Narahara Shigeru
- Born: 1834/5/23
- Died: 1918/8/13
- Titles: Governor of Okinawa prefecture (1892-1908)
- Other Names: Narahara Kôgorô
- Japanese: 奈良原繁 (Narahara Shigeru)
Narahara Shigeru was the eighth Governor of Okinawa prefecture, serving in that position from 1892 to 1908. Earlier in his life, he was a high-ranking retainer in the service of Satsuma han, and was a prominent figure in early Meiji period Okinawan history as well, before becoming governor.
Life and Career
Edo Period
Narahara was born in Kôrai-chô, a section of the castle town of Kagoshima, into a family of prominent retainers to the Shimazu family, daimyô of Satsuma han. Narahara Kizaemon, his older brother by three years, is generally cited as the chief culprit in the killing of a British merchant in Yokohama in 1862.[1]
Narahara was a loyal retainer to his domain, and opposed more radical elements among the samurai of Satsuma. He was among those dispatched by Shimazu Hisamitsu to the Teradaya in 1862/4 to disrupt the plotting of a number of rebels to seize the Imperial Palace, and to escort the rebels back from the inn to the Shimazu residence in Kyoto.[2]
Meiji Period
As a result of his loyalty to the Shimazu and opposition to the actions of Saigô Takamori, Ôkubo Toshimichi and others who openly battled the shogunate, Narahara was not in good standing with the Satsuma faction around the time of the Boshin War and Meiji Restoration.[1]
Beginning in 1878, however, he began to be offered prominent positions in the Meiji government. He served short terms in positions including chief secretary in the Home Ministry, chief secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, governor of Shizuoka prefecture, and chief secretary in the Ministry of Works. He was also the first president of Nippon Railway, a member of the House of Peers, and an imperial advisor, for a time.[1]
He was named Governor of Okinawa prefecture in July 1892, a position which he held for nearly sixteen years, until April 1908. He was such a powerful personality and influential force in Okinawa that some called him "King of Ryûkyû" (琉球王, Ryûkyû-ô). This period saw the implementation of a variety of assimilation and colonization efforts including that of the national education system, one of a number of steps taken in the Meiji period not only in Okinawa but throughout Japan, in order to homogenize culture and national identity across the entire Empire. Narahara also pushed forward great development efforts in Okinawa, including the establishment and maintenance of commercial harbors, and land surveys and re-allocation, and he supported the establishment of newspapers such as the Ryûkyû Shinpô and banks such as the Okinawa Prefectural Agriculture and Industry Bank.[1]
His administration's land development efforts included the dismantling of the traditional collective farming villages, and the introduction of private land ownership. He sold public forest land under the guise of "shizoku relief efforts," and is said to have pushed forth his agendas without regard for the profits or well-being of farmers.[1]
His administration is described in some sources as autocratic and imperialistic[1], and while it was supported by Prime Ministers such as Itô Hirobumi and Matsukata Masayoshi, it attracted considerable criticism and opposition within Okinawa. Prominent among his critics were Jahana Noboru, and the members of the Kôdôkai organization which petitioned for Narahara to be recalled to the mainland and replaced as governor of Okinawa by a member of the former Ryukyuan royal family. The creation and development of "Okinawan studies" by Iha Fuyu, emphasizing and celebrating Okinawa's unique culture, also served, in part, as a gesture of resistance to the assimilation policies Narahara implemented.[1]
Little is known of the details of his life after his retirement from public service, but from the lack of records of his involvement in any controversies or other major events, it is assumed he lived his final years in peace.[2] He died 13 August 1918, after ten years of retirement.
References
NOTE TO SELF: Expand from Kerr, Okinawa Jinmei Jiten, etc.
