Ōoka Tadasuke

was a Japanese samurai in the service of the Tokugawa shogunate. During the reign of Tokugawa Yoshimune, as a magistrate () of Edo, his roles included chief of police, judge and jury, and Yamada Magistrate () prior to his tenure as South Magistrate (Minami Machi-bugyō) of Edo. With the title Echizen no Kami (Governor of Echizen or Lord of the Echizen), he is often known as . He was highly respected as an incorruptible judge. In addition, he established the first fire brigade made up of commoners, and the Koishikawa Yojosho (a city hospital). Later, he advanced to the position of , and subsequently became of the Nishi-Ōhira Domain.

Ōoka was born in 1677, but did not come into public notice until he was 35, when he was appointed an obscure judgeship. When he accepted this job, he found out that there was a long-standing boundary dispute between the farmers of the Yamada and Wakayama (Kishū) fiefs, which is also known as the "Case of the Inherited Rice Fields." While it was obvious that the Yamada claim was the just one, no previous judge had been foolish enough to irritate Yoshimune, Lord of Kishū, as he was very close to the shōgun, Tokugawa Ietsugu. However, Ōoka took up the case, and immediately settled it on its merits.

According to the story, the dispute began in the early 18th century when the lord of the Wakayama domain granted some rice fields to a group of farmers in the Yamada region. However, the grant was ambiguous, and there was confusion over the exact boundaries of the fields and who had the right to use them. The dispute continued for several generations, and the farmers of both regions became embroiled in bitter arguments and legal battles.

When Ōoka Tadasuke was appointed as the magistrate of the region, he was tasked with resolving the dispute once and for all. After carefully studying the case and listening to the arguments of both sides, Ōoka came up with a unique solution that satisfied everyone.

He ordered the farmers of both Yamada and Wakayama to plant their rice fields with red beans instead of rice. He then declared that whichever side produced a better harvest of red beans would be declared the rightful owners of the disputed rice fields.

The farmers of Yamada were known for their skills in growing rice and were initially confident that they would win the competition. However, the farmers of Wakayama had secretly been growing red beans for generations and had perfected their cultivation techniques. As a result, they were able to produce a much larger and healthier crop of red beans than the farmers of Yamada.

When the final harvest was taken, Ōoka Tadasuke declared that the farmers of Wakayama had proven their superior farming skills and deserved to be the rightful owners of the disputed rice fields. The decision was accepted by both sides, and the long-standing dispute was finally resolved.

Yoshimune was so impressed that when he became shōgun five years later, he took the unusual action of promoting Ōoka over hundreds of other candidates, to the important post of machi-bugyō (magistrate) of Edo (old name for Tokyo). The post of machi-bugyō combined the duties of mayor, police chief, judge, and fire marshal.

The city of Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture has a festival for Ōoka in late April. Provided by Wikipedia