Who is Uesugi Yozan, the man whose portrait hangs in every elementary and junior high school in Yonezawa City? [Yamagata Prefecture]

Did you know that a portrait of Uesugi Yozan hangs in the gymnasium of an elementary and junior high school in Yonezawa City, Yamagata Prefecture?

affectionatelyLord Takayama"called

I also heard rumors that the President of the United States respected him, so I was curious to know who he was, and decided to investigate! I'll also touch on Uesugi Yozan's background and explain why he is so beloved by the citizens of the city!

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Uesugi Yozan and the Yonezawa Uesugi Clan

Uesugi Yozanin Dewa Province (present-day Yamagata Prefecture)the 9th lord of the Yonezawa Domain.

During his time as feudal lordand, he went by the name Harunori,Yozanwas the name he adopted after his retirement, but this name is more widely known.

He was born as the second son of Akizuki Tanemitsu, the lord of Takanabe Domain in Hyuga (present-day Miyazaki Prefecture), and in 1760 was adopted by Uesugi Shigesada, the eighth lord of the Yonezawa Domain, and welcomed into the Yonezawa Domain

The financial situation of the domain was in dire straits as it tried to protect the pride of its distinguished family

who was called a god of war during the Sengoku period,Uesugi Kenshin, who served as one of the Five Great Elders under the Toyotomi regime.Uesugiwas a prestigious family descended from1.2 million koku in Aizuthey ruled a large territory oftheir territory to 300,000 koku in Yonezawathey were ordered by Tokugawa Ieyasu to reduce

Even after moving to Yonezawa, the Uesugi family could not lose their pride as a prestigious family. Despite their rice yield being reduced to less than a quarter of what it was before, they did not dismiss any of their retainers, who numbered around 6,000 during their time in Aizu. Neither the lord nor his retainers changed their extravagant lifestyle. As a result, by the mid-18th century,their debt had ballooned to 200,000 ryo (equivalent to approximately 15 to 20 billion yen in modern currency), to the point that merchants cut off their daimyo loans (loans made by merchants to daimyo).

The financial difficulties of such a prestigious family could not be hidden, and the situation was known even to the townspeople of Edo

"How do you remove the metallic smell from new metal fittings? If you stick a piece of paper with 'Uesugi' written on it on the metal fittings, the paper will absorb the metallic smell."

It was even ridiculed as such

Uesugi Yozan, the man who restored the domain's finances from the brink of bankruptcy

who became the ninth lord of the domainUesugi Yozan, implemented various reforms to the domain's administration, laying the foundation for restoring the finances of the Yonezawa domain, which were on the verge of collapse.

Takayama"the three principles of self-help, mutual aid, and assistance", and implemented the following measures:

• Reduction of Edo-shikiryo (living expenses in Edo)
• Promoting emergency food supplies
• Instructions to the feudal lord himself, as well as his retainers and farmers, to be frugal
• Developing new fields to increase income
• Restoration of the domain school, Kojokan
• The restoration of the "Ukogi hedges" (Ukogi can be used for food and medicine) was initiated by Kanetsugu Naoe

Furthermore, they aimed for a completesystem of self-sufficiency, attempting to produce as much as possible within the domain.

The contents of the guidebook covered even the smallest details of the lives of ordinary people, from the production of pottery (Narushima ware) to the production of salt from hot spring water, the names and cooking methods of wild plants, how to make miso and soy sauce, and how to preserve fish, birds, and animal meat

Then,during the reign of Uesugi Narisada, the 11th lord of the Yonezawa domain and Yozan's successor, the domain was able to fully repay its debts. For this reason, Uesugi Yozan is still respected by the citizens today as a great man who protected the domain, and his teachings are highly valued.

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Who respected Uesugi Yozan?

"If you try, you can succeed; if you don't try, you can't succeed. Failure in anything is due to a lack of effort."These are the words of Uesugi Yozan, known to those in the know.

People interpret this in different ways, but it is generally interpreted as, "If you try, you can do it. If you don't try, you won't succeed. The reason you can't do something is because you don't try."

Lord Takayama is respected by many for inspiring his subjects with these words and for his efforts in rebuilding the impoverished and struggling Yonezawa domain

The former U.S. PresidentJohn F. Kennedy. His eldest daughter,Caroline Kennedy,also visited Yonezawa City, a place associated with Uesugi Yozan, whom her father respected, during her visit to Japan.

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Why are portraits in elementary and junior high schools?

in elementary and junior high schools throughout Yonezawa CityUesugiYozanofare displayed

Why is his portrait displayed? BecauseLord Takayama's teachingsare considered suitable for the field of education.

What are Lord Takayama's teachings?

"If you try, you can succeed; if you don't try, you won't succeed. Failure is simply due to a lack of effort." This quote summarizes the essence of the problem, and many of the reforms implemented by Takayama serve as guidelines for education.

• The feudal lord himself cut living expenses (leading by example)
• Establishing a "postbox" where farmers can voice their opinions (listening to a wide range of opinions)
• Recommending the cultivation of familiar ingredients and the development of local specialties (creativity)
• Revival of the domain school "Kojokan" (the importance of academics)

And the fundamental principle of the reform is: self-help, mutual assistance, and public assistance.

"Work hard with your own strength, help each other with your friends, and help those in need in the local community."

The reason for hanging the portraits in schools, which are educational institutions, is probably to spread these ideas to children

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summary

In Yonezawa, an environment has been created where children can feel close to Uesugi Yozan, a great man who achieved the revival of his hometown, from an early age

In order to motivate people, those in positions of authority should take the lead and set an example. This spirit may be something we should emulate in any era, no matter how much the world changes

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