When I heard Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, [ Dog General ] [ Order of mercy on living things ] I think many people think of it.
I think everyone has the image that the decree of mercy on living things will result in heavy punishment for the person who kills the creature.
However, such scandalous things are always widespread with tail fins. Therefore, it is often difficult to convey the true picture of one thing.
The same is true for the 5th Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa.
[ Order of mercy on living things ] By the image of the world, incompetent general with bad politics I have the impression. However, the actual Tsunayoshi seems to be a little different, and it is said that he was a person who could be mentioned as a famous person through the Tokugawa Shogunate.
Today, I would like to get closer to the truth.
Tsunayoshi was trying to change the world of truncation.
The privilege of the samurai at that time [ truncation exemption ] Has been heard by everyone.
Tsunayoshi's time was just the borderline of that trend.
During the Edo period around this time, the world of warring states became a peaceful world, and the boundaries of the status of the occupations were becoming clearer. In the Warring States period, it was necessary for samurai to wear their bodies to protect their own people, but in a peaceful world, it is less necessary for samurai to stretch their bodies to protect their own farmers and tradesmen. I did.
However, since samurai are a mass of pride, it is unacceptable to be rude from farmers and tradesmen, and the result is [ truncation . ] It is a trend.
If the perception that the samurai are superior is shaken, the survival of the shogunate itself will be jeopardized. To prevent this from happening, some samurai [ truncation ] It seems that many people thought that the trend was necessary to protect the status of the samurai.
Due to that trend, the samurai who have no place to fight are cutting people and cutting dogs and eating . And it became noticeable.
From the point of view of the people, it is not an accumulation because it is cut off just because the samurai is in a bad mood. This tendency to downplay life is not only in the samurai society, but also in the peasants, and it seems that they were actually killed just by stealing.
How to neglect life to solve things with violence However, it is said that it was rampant in the city of Edo at that time.
Tsunayoshi, who wanted to break this trend, registered guns and weapons . Then, the shogunate will try to manage violence thoroughly. He changed the samurai class into what is now a bureaucratic position, not as a warrior.
He actively hires talented people, not power, and succeeds in setting goals for many samurai. In short, he recommended both Bunbu and Budo.
The actual policy is to dismiss bad guys in various places. If you are a daimyo but have a problem, you can change or reduce the number of seals I made it. This reform has gradually come to fruition, but there is an incident.
[ Chushingura ] It is an incident.
Takumi Asano 47 people who were dissatisfied with the ruling were Kira Uenosuke because he pulled out his sword in the hall and became seppuku. It is that incident that relieved the lord's remorse.
This incident was a great act of loyalty to the lord as a samurai.
Nowadays, it is an act of terrorism that relieves political dissatisfaction with violence. However, it seems that many samurai at that time regarded Sekihotai as a hero.
In the post-incident disposition, Tsunayoshi finally treated them as samurai, not as criminals, and ordered seppuku. While respecting his pride as a samurai, the shogunate has shown a resolute attitude toward violent acts.
Tsunayoshi's idea that killing is not good gradually permeates, and the tendency to cut off is gradually subsided. And the rule of law that has become commonplace in modern nations. foundation Tsunayoshi will build.
Textbooks changed Tsunayoshi's evaluation
Why did a famous person who implements the above-mentioned policy come to be called the dog official, stupid lord?
It is said that there was a problem with school textbooks in the past.
According to the textbook, the reason why children are not blessed is that they are killed in the town of Edo, and if they are stopped, they will be able to succeed. It is said to be the key to the decree of mercy.
There were creatures that were the target of this, but among them, dogs were famous, and they protected stray dogs in Edo and gave them the ability to create their own facilities. [ Policy to feed dogs even though the townspeople are suffering ] Was unpopular, and it cost money to maintain a facility for dog protection, and many Edo townspeople suffered.
Those who did not obey the decree of mercy on living things are also highlighted as a felony, which is a bad point of this policy.
However, recent textbooks have radically changed the description of Tsunayoshi, stating that he was a virtuoso in politics.
According to a German named Kembel who had an audience with Tsunayoshi at that time,
"Tsunayoshi is an outstanding lord. All the people live in perfect harmony under him. In terms of lifestyle, art and morals, he surpasses people of all nations."
I wrote in my memorandum.
Also, " Order of mercy on living things 』In itself, rather than saying the law, notes It is a general term for.
The very first touch is
"Encourage Tadataka, live in harmony with your brothers and relatives, and have mercy on your servants."
So, I didn't mention any dogs.
The society he aimed for was to create a society that coexists peacefully.
At that time, there were many people who kept dogs but easily throw them away, and the number of wild dogs increased, and people were in trouble. For that reason, it seems that they were trying to register animals such as dogs to protect people's lives and to instill a spirit of animal welfare.
However, the pursuit of ideals has gone too far, and that is what was called bad politics . I wonder. It is said that Tsunayoshi laid the foundation for the fact that modern Japanese people are safer than foreign countries and that they prefer peace.
After Tsunayoshi's death, many of the mentions of the decree of mercy on living creatures were abandoned, but animal welfare law and law respecting the elderly Etc. are inherited as they are that's right.
We Japanese may not forget the spirit of creating a society that coexists in peace with Tsunayoshi Tokugawa.