Nonaka Kenzan

Nonaka Kenzan was chief minister of the Tosa domain on Shikoku in the mid-17th century. A follower of the Neo-Confucian teaching of Zhu Xi, he carried out ambitious reforms, building irrigation works and ports, opening new fields and managing forests, which greatly increased the domain's wealth. His harsh methods made enemies, and he was dismissed in 1663 and died the following year, while his family was confined for decades.