Uesugi Yozan: A Daimyo Who Helped A Peasant Rice Harvest, 1778
In 1778, Uesugi Yozan, the daimyo of Yonezawa domain, assisted a female peasant with rice harvest. This act was rare, as daimyo typically did not even talk with peasants. The incident occurred when he was 27 years old, much earlier than depicted in the figure below. Yozan was one of the most respected daimyo of the Tokugawa period mainly for his significant economic reforms, effective governance and his personality. Yonezawa domain was one of the poorest domains when he arrived, whereas it rose to one of the richest when he passed away. Below, I will delve into what happened to the peasant woman. Fig. Uesugi Yozan This is a faithful photographic reproduction of a two-dimensional, public domain work of art. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%E4%B8%8A%E6%9D%89%E9%B7%B9%E5%B1%B1.jpg During my visit to Yonezawa (see Fig. Yonezawa ), I encountered fascinating artifacts including a letter penned by the peasant woman and a pair o...