Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00Although it was a coincidental victory, all the defeats were inevitable.
00:07How did the foreigners, who had colored the history of Japan, lose?
00:13What were the causes and mistakes behind it?
00:18This time, we will focus on the defeat of Okubo Toshimichi, who led the Meiji New Government.
00:28In the midst of the construction of a modern country, Japan,
00:33the civil war between the Aizu and Fuhei clans was suppressed,
00:37and the friendship with Saigo Takamori was severed.
00:40What was the reason for the end that could not be met?
00:46The philosophy of life learned from the failures of the defeated.
00:53The Lesson from the Defeat of Foreigners
01:03What do we learn from the failures of the foreigners in history?
01:10This is Yuri Nakanishi, the voice of Shinko, the lesson from the defeat of foreigners.
01:15And this is Jun Ito, the historian.
01:17Thank you for joining us today.
01:20Last time, we focused on the defeat of Eto Shinpei.
01:24In the early Meiji period, there was a rebellion by the clans all over Japan.
01:29Yes.
01:30The Saga War in Meiji 7,
01:33the Jinpuren Rebellion in Kumamoto, which broke out at the same time in October of Meiji 9,
01:39the Akizuki Rebellion in Fukuoka, the Hagi Rebellion in Yamaguchi,
01:42and the famous Seiran War in Meiji 10.
01:45These are called the clans' rebellions.
01:48Not only the clans' rebellions,
01:50but also the assassinations of the government officials,
01:53as well as the misuse of power, are included in the clans' rebellions.
01:57This time, I'd like to focus on the defeat of Okubo Toshimichi,
02:01who, while suppressing the clans' rebellions one after another,
02:06fell to the clans' swords.
02:11Speaking of Okubo,
02:13he is the third son of Ishin, along with Saigo Takamori and Kido Takayoshi.
02:17What kind of image does he have?
02:20Speaking of Okubo,
02:22he is a politician who is ready to do anything.
02:26He is determined to do what he believes in.
02:29Sometimes, he is too conservative.
02:33I can see such a person in him.
02:35He is not a cold-blooded politician.
02:40This time, we will explore the teachings of Okubo Toshimichi
02:44and the teachings of Okubo Toshimichi in the modern era.
02:47First, let's see what kind of person Okubo Toshimichi was.
02:54Okubo Toshimichi, who is known as Ishin Sanketsu,
02:57along with Saigo Takamori and Kido Takayoshi,
03:01was born as the eldest son of Okubo Toshiyo,
03:04a lower-class samurai of the Satsuma clan in 1830.
03:10He met Saigo, who was three years older than him,
03:13and encouraged him to study martial arts.
03:18Okubo, who was 17 years old when he joined the Satsuma clan,
03:22later became close to Shimazu Hisamitsu,
03:25who was the father of the Satsuma clan,
03:28and attracted the attention of the central government.
03:32Okubo Toshimichi was aiming to form an alliance
03:35between the emperor and his father-in-law,
03:38but he was eventually defeated.
03:42However, in 1867,
03:45the 15th Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu
03:48carried out a coup d'etat,
03:50and the alliance collapsed.
03:54Okubo, who feared that Yoshinobu would continue his experiments,
03:58together with Tomomira Iwakura,
04:01a member of the Toba clan,
04:04carried out the coup d'etat.
04:07Okubo, who became one of the leaders of the Meiji New Government,
04:10carried out the coup d'etat,
04:13and established the central government.
04:25Okubo, on the other hand,
04:28became the vice-principal of the Shisetsudan,
04:31who made Iwakura the prime minister,
04:34and established the Obei Shokoku.
04:38In the midst of this, he was suddenly ordered to return to Japan.
04:44What awaited him was a debate within the government
04:47about how to respond to the Korean War.
04:51Okubo opposed his best friend Saigōra
04:54and expelled them from the central government.
04:59After that, Okubo became the first principal
05:02of the Shokusan industry,
05:05which was established by Okubo's father.
05:09The Meiji New Government was dissatisfied with Okubo's decision,
05:12and the Fuhei clan decided to suppress Okubo.
05:15The Meiji New Government was dissatisfied with Okubo's decision,
05:18and the Fuhei clan decided to suppress Okubo.
05:21When his best friend Saigōra started a war,
05:24Okubo was unable to persuade him,
05:27and died.
05:30Only eight months later,
05:33Okubo was attacked by the Fuhei clan,
05:36and lost his life.
05:40It was the moment of Okubo's defeat.
05:45Why did Okubo lose his life?
05:50In this episode, we take a closer look
05:53at Okubo Toshimichi's defeat.
05:56Okubo Toshimichi's Death
06:00Now, let's take a look at Okubo Toshimichi's death.
06:05I heard that Okubo was not as popular as Saigōra,
06:08who was also from Satsuma.
06:11Is that true?
06:15Well, during the Seinan War,
06:18many of the Kagoshima residents lost their loved ones.
06:21So, there were many grudges against Okubo.
06:25In the Seinan War,
06:28Okubo's incitement was the main reason
06:31why Okubo lost his popularity.
06:37Okubo was so confident
06:40that he could carry the bad reputation of his family.
06:43That's why Okubo lost his popularity.
06:46In that sense, Okubo was a dignified person.
06:50Okubo and Saigō Takamori
06:53have a similar image.
06:56What did Okubo think of Okubo?
06:59Okubo and Saigō Takamori
07:02felt that Okubo could not cope with the new era
07:05due to the bombings.
07:08However, Yoshinobu Tokugawa,
07:11who later became the 15th Shogun,
07:14was at the center of Okubo's politics.
07:17Yoshinobu Tokugawa was a cunning person.
07:20Yoshinobu Tokugawa had to deal with
07:23smart people like Okubo.
07:26Yoshinobu Tokugawa had to deal with
07:29smart people like Okubo.
07:32Yoshinobu Tokugawa had to deal with
07:35smart people like Okubo.
07:38Okubo and Saigō Takamori
07:41have a similar image.
07:44Please watch this.
07:47Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture
07:50This is the city where two people were exiled.
07:56Okubo Toshimichi and Saigō Takamori
07:59Why did they leave their hometown
08:02while sharing the same idea?
08:07Okubo, who had been fighting
08:10with Saigō, who was 3 years older than him,
08:13was more interested in learning than martial arts.
08:16was more interested in learning than martial arts.
08:19Okubo, who was 17 years old,
08:22was involved in a family conflict
08:25and was sentenced to death
08:28by his father.
08:31by his father.
08:34Okubo Toshimichi's son,
08:37Okubo Yōko,
08:41imagines the situation at the time.
08:46I think I'm depressed,
08:49but I have to live.
08:52I don't know if my family will be killed
08:55or if I can live
08:58or if I can't get any help
09:01or if I'll be driven out
09:04from my neighborhood.
09:07I don't know that either.
09:10He was suddenly deprived of food
09:13and had to raise his mother
09:16and three younger sisters.
09:19Saigō was the last person
09:22to offer a helping hand
09:25to Okubo, who was 21 years old.
09:28Okubo Toshimichi's first-year,
09:31Mr. Katsuta,
09:34believes that Okubo and Saigō
09:37had something in common.
09:41I think Okubo realized
09:44what politics was
09:47when he realized
09:50that strange things happened
09:53because of politics.
09:56Okubo, who was sentenced to death
09:59three years later,
10:02said,
10:05In the midst of this,
10:08Peri came to Japan
10:11and called for a crisis.
10:15Okubo approached Shimazu Hitamitsu,
10:18who was in charge of the Sasuma case,
10:21and aimed to create a new system
10:24that could compete with foreign countries.
10:27It was a so-called Kōbu Gattai,
10:30where the authority of the imperial court
10:33was linked to the shogunate and the shogunate.
10:39Hitamitsu gave various opinions
10:42to the imperial court and the shogunate,
10:45but Okubo was the one
10:48who took them.
10:51In that sense, he was Hitamitsu's brain.
10:54Okubo moved quickly
10:57to adjust the situation.
11:01When he was surrounded
11:04by a tense atmosphere,
11:07Okubo took an unexpected action.
11:10He lifted the tatami mat
11:13and turned it upside down
11:16to soothe the situation.
11:20Mr. Toya, an international political economist
11:23who is also familiar with Meiji Shinshu,
11:26talks about Okubo's temperament
11:29and political attitude.
11:33I think he was a mischievous person.
11:36But in the case of Okubo,
11:39although he was cute as an individual,
11:42when he acted as a politician,
11:45he didn't think too much
11:48about politics.
11:54In the midst of the political situation,
11:57Yoshinobu, the 15th Shogun,
12:00who tried to maintain the influence of the shogunate,
12:03came up with a brilliant idea.
12:06He turned the government into the imperial court.
12:09The so-called system change.
12:12What was his aim?
12:15By turning the imperial court into the imperial court,
12:18he was trying to eliminate the status quo
12:21of the ruling party.
12:24On the other hand,
12:27Yoshinobu, who was still a shogun,
12:30thought that he could play a central role
12:33in the prime ministerial meeting
12:36that would focus on the emperor.
12:39That was his plan.
12:43To oppose Yoshinobu,
12:46Okubo approached someone.
12:49It was Tomomi Iwakura of Kuge.
12:53Basically, the imperial court was the center.
12:56Who could be the center
12:59of the imperial court in the future?
13:02Iwakura noticed this.
13:08Okubo visited Iwakura,
13:11who was in charge of the imperial court.
13:17Okubo wanted the authority of the imperial court,
13:20and Iwakura wanted to use Satsuma's military power.
13:23The two people who had the same interest
13:26tried to change the imperial court's system
13:29to eliminate the old tyrant.
13:32They tried to run the new government
13:35with a new political system.
13:41It was a coup d'etat.
13:46After Iwakura's proposal,
13:49Okubo's secret letter to the emperor
13:52was full of strong determination.
13:57It was the emperor's wish
14:00to kill Yoshinobu
14:03and change the system as soon as possible.
14:06However,
14:08it didn't happen.
14:12In response to this,
14:15a battle took place between the new government
14:18and the old tyrant.
14:21It was the Battle of Toba-Fushimi.
14:24At this time,
14:27Saigo was in charge of the new government.
14:30They were moving
14:33in the direction of the new government.
14:36Saigo was moving here,
14:39so I decided to move here.
14:43Okubo, who decided to move in the village,
14:46was doing a big job
14:49to decide where the battle would take place.
14:52He made two armies,
14:55the symbol of the new government.
14:59It was like the army of the emperor.
15:02He raised the flag in a good way.
15:05This became a tailwind,
15:08and the new government won the Battle of Toba-Fushimi
15:11which took place all over the country.
15:16The new government was born.
15:19Okubo started to move in earnest.
15:28The Battle of Toba-Fushimi
15:42Okubo, who became the main member of the Meiji government,
15:45made a big deal to build a new government.
15:50He abolished the Han dynasty
15:53and abolished the Han system,
15:57but some people lost their homes because of this.
16:03The Han army was disbanded.
16:06Many people lost their jobs
16:09and were born there.
16:14An unarmed group of people
16:17who were dissatisfied with the Meiji government was born.
16:20In the midst of this,
16:23a big change came to Okubo.
16:28He was appointed as the vice-minister
16:31of a secret organization
16:34with more than 100 members.
16:37He was appointed as the vice-minister of a secret organization
16:43Among them, Okubo was impressed
16:46by the British power
16:49and the British economy.
16:54In the UK,
16:57I saw factories and factories
17:00and thought that innovation
17:03was the source of the country's wealth.
17:06Also, I think it was the infrastructure of transportation.
17:09Bridges, roads, and railways.
17:12Not only humans,
17:15but also people carried their luggage
17:18on their shoulders.
17:21It was shocking.
17:24I think Okubo was shocked
17:27to the extent that it was shocking
17:30to people who saw a black ship at the end of the war.
17:33Okubo had a rare weakness.
17:38A man like me
17:41should not think about the future.
17:45But if I was determined to do something,
17:48if I was determined to fulfill my duty,
17:51I would think it would be a waste of time.
17:54I think I was flexible.
17:57Okubo thought again
18:00when he visited European countries.
18:04If we develop the industry,
18:07we can give jobs to people who are dissatisfied
18:10and the country will be rich.
18:15Okubo decided to start a food industry
18:18as soon as he returned to Japan.
18:23However, he faced an unexpected obstacle.
18:31From the end of the war to the beginning of the Meiji era,
18:34there was always Okubo
18:37in the shadow of major events.
18:40Okubo's presence is great.
18:43Saigo compared his and Okubo's talents.
18:46He said this.
18:49He is good at building a house,
18:52but Okubo is better at fine work and decoration.
18:55However, when it comes to destroying a house,
18:58he is also good at it.
19:01Saigo is good at making 0 into 1.
19:04Okubo is good at making 1 into 5 or 10.
19:07Okubo is good at it.
19:10Okubo is good at fine work and decoration
19:13even if he is not creative.
19:16Okubo's great work in the new government
19:19is the case of disobeying.
19:22At first, there was a lot of opposition.
19:25Okubo did not compromise.
19:28He said that he would cut off
19:31the rebellion of the nobles
19:35However, Okubo was promoted
19:38by Kido more than Okubo.
19:41Okubo was a little overprotective.
19:44Okubo called Saigo,
19:47who was in the country,
19:50and conducted the rebellion of the nobles
19:53directly under Saigo's leadership.
19:56Of course, Kido could not do it
19:59for Saigo.
20:03Saigo led the rebellion of the nobles
20:06successfully.
20:09I think he was able to do
20:12such a big thing.
20:15After the rebellion of the nobles,
20:18Okubo and Kido went to the United States.
20:21After that, Saigo left it to Rousseff.
20:24It must have been a great shock
20:27when he went abroad for the first time.
20:31In order to achieve industrialization,
20:34it is necessary to have a strong internal force.
20:37If you don't have a strong internal force,
20:40there will be a big gap.
20:44He went abroad and found what he should do.
20:47However, it seems that it is better
20:50to pay attention to the movements
20:53of his subordinates.
20:57Okubo was called back to Japan
21:00while he was abroad.
21:03He was waiting for the confrontation
21:06in the government and the rebellion
21:09against the new government.
21:12Okubo became more and more famous,
21:15but it started the countdown
21:18to his own death.
21:21Okubo was shocked by the development
21:24of the new government.
21:27He became a member of the government
21:30and planned for 30 years
21:33to change Japan into a modern country.
21:37Until the 10th year of Meiji,
21:40Okubo was an industrialist.
21:43Until the 20th year of Meiji,
21:46Okubo was an industrialist.
21:50The next 10 years
21:53Okubo was an industrialist.
21:58However, he had a conflict with Saigo
22:01who was in charge of the government
22:04during his return to Japan.
22:09I will be the next president of Korea.
22:12I will be the next president of Korea.
22:15If you do that, it will be a war.
22:18If you do that, it will be a war.
22:21The Meiji government was trying to
22:24form an official alliance with Korea.
22:27The Meiji government was trying to
22:30form an official alliance with Korea.
22:33However, Korea was afraid of Japan
22:36and was against it.
22:40Saigo demanded the immediate disposal
22:43of the facility.
22:46However, if Saigo was killed,
22:49the war could not be avoided.
22:52However, if Saigo was killed,
22:55the war could not be avoided.
22:58However, the two had a common goal.
23:03Saigo and Okubo had the same goal
23:06of reforming the treaty
23:09which was a major foreign policy issue.
23:13At that time, Japan was involved
23:16in an unfair treaty with the U.S.
23:19At that time, Japan was involved
23:22in an unfair treaty with the U.S.
23:25It was forced to give up the right
23:28to self-determination.
23:31to self-determination.
23:34Saigo's goal was to change the view
23:37of the first foreign country
23:41to reform the treaty.
23:44Saigo's goal was to change the view
23:47of the first foreign country
23:50to reform the treaty.
23:53But Okubo was against it.
23:56Okubo was against it.
23:59Okubo was against it.
24:02Okubo was against it.
24:05Okubo was against it.
24:08Saigo's last move was to move the facility.
24:11Saigo's last move was to move the facility.
24:14However, Okubo did not back down.
24:17However, Okubo did not back down.
24:20At the Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture,
24:23at the Nishinomiya Shrine in Hyogo Prefecture,
24:26the Roku-Ei-Do, which was used by Tomomi Iwakura
24:29the Roku-Ei-Do, which was used by Tomomi Iwakura
24:32was built in the vicinity.
24:35Okubo set a trap andired for Tomomi Iwakura.
24:40Okubo borrowed the emperor's power
24:43and어서 headquarter to make a difficult decision.
24:46andose headquarter to make a difficult decision.
24:50Saigo was mad at Okubo.
24:53Saigo was mad at Okubo.
24:56Andose without miscalculation...
24:59Saigo left Okubo.
25:02I'll leave the rest to you, Yoka.
25:06Okubo was told,
25:09I don't know.
25:11In the end, he's always in a daze.
25:16But if he's convinced,
25:20he'll come out.
25:23Maybe that's why he didn't know.
25:27After that, Okubo became the director of the Ministry of the Interior,
25:33and the Meiji government was also at the top.
25:38The Okubo regime was born.
25:43Okubo acted with determination.
25:47What was the end of it?
25:50Part 2
25:57Okubo wanted to promote the agriculture industry
26:01by increasing the power of the people.
26:06The people don't have that much power,
26:09so they put their power into the agriculture business.
26:13And when it's on the track,
26:16they give it to the people.
26:19It was a business based on that.
26:24Okubo supports the Tomioka Breeding Farm,
26:27which produces kiwifruit.
26:31In addition, the current Shinjuku Fish Park
26:34has a test ground for agriculture and ranching,
26:37encouraging the development of agriculture.
26:43Okubo also built a garden in a separate garden,
26:48where he grew his own crops and fruits.
26:53It was like an experiment.
26:57I think he was very interested in
27:01how to develop Japanese agricultural technology.
27:06Part 3
27:10In 1874,
27:13Shinpei Eto, who left the government with Okubo,
27:16started the Saga Rebellion.
27:19The people decided to stop him.
27:26When the government was formed,
27:29there was no official government yet,
27:32and the newspapers hadn't been published yet.
27:35There was no parliament yet,
27:38so there wasn't much opportunity
27:41for the people at the time
27:44to know what the government was doing
27:47and what they were thinking.
27:54Okubo suppresses those who stand up to the government
27:57by force.
28:01This causes the unarmed clans to rebel.
28:07And then,
28:09Okubo's biggest battle
28:12happens unexpectedly.
28:20In 1877,
28:22the unarmed clans of Kagoshima, Kyoto,
28:25rebel.
28:29The Southwest War breaks out.
28:33At first, Okubo didn't believe
28:36that Saigo was involved.
28:42I'm the only one who knows where Saigo is.
28:47However,
28:48he knows that he is led by the leader of the rebel army.
28:54Okubo's neighbor tells him
28:57what happened at that time.
29:01Okubo said,
29:03"'Is that so?'
29:06and cried his eyes out.
29:10Except for when he was a child,
29:13Okubo had only shed tears once in his life."
29:20Okubo opens a temporary meeting
29:23to persuade Saigo to go to Kagoshima
29:26to wipe his tears.
29:30However,
29:31he was strongly opposed and
29:34had no choice but to give up.
29:38At the end of the struggle,
29:41Saigo killed himself.
29:51It was three days before he died.
29:55Okubo told the people in the government
29:58that he had a strange dream.
30:03He was fighting against Saigo,
30:06and he fell from the cliff.
30:09It was a very ominous dream
30:11about the terrible death of Saigo.
30:17Okubo's suicide notice
30:19was sent to Okubo himself.
30:21So,
30:22Okubo was prepared to be attacked
30:25by Saigo himself.
30:34Okubo used to live in a luxury house
30:37where Saigo lived.
30:41At 8 a.m.,
30:43Okubo left Kasumigasaki
30:46and went to work by carriage.
30:50However,
30:51Saigo's two-year-old daughter
30:53didn't let him go.
30:57Okubo was troubled,
30:59so he took Saigo on a carriage
31:01and took a detour.
31:03Finally, he stopped crying.
31:07When he left the house,
31:09Okubo had a gun
31:11to protect him.
31:15However,
31:16at that time,
31:18there was an invitation
31:20from a priest of Shinkoku.
31:23So,
31:24Okubo left the gun to Saigo
31:26and had it cleaned.
31:28At that time,
31:30Saigo didn't have a gun.
31:40At that time,
31:41Okubo was a member of
31:43Shioda-ku Kiyoi-cho.
31:47Mr. Toya told us
31:49the details of the incident.
31:52Six of us
31:54used a long sword
31:56to cut the horse's legs
31:58to stop the carriage.
32:01We opened the carriage door
32:03and attacked Okubo.
32:05At that time,
32:07one of us said,
32:09Okubo was in pain
32:12or regretful,
32:14so he glared at himself.
32:16I still can't forget
32:18his expression.
32:21The place where Okubo was killed
32:24was a deep valley
32:26where there was no place to escape.
32:31Okubo,
32:32pity,
32:33the defeat of Masayume.
32:37The year was 1949.
32:42In a year
32:44before Okubo died,
32:46Kido Takayoshi passed away
32:48and Saigo was killed by an earthquake.
32:53He was a man with a noble spirit.
32:56He didn't care about
32:58the perfection of modern countries.
33:01He put an end
33:03to Okubo's life.
33:10It was dramatic.
33:12It was a dramatic end.
33:16But he still had a lot of things
33:19he wanted to do.
33:21I think he was regretful.
33:24He was regretful.
33:26According to Okubo's 30-year plan,
33:29he was going to do his best for another 10 years.
33:32But when Okubo came back from abroad,
33:35the government was making reforms.
33:38This was the reason
33:40for the conflict.
33:42This was a big reason.
33:44Before Okubo left Japan,
33:46the government decided
33:48not to hold important meetings
33:50in the capital.
33:52It was a 12-page agreement
33:54between Okubo and Saigo.
33:56But Saigo ignored it.
33:58He thought about the economy,
34:00the students' education,
34:02the railway,
34:04and the solar power.
34:06He kept thinking about it.
34:08Did Okubo get angry
34:10because his promise was broken
34:12and his pride was hurt?
34:14Or was he angry
34:16because his plan was different
34:18from what he had in mind?
34:20I think Okubo was angry
34:22because he drew a picture
34:24of the new Meiji government.
34:26I think that's what happened.
34:28I don't know much
34:30about the facilities
34:32in North Korea.
34:34If Saigo was killed,
34:36it would be a war.
34:38If it was a war,
34:40the budget would have to be reduced.
34:42But Saigo said
34:44that Okubo's foreign aid
34:46would be extended by a year.
34:48The new Meiji government
34:50can't keep on making
34:52new policies for a year and a half.
34:54That's right.
34:56Even if he could hold out
34:58for half a year,
35:00if he didn't come back,
35:02he could keep on going.
35:04What was Okubo's
35:06political sentiment?
35:08Here is Jun Ito's
35:10point of view
35:12from the perspective
35:14of a historian.
35:16Okubo thought that
35:18politics should be run
35:20by a select few elites.
35:22In other words,
35:24the national interests
35:26should be prioritized.
35:28If the national interests
35:30are recognized before
35:32the foreign aid policy,
35:34the foreign aid policy
35:36will be halted
35:38and Japan will be
35:40treated as an inferior country.
35:42It's the exact opposite
35:44of what Eto and Shinpei
35:46wanted to do.
35:48It's the exact opposite.
35:50But both sides have their
35:52own opinions.
35:54That's right.
35:56Okubo thought that
35:58the national interests
36:00should be prioritized.
36:02He wanted to take the leadership
36:04and make Japan a strong country
36:06before introducing
36:08a democratic system.
36:10That's why Okubo
36:12didn't ignore the
36:14national interests.
36:16He knew that
36:18Japan would have to
36:20take the leadership.
36:22What did Okubo think?
36:24Okubo thought that
36:26the national interests
36:28should be prioritized
36:30before introducing
36:32a democratic system.
36:34Both the government
36:36and the former Satsuma
36:38had 14,000 envoys.
36:40I don't think it's right
36:42to take all the responsibility
36:44at the end.
36:46I think Okubo
36:48thought that
36:50the national interests
36:52should be prioritized.
36:54I think Okubo
36:56was careless.
36:58But the assassins
37:00had already announced
37:02that they would assassinate
37:04Okubo.
37:06So Okubo
37:08had to be more careful.
37:10It's a lesson
37:12that everyone
37:14wants to be safe.
37:16It's the same with accidents
37:18and diseases.
37:20You have to be more careful.
37:24If there's even a little bit
37:26of anxiety,
37:28he does his best
37:30to get rid of it.
37:32If he doesn't,
37:34his life will be in danger.
37:38Okubo risked his life
37:40for his country.
37:42But his feelings
37:44have changed.
37:46Let's take a look
37:48at Okubo's future.
38:14Okubo
38:16had a clear goal.
38:45He brought water
38:47from Inawa Shiroko
38:49to bring water to Genya.
38:53His goal was
38:55to make the whole country
38:57worship his ancestors.
39:02The waterway
39:04that continues
39:06to Dengenjitai.
39:09It was opened by
39:11850,000 people
39:13and was called
39:15Asaka Sosui.
39:19Okubo was assassinated
39:214 years later
39:23when the great cause
39:25was achieved.
39:27Even now,
39:29the Okubo family
39:31receives delicious rice
39:33from Fukushima every year.
39:35First of all,
39:37I thank God.
39:39I feel very warm.
39:41I'm glad to know
39:43that Okubo
39:45is a part
39:47of our lives.
39:51Okubo Toshimichi
39:53worked hard to see
39:55the future of Japan.
39:57The weapon that took his life
39:59is now in the police station.
40:01It tells the history
40:03of the movement.
40:05I lived to live
40:07and died to die.
40:09In my opinion,
40:11the people
40:13who were created
40:15by the times
40:17are now
40:19moving
40:21and acting
40:23with the times
40:25in the wave of the times.
40:27We are now
40:29learning the result.
40:33If Okubo
40:35hadn't been killed
40:37by the Japanese,
40:39Japan would have
40:41been on a different path.
40:51Okubo didn't just
40:53suppress the unarmed people.
40:55He also thought about
40:57their lives.
40:59That's right.
41:01Asaka Sosui
41:03is a large-scale
41:05fisheries business.
41:07It's one of the three
41:09largest fisheries in Japan.
41:11It's like a large version
41:13of a water tank.
41:15To stabilize the lives
41:17of the old samurai class,
41:19the government
41:21started the first
41:23fisheries business.
41:25It started in the first place.
41:27It started in the first place.
41:29It started in the first place.
41:31It started in the first place.
41:33It started in the first place.
41:35It created a 52 km waterway.
41:37It's been able to
41:39supply water abundantly
41:41and the agricultural production
41:43in this area has been
41:45dramatically increased.
41:47In the Edo period,
41:49there were only 30,000
41:51and in the Meiji period
41:53there were 50,000
41:55and 100,000.
41:57It's more than 3 times.
41:59Many things
42:01I think you can say that.
42:03It's a great story that the rice is still delivered to the people of Okubo and Toshimichi every year.
42:11It's a great story.
42:13I think there are both good and bad sides.
42:15Mr. Ito, how do you evaluate Okubo and Toshimichi?
42:19I don't think there is a bigger power than Okubo that supported the new government.
42:24I don't think the Meiji government would have been possible without Okubo.
42:28Even so, I think the Shizuoka Rebellion was able to avoid it.
42:33Do you think it's even more regrettable because it was able to avoid it?
42:36It's even more regrettable.
42:38I think Okubo's greatness is still a little lacking.
42:45Now, once again, please give us a lesson in life that we should learn from the defeat of Okubo and Toshimichi.
42:52Know your own adequacy.
42:55I think everyone can admit that Okubo was a great revolutionary.
43:00He ended the bombing with such a brilliant move.
43:04However, if you ask me if he was a great politician, I don't think so.
43:09I think there was a misfortune that he was assassinated in the process of becoming a great politician.
43:14I think he was able to make such a decision by pulling out or leaving it to someone.
43:23Also, it's a decision by the Fuhei clan.
43:28I think it's an undeniable fact that he was able to put the recently established Meiji Shinsengoku in danger by force.
43:38I want to do it with my own power.
43:41I understand how you feel, but you need to know your own adequacy and leave it to someone who can do it.
43:49This is a lesson to learn from the defeat of Okubo and Toshimichi.
43:58Maybe Okubo was more of a No. 2 than a top player.
44:05Yes, that's right.
44:06As I said earlier, if Saigo took the command of the battle, he would have retreated to the back.
44:17In his case, he might have been a No. 2.
44:20He's definitely a talented person.
44:23It's a place where he can use his talent.
44:26However, this is what we, the students, saw.
44:30I think it's difficult for people who were alive at that time to see it for themselves.
44:37This alone is difficult.
44:39I can tell you as much as I want later.
44:41Today, I was able to understand the hardships and worries of Okubo and Toshimichi.
44:46Mr. Saito, thank you very much for today.
44:51A lesson from the defeat of Okubo and Toshimichi.
44:53See you next time.