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==Life and Career==
==Life and Career==
===Edo Period===
Narahara was born in Kôrai-chô, a section of the [[jokamachi|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 [[Namamugi Incident|killing of a British merchant in Yokohama]] in [[1862]].<ref name=kotobank>"[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%A5%88%E8%89%AF%E5%8E%9F%E7%B9%81 Narahara Shigeru]." ''Asahi Nihon rekishi jinbutsu jiten'' 朝日日本歴史人物事典. Accessed via Kotobank.jp, 27 May 2010.</ref>
Narahara was born in Kôrai-chô, a section of the [[jokamachi|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 [[Namamugi Incident|killing of a British merchant in Yokohama]] in [[1862]].<ref name=kotobank>"[http://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%A5%88%E8%89%AF%E5%8E%9F%E7%B9%81 Narahara Shigeru]." ''Asahi Nihon rekishi jinbutsu jiten'' 朝日日本歴史人物事典. Accessed via Kotobank.jp, 27 May 2010.</ref>
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 [[Kyoto Gosho|Imperial Palace]], and to escort the rebels back from the inn to the Shimazu residence in Kyoto.<ref>"Narahara Shigeru." ''Nihon dai hyakka zensho Nipponica'' 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ). Shogakukan. Accessed via Japan Knowledge online resource, 27 May 2010.</ref>
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 [[Kyoto Gosho|Imperial Palace]], and to escort the rebels back from the inn to the Shimazu residence in Kyoto.<ref name=nipponica>"Narahara Shigeru." ''Nihon dai hyakka zensho Nipponica'' 日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ). Shogakukan. Accessed via Japan Knowledge online resource, 27 May 2010.</ref>
===Meiji Period===
As a result of his loyalty to the Shimazu and opposition to the actions of [[Saigo Takamori|Saigô Takamori]], [[Okubo Toshimichi|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]].<ref name=kotobank/>
As a result of his loyalty to the Shimazu and opposition to the actions of [[Saigo Takamori|Saigô Takamori]], [[Okubo Toshimichi|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]].<ref name=kotobank/>
His administration is described in some sources as autocratic and imperialistic<ref name=kotobank/>, and while it was supported by [[Prime Minister]]s such as [[Ito Hirobumi|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 [[Kodokai|Kôdôkai]] organization which petitioned for Narahara to be recalled to the mainland and replaced as governor of Okinawa by a member of the former [[Sho Dynasty|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.<ref name=kotobank/>
His administration is described in some sources as autocratic and imperialistic<ref name=kotobank/>, and while it was supported by [[Prime Minister]]s such as [[Ito Hirobumi|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 [[Kodokai|Kôdôkai]] organization which petitioned for Narahara to be recalled to the mainland and replaced as governor of Okinawa by a member of the former [[Sho Dynasty|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.<ref name=kotobank/>
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.<ref name=nipponica/> He died 13 August 1918, after ten years of retirement.
==References==
==References==