* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ōkubo Toshimichi
大久保利通
Satsuma-born Statesman Who Led the Meiji Government and Was Assassinated at Kioizaka
Description
Ōkubo Toshimichi was a samurai of Satsuma Domain and a statesman of the Meiji government. He was born in 1830 (Bunsei 13) and was assassinated at Kioizaka on 14 May 1878 (Meiji 11).
Career
He became a Sangi (councillor) in 1869 (Meiji 2), served as Minister of Finance (Ōkurakyō) in 1871, and as Minister of Home Affairs (Naimukyō) in 1873. In 1874 he held full powers in negotiations concerning the Taiwan Expedition, and in 1875 he headed the Land Tax Reform Office and the Exhibition Office.
The Kioizaka Incident
On 14 May 1878, on the way to the temporary imperial residence in Akasaka, he was attacked at Kioizaka by six men led by Shimada Ichirō. The killing is described as an assassination by disaffected former samurai.