Morishige Kondo

Background

Morishige Kondo was born in 1771. He was also known as Hondo Juzo, he was a hatamoto, or direct vassal of the shogun.

Career

In 1808 he was made an official of the Momijiyama Bunko, the shogunate library in Edo Castle, and for the following eleven years he devoted himself to the writing of works on currency and foreign countries.

In 1819 he was assigned to an administrative post in Osaka and in 1824 to a similar post in Nagasaki, but in 1827 he was punished because of a crime committed by his son and remained out of favor until his death two years later.

Achievements

• In 1798 was ordered by the shogunate to undertake a mission to Matsumae Ezochi, the present-day island of Hokkaido, remaining in the area until 1802 and exploring the Chishima (Kurile) Islands. He set up markers indicating that the territory belonged to Japan and did his utmost to facilitate the defense and colonization of the region. In 1807 he was ordered to conduct a second survey of the area and this time explored Rishiri Island.

Works

• Other Work

  • Among his numerous writings are works dealing with economics, legal systems, geography, exploration and the history of Japanese contacts with foreign lands.