Born into a farming family in Kayama village in Sagami (Odawara, Kanagawa). He was commonly called Kinjirō.
A flood of the Sakawa River washed away the family's fields, plunging them into poverty.
His father died, and at 13 Kinjirō supported the family.
His mother also died; parted from his brothers, he was taken in by an uncle. Stories tell of him growing rapeseed himself to get oil for reading at night.
By piling up small efforts—such as planting discarded seedlings for rice—he bought back fields and restored the family.
Around this time he restored the troubled finances of the Hattori, chief retainers of the Odawara domain, and became well known.
On the Odawara lord's orders he set about reviving the ruined villages of the Sakuramachi estate in Shimotsuke (Mooka, Tochigi), teaching bundo, living within one's means, and suijō, passing surplus on to others.
Recognized for his results, he was taken into shogunate service and guided the revival of farming villages in many places; his method was called hōtoku shihō.
Ordered to revive the villages of the Nikkō shrine lands, he worked on despite illness.
He died at Imaichi in Shimotsuke (Nikkō, Tochigi), having reportedly helped revive nearly 600 villages in his life.
Mamiya RinzōRai San'yōHirose TansoAizawa SeishisaiŌshio HeihachirōWatanabe KazanMizuno TadakuniMatthew C. Perry
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.