Culture & History

Site of the Residence of Shuzen Nagano

Shuzen Nagano was the right-hand man of Lord Naosuke Ii. During Naosuke's youth, spent sequestered in the Umoregi-no-Ya House, Shuzen acted as his literature teacher. When Naosuke became ruler of Hikone, and chief minister to the government in Edo, Shuzen supported Naosuke's administration with his superior intellect. The site of Shuzen's residence is located in Hikone's Tachibana-cho district. Today, however, the site is a parking lot, marked with a memorial stone.

About Shuzen Nagano

Shuzen Nagano's exact birthplace is unknown, but there are a number of theories, including Yatsushiro, Higo Province (today's Kumamoto Prefecture), or that he was a member of the Aso family of high priests in Aso, Higo Province.
In November, 1841, when Shuzen was 27 years old, he opened a private school in Omi's Ichiba Village (Santou Town), where he taught poetry.
Impressed with the depth of Shuzen's lessons, Naosuke Ii enrolled in the school the following year and became Shuzen's pupil. In 1850, when Naosuke became the 13th lord of Hikone, Shuzen was selected to serve in the Kodokan clan school as the head of literature and culture studies. When Naosuke became chief minister to the government in Edo, Shuzen went to work for his administration in Edo. In particular, Shuzen was tasked with the hard work of reconciling the opinions of the Imperial Court with those of the shogunate.

When Naosuke was assassinated at the Sakurada Gate, Shuzen was immediately imprisoned in a Hikone jail, where he died in his cell in 1863. He was 49 years old.