peru over a merchant ship with Chinese indentured labourers in Yokohama in 1872...
, in which the Japanese government took steps to rescue 232 Chinese indentured laborers from a Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian ship, over the vehement protests by the Western nations. The incident also led to legislation in 1872, emancipating burakumin
Burakumin
are a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and Japanese residents of Korean and Chinese descent....
outcasts, prostitutes and other forms of bonded labor in Japan.
In 1877, Ōe returned to Tosa, in an attempt to encourage his countrymen to rise up against the central government in support of the Satsuma Rebellion
Satsuma Rebellion
The was a revolt of Satsuma ex-samurai against the Meiji government from January 29 to September 24, 1877, 9 years into the Meiji Era. It was the last, and the most serious, of a series of armed uprisings against the new government.-Background:...
. After the failure of the rebellion, he was arrested for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
, and sentenced to twelve years in prison.
Ōe returned to Tokyo in 1890, having been elected a member of the lower house
House of Representatives of Japan
The is the lower house of the Diet of Japan. The House of Councillors of Japan is the upper house.The House of Representatives has 480 members, elected for a four-year term. Of these, 180 members are elected from 11 multi-member constituencies by a party-list system of proportional representation,...
in the Diet of Japan
Diet of Japan
The is Japan's bicameral legislature. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives, and an upper house, called the House of Councillors. Both houses of the Diet are directly elected under a parallel voting system. In addition to passing laws, the Diet is formally...
in the Japanese general election, 1890
Japanese general election, 1890
was the Empire of Japan’s first general election for members of the House of Representatives of the Diet of Japan. It was the first example of a popularly elected national assembly in Asia -History and background:...
as one of the founding members of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party (Japan)
Liberal Party is the name of different political parties in different time periods in Japan.They are:*Liberal Party of Japan , founded by Itagaki Taisuke in October 1881. The party stood for popular rights and espoused the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. The main objective of the party in the...
. He spoke out strongly against increasing government corruption, and the ever increasing military expenditures. He left the government in 1892 to become President of the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Tokyo Stock Exchange
The , called or TSE for short, is located in Tokyo, Japan and is the third largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies...
. In 1899, he became one of the founders of the Keifu Railway Company, which aimed at establishing a railway connecting the Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
n capital of Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
with the southern port city of Pusan.
However, in 1914, Ōe retired from all business and political activities, took the tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
and became a Buddhist priest
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
of the Sōtō Zen
Soto
Sōtō Zen , or is, with Rinzai and Ōbaku, one of the three most populous sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism.The Sōtō sect was first established as the Caodong sect during the Tang Dynasty in China by Dongshan Liangjie in the 9th century, which Dōgen Zenji then brought to Japan in the 13th century...
sect, and traveled around the country. In his final years, he became an outspoken proponent of ending all discrimination
Discrimination
Discrimination is the prejudicial treatment of an individual based on their membership in a certain group or category. It involves the actual behaviors towards groups such as excluding or restricting members of one group from opportunities that are available to another group. The term began to be...
with regards to the burakumin outcasts. He died of stomach cancer
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
in 1921.