Nakayama Naruchika (中山愛親)
Naruchika NAKAYAMA (July 7, 1741-October 1, 1814) was kuge (a court noble) in the late Edo period. His father was Yoshichika NAKAYAMA. His mother was a daughter of Takaaki KAJUJI.
Naruchika was appointed as Sangi (councilor) in 1761 and became Gon Dainagon (provisional major counselor) in 1774. In 1782, he became Giso (a position conveying what the congress decides to the emperor) and served Emperor Kokaku. He struggled to present imperial proclamation of daijo-tenno-go (name of the retired emperor) to Imperial Prince Kaninnomiya Sukehito, father of the Emperor, but Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) denied and the situation grew entangled (so called "Songo ikken" [Songo Incident]). By an order of the bakufu in 1792, he was summoned to Edo with Kinaki OOGIMACHI, a buke tenso (liaison officers between the imperial court and the samurai family). They had a talk with Sadanobu MATSUDAIRA, a roju (member of shogun's council of elders)to explain, but they were ordered house confinement. After returning to Kyoto, he was confined to his house and was removed from giso.
In 1884, early in the Meiji period, he was given Juichii (Junior First Rank).
There is a legend that in the Songo ikken, Naruchika NAKAYAMA protested dignifiedly in front of Shogun at Edo-jo Castle, when he went to Edo as the Imperial envoy. Based on the incident, novels such as "Nakayama Togeki" and "Nakayama Denki," both of which were completed not so long after the incident, were written clandestinely. Also, there is a comic book named "Fuunji tachi" written by Taro MINAMOTO, which describes the incident.