Shimazu Nariakira

• Born: 1809
• Died: 1858
• Japanese: 島津斉彬 (Shimazu Nariakira)

Shimazu Nariakira was daimyô of Satsuma han from X to X, and a prominent and influential figure in the domain's policies even prior to that, when his father Shimazu Narioki was Lord of Satsuma. Viewed retrospectively from the circumstances of the Bakumatsu and Meiji periods, Nariakira and his supporters have been characterized as "progressive" or "radical" in contrast to the "conservative" positions and policies of his father, and his faction.

Born and raised in Edo, Nariakira had a relatively weak power base in Satsuma, but was able to work more closely with both Satsuma and shogunate officials in Edo, such as the powerful rôjû Abe Masahiro, to effect certain policies or agreements. In 1846, he negotiated with Abe to implement positions and policies suggested by Satsuma advisors Godai Hidetaka and Zusho Shôzaemon for defending Ryûkyû from Western encroachment; in order to make sure these plans would be implemented, Abe had Shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi place Nariakira, and not the daimyô his father, in charge of overseeing the defense of Ryûkyû.

In accordance with his wishes, after his death, a series of factories were constructed in Kagoshima in 1865 for the industry and also military defense of the domain. The complex included reverberating furnaces, blast furnaces, a smithy, a foundry, and a glass workshop. Parts of the complex survive today as the Shôkoshûseikan museum, the main hall of which has been designated an Important Cultural Property.

Following Nariakira's death, his brother Shimazu Hisamitsu, acting as regent for his son, the daimyô Shimazu Tadayoshi, reversed many of Nariakira's policies, especially those pertaining to Ryûkyû, and acted in strong support of the shogunate and of samurai privilege through the Bakumatsu and into the Meiji period.

Preceded by: Shimazu Narioki

Lord of Satsuma han 1851-1858

Succeeded by: Shimazu Tadayoshi