Shimazu Narinobu was the 26th head of the Shimazu clan, and ninth Edo period lord of Satsuma han. He is known for his policies of austerity and thrift.
The eldest son of Shimazu Shigehide, he succeeded his father as lord of Satsuma in 1787, at the age of 15. His adoptive mother was a daughter of Tokugawa Munetada of the Hitotsubashi Tokugawa clan. His retired father continued to play a prominent role in advising the young Narinobu.
Over the course of his reign, Narinobu escorted three Ryukyuan missions to Edo, in 1790, 1796, and 1806. He was elevated to the court rank of Upper Junior Fourth Rank, Chûjô (Middle Captain), in 1790, but as had become standard by that time did not receive a similar elevation in rank on the other two occasions.[1]
In 1807, Narinobu appointed Kabayama Chikara and Chichibu Tarô to be among his karô, as part of a complete overhaul of the domain administration. They oversaw reforms of the han school, and canceled a number of Shigehide's policies in favor of austerity programs. This earned the ire of Shigehide, who forced a number of the clan retainers in 1808 to commit suicide, and others to be exiled; Narinobu, meanwhile, was forced to retire the following year, in favor of his teenage son, Shimazu Narioki.
Narinobu died on 1841/10/13 at the age of 69, at the Shimazu mansion in the Takanawa neighborhood of Edo, and was buried at the Shimazu clan cemetery at Fukushô-ji in Kagoshima, along with his mother and his two wives.
While he was succeeded as lord of Satsuma by his son Narioki, Narinobu's second son Shimazu Sadatake was adopted by Matsudaira Sadamichi and succeeded Sadamichi as lord of Iyo-Matsuyama han, and Narinobu's third son, Shimazu Tadatake, became head of the Imaizumi clan, a branch family of the Shimazu. Tadatake's daughter Atsu-hime would later go on to marry Shogun Tokugawa Iesada.[2]
| Preceded by: Shimazu Shigehide |
Lord of Satsuma han 1787-1809 |
Succeeded by: Shimazu Narioki |
References
- "Shimazu Narinobu," Nihon jinmei daijiten, Kodansha, 2009.
- "Shimazu Narinobu," Satsuma Shimazu-ke no rekishi, Shôkoshûseikan official website.