69 孝明天皇
（前略）
幕府が力を失って万事朝廷の御指導を仰ぐようになりましたのは、孝明天皇の御徳に
よる事が大きいのでした。孝明天皇は、弘化三年（西暦一八四六）二月、御年十六歳に
して御位をお継ぎになりましたが、お継ぎになって間もなく、アメリカの軍艦が浦賀へ
来ましたが、天皇は之を聞こしめされて、「小敵といえども侮らず、大敵といえども恐
れず、善く謀をめぐらして、国体に瑕瑾（きず）をつけないよう、十分に処置せよ」と
の勅諭を幕府に下されたのでありました。
嘉永四年、天皇は御年二十一歳でした。その三月、勅命によって和気清麻呂を神とし
て祭り、護王大明神の神号と、正一位の位とを贈られました。それはかって道義地に墜
ち、国家革命に瀕した時、清麻呂が「身の危きを顧りみず、雄々しく烈しき誠の心を尽
く」した事を、御追賞あそばされての事でありますが、佐久良比東雄は之を承って感激
に堪えず、直ちに雨を冒して高雄山に登り、護王大明神の神前にぬかずき、
皇まもる 神のまします 高雄山
あかき心の みゆる紅葉
と詠んだのでした。
嘉永六年六月、ペルリが浦賀へ来るに及んで、幕府は非常なる動揺に陥りますが、天
皇は四海の静謐、国体の安全を伊勢神宮に御祈り遊ばされ、ついで熱田宮を初め諸大社
に仰せて、「神明の冥助によって神州を汚さず、人民を損せず、国体安穏、天下泰平」
ならん事を祈られました。
また御歴代天皇の御陵の荒廃をお歎きになり、その御修理の為に、文久二年十月十日
正親町実愛、野宮定功等を御用掛に任命せられましたが、幕府も之に感激して、宇都宮
藩主戸田越前守の名代、戸田忠至を差し上せ、朝廷の御指図を仰がれましたので、朝廷
では忠至を山陵奉行に任命し、ついで之を大和守に任ぜられました。数百年の間荒廃し
ていました御陵は、これまで水戸光圀が歎き、野宮定基が歎き、松下見林が歎き、柴野
栗山が歎きましても、歎くだけでどうにも出来なかったのが、今や孝明天皇の御徳によ
って、一斉に御修理が出来たのでした。しかもそれが文久、元治、慶応年間、内外大混
乱の際に、ひろく全国にわたって、百箇所あまりの御陵の御復古が出来たのは、驚くべ
き事であります。この御修理に尽力した宇都宮藩主戸田越前守が、ある事件で幕府より
減封移転を命ぜられた時、勅命によってそれが中止せられた事、また御陵の修理が出来
上がった時、将軍家茂に従一位を授け給うた事、いずれも今や日本国の中心が朝廷にあ
り、賞罰の大権が天皇にある事を示すのでした。
孝明天皇の御歌は、洩れ承る国民をして感激惜くあたわざらしめました。
朝夕に 民安かれと 思ふ身の
心にかかる 異国（とつくに）の船
国安く 民のかまどの 賑ひを
見も聞きたきぞ 我が思なる
日々日々の 書につけても 国民（くにたみ）の
安き文字こそ 見まくほしけれ
この御徳に感動して、安政の大獄に倒れた梅田雲浜は、
君が代を 思ふ心の ひとすじに
我が身ありとも おもはざりけり
と歌い、同じく大獄に追われて薩摩の海に身を鎮めた僧の月照は、
大君の 為には何か 惜しからむ
薩摩の瀬戸に 身は沈むとも
と歌い、桜田門の変の関係者として獄死した佐久良東雄は、
わが為に 何祈るべき さいはひも
君がためにと 思ひこそすれ
と歌ったのでありました。
（中略）
長州藩一つだけの処分さえ出来ず、困り切っていた幕府にとって、薩長の同盟が出来
たと云う事は、前途を危うくすると云うよりも、むしろ絶望に陥らしめるものでありま
した。その非運のうちに、慶応二年七月、将軍家茂は病没し、やがて一橋慶喜がその後
をついで将軍に任ぜられました。慶喜は英明を以て聞こえた人物でありますが、安政の
大獄以前ならばともかく、慶応の今となっては、たとえ将軍職に就いても、どうにもし
かたが無かったでしょう。然し天はこの人に重い任務を与え、大きな仕事をなさしめよ
うとするのです。それは何かと云えば、大政の奉還であります。
問題がここまで進んできた時、慶応二年十二月、我が国は大きな不幸に見舞われまし
た。孝明天皇のおかくれが、それであります。御年三十六歳でありました。御位にまし
ます事二十一年、内外非常に多事であり、多難でありまして、平穏無事の日は殆どあり
ませんでしたが、常に国体の安全と国民の幸福とを御祈り遊ばされる大御心に対しまし
ては、上下とも感泣して之を仰ぎ、之に報い奉ろうとして、その為に朝廷の御威光は輝
きわたったのでした。
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69 Emperor Koumei
(an omission)
It was greatly due to the virtues of Emperor Koumei that the shogunate lost
power and had to look up to the Court for supervision. Emperor Koumei succeeded
to the throne at the age of fifteen, in the 2nd month of the 3rd year of Kouka
(1846). It wasn't long after assuming the throne that the American warships
appeared in Uraga. When the Emperor heard of it, he issued orders to the
shogunate: "If they are a slight enemy, do not make light of them; if a great
enemy, do not fear them. Turn to your plans well, and take care that you cause
no blemish to the national polity."
In the 4th year of Kaei (1851), Emperor Koumei turned twenty. In the 3rd month
of that year, the 8th century nobleman Wake no Kiyomaro was recognized and
worshipped as a deity with the name Goou Daimyoujin, and elevated to the upper
first court rank. Centuries before, the nation had lost its way and was on the
verge of revolution and the Imperial line was in danger, and Kiyomaro's
position was in support of the Imperial line at his own cost; "I take no note
of danger to myself; a bravely, severely true heart is everything," he said.
Emperor Koumei rewarded him posthumously for Kiyomaro's stance. When Sakura
Azumao heard of this, he was so moved that he was unable to contain himself,
and, braving the rain, immediately went to Takaozan (where Kiyomaro was
enshrined) and prostrated himself before the shrine of Goou Daimyoujin, and
wtote the following poem:
"The maple leaves
of Mount Takao,
where lives the god
who protects the Emperor,
look like red hearts."
With the arrival in Uraga of Perry in the 6th month of the 6th year of Kaei
(1853), the shogunate fell into great distress. The Emperor prayed at Ise Grand
Shrine for tranquility everywhere and the safety of the national polity. Then
he had prayers intoned at all the Grand Shrines in the country - starting with
Atsuta - For "the divine protection of the gods, the land of the gods
unsullied, the people not suffering, tranquility for the national polity, and
peace in the realm."
Then, lamenting the dilapidated state of the tombs of generations of emperors
past, on the 10th day of the 10th month of 2nd year Bunkyuu (1862), the Emperor
appointed Ohgimachi Sanenaru, Nonomiya Sadaisa, and others to take charge and
see that they would be repaired. The shogunate, too, was moved by this, and
assigned Toda Tadanori (the proxy of the lord of the Utsunomiya domain, Toda
Echizen-no-kami Tadayuki). He followed the instructions of the Court, and there
he was made Commissioner of Imperial Tombs (sanryou bugyou) and later he was
given the title "Yamato-no-kami."
The tombs which had fallen into disrepair over the previous several centuries
and had been lamented over by Mito Mitsukuni, lamented over by Nonomiya
Sadamoto, lamented over by Matsushita Kenrin, and lamented over by Shibano
Ritsuzan had only been lamented over. No one had been able to do anything about
it. But now, through the vitues of Emperor Koumei, they were able to work
together to repair them. It is amazing that they were able to underake the
restoration of the sites of over 100 imperial tombs throughout the whole country
over the Bunkyuu, Genji, and Keiou eras (1861-1868) with the great
domestic/foreign chaos of the time.
When some incident took place with Toda Echizen-no-kami Tadayuki of
Utsunomiya, who had been helping in the repairs through all this, the shogunate
orderd a reduction of his fief and prepared to transfer him to another; but an
Imperial order quashed that. When all the tombs had been restored, the shougun
Iemochi was raised to lower first court rank. All of this shows that the
Imperial Court had once again become the center of the Japan. The supreme
authority for assigning rewards and punishments was shown to be with the
Emperor.
The Japanese people had to have felt great emotion upon hearing Emperor
Koumei's poetry.
Morning and Evening
I hope for the
peace for my people
while ships from far lands
weigh on my heart.
Oh! I would see and hear of
Peace in the country and
Prosperity in the kitchens of
my people.
This is my wish.
In the things I read
every day
I hope to see it written
that my people are living
in tranquility.
Umeda Unpin, who fell to the Great Ansei Purge, wrote the following:
Single-mindedly
I thought only
of Thy reign.
I didn't even think
of my own life.
The priest Gesshou, who threw himself into the sea off Satsuma during the
Purge, wrote this:
Of what
should I have regrets
if it is for Thee ?
Even if I should sink
in the narrow straits of Satsuma ?
Sakura Azumao, who died in prison after the Sakurada Gate Incident, wrote:
What prayer
should be for me ?
I would be pleased
with thoughts
for Three, my lord.
(an omission)
With the Satchou Alliance in place, the outlook seemed bad for the perplexed
shogunate, which had been unable to deal with the single domain of Choushuu.
The shogunate was troubled. In the 7th month of the 2nd year of Keiou (1866), amidst
their misfortune, the shougun Iemochi fell ill and died. Hitotsubashi
Yoshinobu finally succeeded him to the shogunate.
Yoshinobu was a clever and learned man, and that would have been fine before
the Great Ansei Purge - but now, in the Keiou era, even though he was shougun
there was nothing that could be done. It was too late. However, Providence had
placed a heavy burden upon his shoulders and prepared for him an important
task. What was this ? The restration of Imperial rule.
The problems had progressed the 12th month of the 2nd year of Keiou (January,
1867) when misfortune was suddenly visited upon Japan. This misfortune was the
death of Emperor Koumei. He was thirty-five. He had been Emperor for twenty-one
years. Many domestic and foreign events took place and there had been hardly a
single uneventful, peaceful day. Everyone was deeply touched and looked up to
him with his great heart; he had prayed for peace for the national polity and
the prosperity of his people, and in compensation, he returned glory to the
authority of the Imperial Court.
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少年日本史 (平泉澄)
The story of Japan （Hiraizumi Kiyoshi)
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