Ôoka Echizen

Ooka Tadasuke was a magistrate of Ise Yamada (modern-day Ise City in Mie Prefecture). In 1712, he sentenced a thief who was causing a stir in the village. The culprit was a great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the feudal lord of the Kishu domain who would later become Tokugawa Yoshimune. In fact, previous magistrates had turned a blind eye to Yoshimune's bad conduct. However, Ooka and his friend, Western medicine doctor Sakakibara Iori, take measures to make him admit the crime and let him go. Several years later, in 1716, Yoshimune becomes the eighth Tokugawa shogun. The following year, Ooka is relieved of his post of magistrate and ordered to return to Edo with haste. Back in 1712, Ooka had convicted Yoshimune of poaching at Ise's Akogigaura, a place where hunting and fishing are prohibited, and arrested him. It has been a long while since Ooka visited Edo. He is welcomed by family and friends, but under the circumstances, the mood is gloomy. He is ordered to present himself at the castle, where he and Yoshimune meet after four years. Yoshimune draws close to Ooka, but unlikely words come from his mouth. Ooka is made an Edo magistrate. He goes on to support the Kyoho Reforms advanced by Yoshimune. Other than administrating the the town of Edo, Ooka has a seat on the judicial council, manages local government affairs, temples, and shrines. He punishes evil that bring suffering to the common people, making judicial decisions with humanity and fairness that will come to be known as "Ooka Sabaki".