Matsumoto Castle
In 1686, the domain government of Matsumoto raised taxes to a very high level. But Azumidaira had been hit by crop failure, and the tax rise was exorbitant. In the fall of that year, Tada Kasuke and a number of farmers’ leaders gathered at a local shrine, called "Kumano Jinja" (Kumano Shrine), and held a series of meetings. They decided to appeal to the magistrate’s office in Matsumoto, though they fully understood that they were risking their lives in doing so. They wrote a letter of appeal of five articles, in which they asked for lowered taxes. On October 14, they hand delivered the letter to the magistrate’s office outside Matsumoto Castle. Tada Kasuke and his followers expected to carry out this mission peacefully. But when word spread that they were appealing, thousands of peasants gathered at Matsumoto Castle. (One scholar who disagrees with this notion claims that the leaders did intend to perpetrate an uprising.) Some peasants stormed shops, others committed robbery, and still others attacked wealthy merchants. The domain lord, Mizuno Tadanao, was away in Edo at the time, and executives of the domain government had to deal with the situation themselves. After all, the tax rise in question had obviously been decided by the executives without consulting the lord. In order to settle the incident, the executives at Matsumoto Castle agreed to grant the farmers their wishes. On October 18, five executives signed documents promising that the taxes would be lowered. It seemed a peaceful end to a stormy incident. But a month later, Kasuke and his followers were arrested and the documents signed by the executives were confiscated. The farmers were cheated by the authorities. Without trial, twenty-eight farmers were executed on November 22 (or Jan.5, 1687 by the solar calendar). Kasuke's last words were a passionate outcry for lowered taxes. The executions were witnessed by hundreds of citizens, which was the custom of those days. The scene of Kasuke's last moment made an enormous impact on the people.