On the 26th day of the seventh month of 1757, a brutal typhoon hit Tosa province, causing major widespread damage. The typhoon struck on the same day that Nakahira Zennoshin was executed for leading a protest against the Tosa government's unfair trade monopoly policies. Many felt that the typhoon was sent by the gods as punishment for the corruption of the government, or as punishment for the injustice done to Zennoshin.[1]
A contemporary villager by the name of Kihei wrote the following letter:
On the day Zennoshin was executed a great disaster befell the castle town and envrions...The government is to blame for the punishment [of Zennoshin]. People say that heaven looked with contempt on the state of affairs and inflicted an incalculable financial loss on the domain.
Notes
- ↑ In fact, the typhoon quickly became known as "Zennoshin no Kaze" (Zennoshin's storm).
References
- Roberts, Luke. The Petition Box in 18th Century Tosa Journal of Japanese Studies, #20 V2, 1994