− | Born as the youngest son into the [[Mikawa]] collateral branch of [[Tokugawa]], Nagai was adopted into a hatamoto family and went on to have a well-rounded career and held a variety of key positions within both the [[Bakufu]] and [[Meiji]] governments. Nagai’s professional positions included being a Confucian teacher and scholar at the Kitenkan Academy in Kofu, a ship captain, an industrialist who built shipyards in Nagasaki, an author and towards the end of his life, a real estate agent. His talents were noticed by the Bakufu and served as a police magistrate in tumultuous Kyoto during the early to mid-1860s. Later, he reached the position of Inspector General of the Bakufu serving [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]]. As the Bakufu forces were systematically being pushed back by the Imperialists, Nagai retreated to Hokkaido with other pro-Shogunal die-hards and was elected magistrate of Hakodate upon the formation of the short-lived Ezo Republic. After the cessation of hostilities, Nagai was rehabilitated and called back into government service where he eventually rose to the post of genro-in. | + | Born as the youngest son into the [[Mikawa province]] collateral branch of the [[Tokugawa clan]], Nagai was adopted into a ''[[hatamoto]]'' family and went on to have a well-rounded career and held a variety of key positions within both the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] and [[Meiji government]]s. Nagai’s professional positions included being a Confucian teacher and scholar at the Kitenkan Academy in [[Kofu]], a ship captain, an industrialist who built shipyards in [[Nagasaki]], an author and towards the end of his life, a real estate agent. His talents were noticed by the shogunate and served as a police magistrate in tumultuous [[Kyoto]] during the early to mid-1860s. Later, he reached the position of Inspector General of the shogunate serving the final shogun, [[Tokugawa Yoshinobu]]. As the shogunate forces were systematically being pushed back by the Imperialists in [[1868]], Nagai retreated to [[Hokkaido]] with other pro-Shogunal die-hards and was elected magistrate of [[Hakodate]] upon the formation of the short-lived [[Republic of Ezo]]. After the cessation of hostilities, Nagai was rehabilitated and called back into government service where he eventually rose to the post of ''[[genro|genrô-in]]''. |