<論説>幕末・維新期における小藩の構造とその動向 : 討幕派第ニグループの動向をめぐって

Abstract

幕末・維新史に要請される今後の課題の―つは、西南雄藩討幕派史観を継承批判するとともに、幕府をはじめ、佐幕諸藩、および同じ討幕派のなかでも「第ニグループ」の諸藩、そしてまた日和見諸藩等々の、個別分析による研究視野の拡大と問題の深化を通じて、それらを包括する幕末・維新史の綜合的研究を推進することにあろう。本稿はそうした課題に迫るために、当面「討幕派第ニグループ」に属する西南小藩の大村藩を選び、藩の基本体制との関連において、討猫派形成の政治路線とともに、政治目標・理念、および倒幕の具体的政治過程における実践行動等々の問題を、「討幕派第一グループ」の行動との関連において追究しようとするものである。大村藩における政治主体の形成過程は、「討幕派第一グループ」のそれと異なり、藩政改革派と直接関連を有しない尊攘派が、元治元年逆に改革派に施回し、藩権力を掌握して、一挙に藩論の統一へともち込む。そこに示された「尊王」の二字、天皇の絶対優位性の確認と天皇への大義、それを実現するための活発な藩外実践行動、藩同盟の結成と他藩党争の調停、さらに「討幕派第一グループ」連合への画策、それを通じて藩論を実現し、討幕派へ成長する小藩「討幕派第ニグループ」の限界、これが本稿の課題であり、また結論でもある。

One of the future problems, expected in the study of the late Shogunate and early Restoration histories is to promote the synthetic study of those histories through deepening and enlargement of our studying field of vision by each analysis in which to research the Shogunate, the pro-Shogunate clans, "the second group" clans in the anti-Shogunate faction, the opportunist clans and so on, along with succeeding and criticizing the view of the anti-Shogunate line in the southwest large clans. This article, to approach these problems, tries to trace the Ômura 大村 clan which was belong to "the second group in the anti-Shogunate" as a small clan in the south-west, in which, in relation to the constitutional system of the clan, its problems of the political line in forming the anti-Shogunate, the political aim and idea, and the pragmatical movement in the real political process for overthrowing the Shogunate, in close contact with the movement of "the first group in the anti-Shogunate." The process of forming the political substance in the Ômura clan was different from that of "the first group." The faction, who were of reverence for the emperor and expulsion of foreigners, having any contact with the reforming faction of the clan politics, turned to the reforming faction in the first year of Gengi 元治, controled the power of the clan government, and realized the unification of the clan opinion at a storoke. The problems and conclusion of this article are as follows; Recognition of the emperor's absolute supremacy, the cause for emperor, the outside active practice for its realization, the formation of the clans' union and the arbitration of the factional struggles, the project for the union of "the first group", and the limit of the small clans "in the second group" realizing the clan's opinion through them and growing to the anti-Shogunate faction.