Shimazu Narinobu

Shimazu Nariakira (January 17, 1774 – December 6, 1841) was a daimyo in the late Edo period of Japan and the ninth feudal lord of the Satsuma Domain. He was born in Edo, the son of Shimazu Shigehide, and his mother was the daughter of Nakaden Tameda Nagatsugu. His original name was Tadayoshi. In 1787, his father retired from public life and he inherited the family headship, adopting the courtesy name Nariakira under the influence of Tokugawa Ieshige, but actual power remained with his father, Shigehide. Shimazu Nariakira was passionate about national learning (kokugaku) and befriended Takayama Hikyūrō. He was dissatisfied with his father's relaxed fiscal policies, and in 1805 published "Kame and Tortoise Questions and Answers," advocating for reform of domain administration and implementing fiscal austerity measures, which led to a deterioration in his relationship with his father. In 1809, the "Kinsōroku incident" occurred; he supported the Kinsōroku faction, and the followers Koyama Hisayoshi and Chichibu Kimihiro were ordered to commit seppuku. Nariakira was also forced into seclusion, and he relinquished the family headship to his eldest son, Shimazu Nagaakira. In 1841, Nariakira died at the Satsuma domain's residence in Edo.