Nobuhiro Satō

Nobihiro Sato (born December 27, Bunka 12, January 25, 1816 – February 15, 1900) was a samurai of the Chōshū Domain during the late Edo period. He was born in Tabuse Town, Kumage District, Yamaguchi Prefecture, as the eldest son of Genyemon Sato. Genyemon Sato was the 9th head of the Sato family, and among his brothers was Kuemon Tsuboi.

His childhood name was Saburō, later adopting the courtesy name Kanzaku, and his personal name was Nobihiro. His pseudonym was Kaiso. He was awarded the court rank of Senior Fifth Rank. He was the 10th head of the Sato family. Notably, his descendants include Prime Ministers Nisisuke Kishi and Eisaku Sato, and Shinzō Abe is also a great-grandchild.

Nobihiro studied under Taiyū Yamagata at the Yamaguchi Prefectural Domain School, Meirin-kan, and later apprenticed under Akagi Shimizu in Edo, where he studied Kashima-ryu military science. It is also said that he received military protocols from Matsushita Shōin and maintained close relations with Kōmei Inoue, Hirobumi Itō, and Takamori Kido. Within the domain, he served as a county magistrate clerk and held positions related to maritime defense, such as at the county defense offices.

After the Meiji Restoration, he held administrative posts such as provisional governor of Hamada Prefecture and governor of Shimane Prefecture. Around 1878, he retired from public office and led a quiet life of solitude. He settled in Ebizogase, Magō Village, Kumage District (present-day Tabuse Town), where he left behind numerous poems and writings, and spent his later years peacefully. He died in 1900 at the age of 84 and was buried on Hiromi-ga-oka Hill in Tabuse. His family temple is the Shinkō-ji, a Jōdo Shinshū sect temple.

In November 1876, Nobihiro, then a prefectural official, arrested Ichirō Maebara and others for their involvement in the Hagi Rebellion. Regarding his family, his eldest son Nobihiko was active as a Chinese literature scholar and served as a prefectural assembly member. His second son, Hōtaku, succeeded the family line of drums and was a Major General in the Army's horse reinforcement division. His third son, Taro, inherited the family estate of the Baron Inoue Mitsuyuki of the Army, and held ranks of Army Major and First Lieutenant. His grandchildren include physicians Satsuki Sato, Kenzō Sato, and Sakusaburō Ikegami, and great-grandchildren include naval officer Shiro Sato and politicians Nisisuke Kishi and Eisaku Sato.

Additionally, Shinzō Abe is related to the Sato family—his grandparents include Kanbō Abe (an executive at Mitsubishi Corporation) and Shinzō Abe, the 96th Prime Minister of Japan. Among Nobihiro’s descendants are his son Kanji Abe, son of Kanbō Abe; Chiyo Sato, daughter of Nisisuke Sato; and a former Fuji Television journalist who served as a member of the House of Representatives after working as a secretary to his father.

Nobihiro Sato was a prominent samurai who held many posts during his time and then lived a quiet life in his later years—a notable figure in history.