幕末における長崎唐通事の体制

要旨

The end of the Tokugawa bakufu’s control of Nagasaki in 1868 also meant the demise of the Nagasaki Tōtsūji Bureau. As many of the former institution’s translators were skilled linguists and experienced in foreign negotiation, they were appointed to positions the Meiji government. This use of members of a group with practical skills in foreign relations since the Edo period provided the government with an immediate offensive corps for the New Japan. To pursue an understanding of the changes that occurred in institutions such as the Nagasaki Translation Bureau requires investigating its structure during the bakumatsu period. In forming an explanation of the Tōtsūji Bureau, this essay therefore draws upon two sources that illuminate the Nagasaki government offi cials during this time. The structure of the Tōtsūji Bureau during the Genji and Keiō eras, 1864 to 1867 is recreated, and furthermore, the structure of the post-1867 (Keiō 3) reformation through the period immediately after the Meiji Restoration is analysed.

主題