Ichizō Ishiba

Ishiba Ichizō (December 2, 1874 – January 19, 1941) was a Japanese farmer and politician. He was born in Omigomon Village, Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture, and held various positions including village mayor, village councilor, and director of a credit union. He assumed the office of village mayor in 1908. He died in 1941 at the age of 66.

His birthplace is Daimon, Omigomon Village, Yazu District, Tottori Prefecture (later Kunike-cho, now Yazu-cho). His father was Tsuneshichi, and his mother was Miya, a daughter of Tadaemon Mori Moto from Hashihara, Shimitsuma Village, Yazu District. His family included his wife Masa (daughter of Matsutaro Yamada), his eldest daughter Sato, his eldest son Jiro (later a bureaucrat and politician), and his third daughter Toshiko. His father, Tsuneshichi, was born in March 1848 (the first year of Kaei) and passed away in 1891.

Details about his educational background are unclear, but after completing higher elementary school, he engaged in family farming. In 1894 (Meiji 27), he was appointed clerk at Hayabuki Village Office, and the following year transferred to Omigomon Village Office. He resigned in 1900 (Meiji 33) and resumed his role as village clerk.

In agriculture, he expanded his land by clearing mountains to cultivate Niisaki Pears, planted Goshogaki persimmons, and practiced sericulture (silkworm cultivation), but these efforts are not considered to have been particularly successful. He showed a strong interest in education, taking lecture notes in English and studying independently.

Politically, he was most notably elected as the mayor of Omigomon Village in 1908. He also served as a village councilor and director of a credit union. He died in 1941 (Showa 16).

His hobbies included traveling and playing Go. It is said that he was especially devoted to his children’s education.

Regarding his family relations, besides his father Tsuneshichi, his mother’s sister Miya was from Hanahara, Shimitsuma Village, Yazu District. His wife Masa was from Miwa, Yumi Village, Iwami District, and was the eldest daughter of Matsutaro Yamada. His eldest daughter Sato married So Usui. His eldest son Jiro is known as a bureaucrat and politician.

There is detailed genealogical information about the Usui family, which has historically been a family of physicians. The sixth-generation head of the Usui family, Munekimi, moved from Minedera to Nakamitsuma Village Market, and later, So Yu established an ophthalmology clinic in Tottori City.

A notable reference is “Recollections of Jiro Ishiba: A Memoir” (Ishiba Jiro Memoir Publishing Committee, 1982).

Related figures include the bureaucrat and politician Masami Nakata, who was said to have had interactions with Ichizō Ishiba when working at the Yazu District Office in his youth.