Uesugi Harunori ("Yozan")

When Uesugi Harunori ("Yozan") ascended to lordship over the domain of Yonezawa in 1767, he was only 16 years old.  Such a position of responsibility would have been challenging for anyone, never mind a young boy not yet even in his 20's.  What made Yozan's role even more difficult was the fact that Yonezawa had been deeply in debt for close to a century and was now nearing total economic collapse.  In fact, immediately prior to Yozan becoming the daimyo (lord), his predecessor and adoptive father, Uesugi Shigesada, had been on the verge of declaring insolvency to the Tokugawa government and dissolving the domain.

One of the major contributing factors to Yonezawa's on-going economic problems -- even apart from devastating flooding, famine, and costly building projects demanded by the Tokugawa shogunate in years prior -- was the vast bureaucracy of indolent vassals and retainers.  Although many of their official duties had become merely ceremonial at this point in history and they did not contribute meaningfully back to the rest of society at all, members of this aristocratic class were kept on the payroll for reasons of both sentiment and historical pride (i.e. because reducing their number would require admitting that there was a serious problem; which might cause the Uesugi clan to "lose face"/look weak in the eyes of others).  For their part, the pampered nobles were perfectly content to continue drawing their extravagant salaries despite the terrible suffering of the demoralized commoners, who hopelessly toiled under an increasingly heavy burden to support the luxurious lifestyles of their so-called betters.

How did Yozan, a young boy of merely 16 years, save his dying domain?   

A full answer is not possible here; that would require a book (at least!).  The short answer is that Yozan led by personal example.  Not only did he impose new rules for others encouraging moderation and fiscal discipline, Yozan himself wore humble cotton clothes instead of the fine silks that were  due a person of his rank and only ate meals consisting of one bowl of soup and one vegetable.  Yozan also reduced his living allowance by nearly 90% and the number of his personal attendants by 80% (from 50 servant to just nine).  Thus, when Yozan reduced the salaries of his vassals and retainers, it was not at all a matter of "rules for thee, but not for me" (which is commonplace even today).  Yozan asked of others nothing that he was not willing to do himself.  In the context of feudal Japan, one of the most rigidly hierarchical societies in human history, such ideas were unprecedented and nothing short of extraordinary, if not revolutionary.

Historians have long studied and analyzed the efficacy of Yozan's economic, political, educational, and social reforms.  The most remarkable aspect of these reforms, however, often goes unremarked: that Yozan inspired and changed the hearts and minds of everyone in Yonezawa, including the privileged samurai nobles, whose hearts now began to burn with the desire to truly serve others in their community (the root/origin of the word "samurai" means "to serve").  Many of these hereditary nobles voluntarily lay down their two swords, symbols of their identity and class, and became farmers, engaging in manual labor that was previously seen to be beneath their dignity as aristocratic warriors.  This lay the foundations for a culture where personal merit, rather than hereditary class, became the basis for future personnel decisions.  

A year after Yozan passed away in 1822 at the age of 70, the entire amount of the debt owed by Yonezawa had been repaid.  In 1830, the Tokugawa shogunate recognized the peace and prosperity of Yonezawa by officially recognizing it as an exemplar of a virtuous and well-governed domain.