※圖片為示意圖。Asano Nagamasa
浅野長政
Chief of the Five Commissioners Who Directed Hideyoshi's Land Surveys
介紹
Life and Origins
Asano Nagamasa (1547–1611) was born in Owari Province as the son of Yasui Shigetsugu, lord of Miyago Castle. He was later adopted as son-in-law into the Asano family, headed by Asano Nagakatsu, a retainer of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was thus connected by marriage to "Nene" (Lady Kodai-in), Nagakatsu's adopted daughter who became the principal wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Service to Hideyoshi
Serving as one of Hideyoshi's key retainers, Nagamasa distinguished himself at the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and rose to become a daimyo holding roughly 20,000 koku in Omi Province. In 1584 he was appointed magistrate of Kyoto, and his administrative talent led to his appointment as one of the Five Commissioners (Go-Bugyo) of the Toyotomi regime.
The Taiko Land Survey
Nagamasa's greatest achievement was directing the Taiko Kenchi, Hideyoshi's nationwide land survey that standardized measurements of farmland and yields across Japan, including surveys in Wakasa Province. He also served as an intermediary when Hideyoshi's sister Asahi-hime married Tokugawa Ieyasu, contributing to the regime's diplomacy. In 1593, he was transferred to Kai Province with a fief of 225,000 koku.
Sekigahara and Later Years
At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Nagamasa sided with the Eastern army, holding Edo Castle in reserve and checking western sympathizers such as Satake Yoshinobu, while his son Asano Yoshinaga fought on the front lines alongside Kato Kiyomasa. The Asano clan was rewarded with the 370,000-koku domain of Kishu. Nagamasa retired to a 50,000-koku fief at Makabe in Hitachi Province in 1606 and died there in 1611 at age 65.
Legacy
Among the Five Commissioners who ran the administration of the Toyotomi regime, Nagamasa is remembered for his exceptional skill in land surveying and diplomacy. His descendants went on to rule the Kishu and Ako domains — the latter later famous as the lord clan at the center of the Ako Incident (the story of the 47 Ronin).