Meisetsu’s Autobiography, Volume 2

A young Matsuyama retainer watches the old order give way to imperial government. Campaigns, journeys, family duties, and arguments over reform lead him from domain service into the difficult work of establishing modern schools. The same man who embraces Western ideas must confront depleted household finances and the limits of his own confidence.

In this second supplied volume of his autobiography, Naitō Meisetsu recalls the Restoration and its aftermath, his official career in Tokyo, and the friendships that drew him toward haiku. Theater visits, religious debates, political meetings, and long walks through the capital reveal an observant, sometimes self-critical voice.

Translated directly from the Japanese, the complete supplied segment preserves lengthy recollections, administrative detail, historical terminology, and the author’s own judgments. Notes identify uncertain names and distinguish remembered claims from established chronology. The volume ends amid visits to Matsuyama and Kyoto as Meisetsu’s literary circle grows; the autobiography continues in Volume 3. AI-assisted translation.