明治 元年의 에조치(蝦夷地) 개척문제와 木戶孝允

Abstract

This article examines the process followed by the New Meiji Government to discuss and develop reclamation policies, which continued for a period of approximately three months following the proposal to reclaim Ezochi and to dispatch Chibushi in February 1868 until the establishment of the Hakodate Courthouse and the final decision to reclaim the island. Kito, the new leader of the New Meiji Government, had the following plans for Ezochi. First, he launched a nationwide effort to recruit those interested in the reclamation as officials for the Hakodate Courthouse to utilize their experience as the driving force behind his pioneering plans. He also attempted to use tax revenue collected in Ezochi to pay for the costs of reclamation to lessen the financial burden on the government. Secondly, Kito also attempted to stabilize public sentiment towards Ezochi after the expanded Tohoku War, chiefly by adopting a reclamation plan that would subdivide Ezochi and transfer the parts to the fiefdoms interested in the reclamation. Kito also aimed to achieve a successful emigration-reclamation project by maintaining a solid and strong defense of the national boundaries of Ezochi against a possible south- bound invasion by Russia.