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==Life & Career==

==Life & Career==

Narioki was born in [[Edo]], and was raised in part by his adoptive mother, a younger sister of [[Satake Yoshikazu]], lord of [[Akita han]]. Narioki succeeded his father Narinobu as lord of Satsuma in [[1809]], at age 19, when the latter retired. Narioki's grandfather, the former Satsuma ''daimyô'' [[Shimazu Shigehide]], served as his regent for only the first year of his reign, but for the following 13 years until Shigehide's death in [[1833]], Narioki consulted Shigehide on occasion, on matters of particular import.

Narioki was born in [[Edo]], and was raised in part by his adoptive mother, a younger sister of [[Satake Yoshikazu]], lord of [[Akita han]]. Narioki succeeded his father Narinobu as lord of Satsuma in [[1809]], at age 19, when the latter retired. Narioki's grandfather, the former Satsuma ''daimyô'' [[Shimazu Shigehide]], served as his regent for only the first year of his reign, but for the following 13 years, until Shigehide's death in [[1833]], Narioki consulted Shigehide on occasion, on matters of particular import.

[[Zusho Shozaemon|Zusho Shôzaemon]], who Narioki appointed as one of his top advisors in [[1827]] (possibly at the recommendation of Shigehide), is remembered today as one of the most influential Shimazu retainers of the Edo period. Zusho helped Narioki to implement a number of significant financial reforms which eliminated the domain's massive 5,000,000 ''[[currency|ryô]]'' debt, which had accumulated over the previous 250 years without any interest being paid up to that time. Zusho accomplished this in part through strengthening monopolies on sugar, rapeseed, and other medicinal plant products, intensifying the exploitation of the [[Amami Islands]], and revising the patterns of trade with [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû]]. By the end of this, the domain not only paid down its debt, but developed a savings of 500,000 ''ryô'' in its coffers. Zusho also guided Narioki in taking steps to begin building a Western-style military for Satsuma, and to enhance the military defense of the Kingdom of Ryûkyû against Western encroachment. Along similar lines, Narioki also established in the 1840s the Nakamura ''seiyakusho'', a center for researching Western sciences and medicine, and made efforts to implement Western techniques or technologies.

[[Zusho Shozaemon|Zusho Shôzaemon]], who Narioki appointed as one of his top advisors in [[1827]] (possibly at the recommendation of Shigehide), is remembered today as one of the most influential Shimazu retainers of the Edo period. Zusho helped Narioki to implement a number of significant financial reforms which eliminated the domain's massive 5,000,000 ''[[currency|ryô]]'' debt, which had accumulated over the previous 250 years without any interest being paid up to that time. Zusho accomplished this in part through strengthening monopolies on sugar, rapeseed, and other medicinal plant products, intensifying the exploitation of the [[Amami Islands]], and revising the patterns of trade with [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû]]. By the end of this, the domain not only paid down its debt, but developed a savings of 500,000 ''ryô'' in its coffers. Zusho also guided Narioki in taking steps to begin building a Western-style military for Satsuma, and to enhance the military defense of the Kingdom of Ryûkyû against Western encroachment. Along similar lines, Narioki also established in the 1840s the Nakamura ''seiyakusho'', a center for researching Western sciences and medicine, and made efforts to implement Western techniques or technologies.