《89》The Dawn of Early Modern Hakata and Hakata Merchants (Part 13) .... Ohga Souku, a wealthy merchant of the Kuroda Domain
- As we begin our history of Hakata in the early modern period, we have first taken a look at the Hakata merchants at the dawn of the early modern period. I had intended to introduce three of the "Three Great Merchants of Hakata," Kamiya Sotan, Shimai Soshitsu, and Ohga Souku, but it has become a little too long, with 12 articles already written up to Sotan and Soshitsu.
- In this article, I will conclude this theme by briefly introducing Ohga Souku, the third of the three outstanding merchants in Hakata. Unlike Sotan and Soshitsu, who were both from Hakata, Souku was originally born in Nakatsu, Buzen Province (present-day Oita Prefecture). After the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), which is said to have been the most decisive battle in Japan, he moved to Hakata when Kuroda Nagamasa (1568-1623), the lord of the Nakatsu domain, moved to Chikuzen Province.
- Souku devoted himself to the construction of Fukuoka Castle, the development of the castle town, and the restoration of Hakata's temples. He also actively engaged in trade with Southeast Asia and other regions as a vermilion-seal merchant authorized by the shogunate. The Ohga family was highly trusted by Nagamasa and became head merchant of the Kuroda clan, and continued as merchants in Hakata until the end of the Edo period. As a side note, the Ohga family still operates a pharmacy and a real estate business in Fukuoka City.
*The photo shows Yusentei in Fukuoka, Japan. (a villa of the Kuroda clan in the mid-Edo period). /
近世博多の黎明期と博多商人（その１３）… 黒田藩の豪商、大賀宗九
- 近世博多の歴史散歩を始めるにあたり、手始めに近世博多の黎明期における博多商人を取り上げてきました。「博多三傑」と呼ばれる神屋宗湛、島井宗室、大賀宗九の３人の豪商を紹介するつもりで書き進めてきたのですが、宗湛と宗室までですでに１２本の記事になり、少し長くなりすぎました。
- 今回は、博多三傑の３人目の大賀宗九を簡単に取り上げて、本テーマの区切りとします。宗九は博多出身の宗湛・宗室とは違い、もともと豊前国（現在の大分県）中津の生まれです。天下分け目の戦いと言われた「関ケ原の戦い（1600年）」の後、中津藩主の黒田長政（1568～1623）が筑前国に移るのにあわせて博多に移住しました。
- 宗九は福岡城の築城や城下町の整備、博多の寺院の復興などに尽力し、また幕府公認の朱印船貿易商として東南アジアなどとの交易を盛んに行いました。長政の信頼も厚く、大賀家は黒田藩筆頭御用商人となり、その後博多商人として幕末まで続くことになります。余談ですが、大賀家は現在でも福岡市で薬局や不動産業等を営んでいるようです。