*anese politician (1840–1900)In this *anese name, the surname is Kuroda.

Count Kuroda Kiyotaka (黒田 清隆, 9 November 1840 – 23 August 1900), also known as Kuroda Ryōsuke (黒田 了介), was a *anese politician of the Meiji era. He was Prime Minister of *an from 1888 to 1889. He was also vice chairman of the Hokkaido Development Commission (Kaitaku-shi).

Contents

• 1 Biography
  • 1.1 As a Satsuma samurai
  • 1.2 Political and diplomatic career
  • 1.3 Prime minister
  • 1.4 Later life
• 2 Honours
• 3 See also
• 4 References
• 5 Further reading
• 6 External links

Biography

Nishiki-e painting of Kuroda Kiyotaka

As a Satsuma samurai

Kuroda was born to a samurai-cl* family serving the Shimazu daimyō of Kagoshima, Satsuma Domain, in Kyūshū.

In 1862, Kuroda was involved in the Namamugi incident, in which Satsuma retainers killed a British national who refused to bow down to the daimyo's procession. This led to the Anglo-Satsuma War in 1863, in which Kuroda played an active role. Immediately after the war, he went to Edo where he studied gunnery.

Returning to Satsuma, Kuroda became an active member of the Satsuma-Chōshū joint effort to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate. Later, as a military leader in the Boshin War, he became famous for sparing the life of Enomoto Takeaki, who had stood against Kuroda's army at the Battle of Hakodate.

Political and diplomatic career

Kiyotaka Kuroda at a young age Marquess Kuroda Nagahiro of *uoka Domain. Kuroda Kiyotaka received supports from *uoka Domain which later proved their critical roles in Kuroda's political career.

Under the new Meiji government, Kuroda became a pioneer-diplomat to Karafuto, claimed by both *an and the Russian Empire in 1870. Terrified of Russia's push eastward, Kuroda returned to Tokyo and advocated quick development and settlement of *an's northern frontier. In 1871 he traveled to Europe and the United States for five months, and upon returning to *an in 1872, he was put in charge of colonization efforts in Hokkaidō.

In 1874, Kuroda was named director of the Hokkaidō Colonization Office, and organized a colonist-militia scheme to settle the island with unemployed ex-samurai and retired soldiers who would serve as both farmers and as a local militia. He was also promoted to lieutenant general in the Imperial *anese Army. Kuroda invited agricultural experts from overseas countries with a similar climate to visit Hokkaidō, and to provide advice on what crops and production methods might be successful.

Kuroda was dispatched as an envoy to Korea in 1875, and negotiated the *an–Korea Treaty of 1876. In 1877, he was sent as part of the force to suppress the Satsuma Rebellion. In 1878, he became de facto leader of Satsuma Domain following the **ination of Ōkubo Toshimichi.

Shortly before he left office in Hokkaidō, Kuroda became the central figure in the Hokkaidō Colonization Office Scandal of 1881. As part of the government's privatization program, Kuroda attempted to sell the *ets of the Hokkaidō Colonization Office to a trading consortium created by some of his former Satsuma colleagues for a nominal price. When the terms of the sale were leaked to the press, the resultant public outrage caused the sale to fall through. Also in 1881, Kuroda's wife died of a lung disease, but on rumors that Kuroda had killed her in a drunken rage, the body was exhumed and examined. Kuroda was cleared of charges, but rumors of his problems with alcohol abuse persisted.

The emb*y of Kuroda Kiyotaka, in Pusan, on its way to Ganghwa Island (江華島), Korea, 16 January 1876. There were 2 warships ( Nisshin, Moshun and 3 troop transports of the Imperial *anese Navy, and one liner for the emb*y led by Kuroda.

In 1887, Kuroda was appointed to the cabinet post of Minister of Agriculture and Commerce.

Prime minister

Kuroda Kiyotaka became the 2nd Prime Minister of *an, after Itō Hirobumi in 1888. During his term, he oversaw the promulgation of the Meiji Cons*ution. However, the vexing issue of *an's inability to secure revision of the unequal treaties created considerable controversy. After drafts of proposed revisions drawn up his foreign minister Ō*a Shigenobu became public in 1889, Kuroda was forced to resign.

Later life

Kuroda served as Minister of Communications in 1892 under the 2nd Ito Cabinet. In 1895 he became a genrō, and chairman of the Privy Council. Kuroda died of a brain hemorrhage in 1900 and Enomoto Takeaki presided over his funeral ceremonies. His grave is at the Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo.

Honours

From the corresponding *anese Wikipedia article

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (2 November 1877)
• Count (7 July 1884)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun with Paulownia Flowers (20 August 1895)
• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (25 August 1900; posthumous)

See also

• *an portal
• Biography portal

• List of Amb*adors from *an to South Korea

References

Further reading

• Auslin, Michael R. (2006). Negotiating with Imperialism: The Unequal Treaties and the Culture of *anese Diplomacy. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN:978-0-674-01521-0; OCLC 56493769
• Jansen, Marius B. (2000). The Making of Modern *an. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN:9780674003347; OCLC 44090600
• Keene, Donald. (2002). Emperor of *an: Meiji and His World, 1852–1912. New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN:978-0-231-12340-2; OCLC 46731178
• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). *an encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN:978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
• Sims, Richard L. (2001). *anese Political History Since the Meiji Renovation 1868–2000. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN:9780312239145; ISBN:9780312239152; OCLC 45172740

External links

Media related to Kiyotaka Kuroda at Wikimedia Commons

State of *an, 1947–presentItalics denote acting prime ministers