Nagayama Takeshiro (永山武四郎)
Takeshiro NAGAYAMA (May 28, 1837 - May 27, 1904) was a military man of the Japanese Army and a nobleman. In the Meiji Period, he served in a variety of high ranking positions, such as Director General of the Hokkaido government, Chief of the 7th division of the Japanese Imperial Army and a Member of Kizokuin (the House of Peers). His official rank was lieutenant general of the Army, and his court rank was baron of Junior Second Rank with the First Order of Merit. Baron Moriteru NAGAYAMA, who served as a Member of the House of Peers, Provisional Governor of Chikuma Prefecture, and Governor of Niigata Prefecture, was his elder brother.
Career
Takeshiro, born in 1837, as the fourth son of Morihiro NAGAYAMA who was a retainer of Kagoshima Domain, was adopted by Kihachiro NAGAYAMA who was also a retainer of Kagoshima Domain. Takeshiro participated in Boshin War, and in July of 1871, after the Meiji Restoration, he was appointed as Taii (Captain) of the Army and assigned to the second battalion.
In September 1872, Takeshiro was transferred to the Office of Hokkaido Development Commission and served as an officer of the eighth grade. In March 1875, he became a Deputy Major of the Army, and served as Hokkaido Development Commission Officer of the seventh grade and assigned to the Bureau of Tonden (settlement of ex-legionary). In April 1877, he assumed the post of Chief of the First Battalion of Ex-legionaries and participated in Seinan War under the command of Colonel Motoi HORI. After returning from the war, he was successively promoted to Deputy Secretary of Hokkaido Development Commission, Deputy Secretary General of the Bureau of Tonden and then to Secretary General of the Bureau of Tonden, and was given the rank of Tondenhei Taisa (literally, Colonel of Ex-legionary). After serving temporarily in the Ministry of Army, he became Army Major General and Deputy Director General of Ex-legionary headquarters. Subsequently, he was stationed in Europe and the United States for a year, and then from June 1888, he doubled as Director General of the Hokkaido government. NAGAYAMA, who had assumed the post to succeed to Michitoshi IWAMURA, was the second Director General of the Hokkaido government. Meanwhile, he became Commander in Chief of Ex-legionary in August 1889, and after retiring as Director General of the Hokkaido government, he became Commander of the Seventh Ad Hoc Division of the Army. On December 4 in the same year, he was baronized. The Seventh Ad Hoc Division was reorganized, and in May 1896, it was established as the Seventh Division, of which Takeshiro became Chief. In October 1896, NAGAYAMA was promoted to Lieutenant General of the Army and served until April 1900. After retiring from the Army, he served as a member of Kizokuin (the House of Peers) from November 1903. He broke down during his stay in Tokyo to attend the Parliament in 1904, and died on May 27. It is said that Takeshiro, who had realized that his number was up, left the following words to those close to him: "Bury my body in Hokkaido, and I will be sure to protect the place from Russia." According to this will, he was entombed at Toyohira Cemetery in Sapporo City, Hokkaido. Later, his tomb was moved to Satozuka Cemetery.
Although during his career he held a control over ex-legionaries and became a force within military, he had no political ambition and did not wield power for political battle in the central government. Takeshiro was a warrior, who was always concerned about Hokkaido all his life and dedicated his life to Hokkaido.
Takeshiro's eldest son Taketoshi NAGAYAMA succeeded to him. Taketoshi became Colonel of the Army, was awarded with the court rank of Senior Second Grade and the third Order of the Golden Pheasant, Fifth Class, and became a member of the House of Peers. Takeshiro's third son Takeyoshi NAGAYAMA was the third president of the Jikei University School of Medicine. Toshiyuki NAGAYAMA succeeded to Taketoshi and the peerage membership. Toshiyuki's younger brother, Takeomi NAGAYAMA, was chosen as a Bunkakorosha (Person of Cultural Merits), who was chairman of SHOCHIKU Co., Ltd., and chairman of the Japan Association of Major Theaters. Takeshiro is enshrined at Nagayama-jinja Shrine and Kaitaku-jinja Shrine which is a subordinate shrine of Hokkaido-jingu Shrine. There is a bronze statue of Takeshiro built at Nagayama-jinja Shrine. An explanatory board indicating the birth place of Takeshiro NAGAYAMA is set up at Yakushi, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, while in Chuo Ward, Sapporo City, Hokkaido, the house which he used to live in is preserved as the old residence of Takeshiro NAGAYAMA.
Kamikawa-rikyu Detached Palace
Takeshiro, as Director General of the Hokkaido government, focused particularly on development of inland areas in Hokkaido. Before taking office, he inspected Kamikawa wildland together with his predecessor, Michitoshi IWAMURA. He set up a Tondenhei mura (literally, ex-legionary village) there and the name of the place was changed to Nagayama-mura Village (currently Asahikawa City) in 1890. Needless to say, the name derived from Takeshiro.
In the meantime, taking over his predecessor IWAMURA's vision of establishing in Kamikawa area "Hokkyo" (literally, northern state capital) comparable to Tokyo and Kyoto so as to promote immigration from Honshu (the main island of Japan), NAGAYAMA appealed it to the central government. Some government officials positively reacted while the Cabinet Legislation Bureau disagreed with him and rejected his plan. Instead, an idea of building a detached palace in Kamikawa was proposed. The planned construction site was Kaguraoka, Asahikawa City. Approved by Emperor Meiji, the plan was endorsed by the Imperial Household Ministry and then by the Cabinet in 1889. With the announcement of the plan, Asahikawa received high appreciation and the Kaguraoka area was designated as goryochi (an imperial estate). In 1890, in addition to the above-mentioned Nagayama-mura Village, Asahikawa-mura Village and Kamui-mura Village opened, and in 1892, the Nagayama-jinja Shrine was built. The number of immigrants drastically increased and development of Hokkaido proceeded, but the plan of the detached palace was aborted due to backlash from Sapporo and Otaru and the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War.
A monument having an epigraph of Takeshiro's waka poem engraved thereon and a memorial monument, which were set up in the precincts of Kamikawa Shrine, serve as reminders of him.