Provided are a base generator, a curable resin composition, and a printed wiring board, which have excellent storage stability in a one-component form and exhibit high catalytic activity at a desired curing temperature to cause a curing reaction in a short time. A base generator represented by the following formula (a), which comprises an imidazolium cation and an anion residue of an
organic acid or an inorganic acid. [Formula 1] TIFF0007819427000026.tif22170In formula (a), A represents a
divalent group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms which may contain a
heteroatom, R1 to R4 each independently represent a
hydrogen atom, an
alkyl group of 1 to 8 carbon atoms which may have a
substituent, an
aryl group of 6 to 20 carbon atoms which may have a
substituent, or an alkylaryl group of 7 to 20 carbon atoms which may have a
substituent, and R1 and R2, R2 and R3, and R3 and R4 may each bond to form a ring structure. R5 to R9 each independently represent a
hydrogen atom, an
alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms which may have a substituent, a
halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an
alkoxy group, a mercapto group, a
sulfide group, a silyl group, a
silanol group, a nitro group, a
nitroso group, a cyano group, a sulfino group, a sulfo group, a sulfonato group, a phosphino group, a phosphinyl group, a phosphono group, a phosphonato group, an amino group, or an ammonio group, and R5 and R6, R6 and R7, R7 and R8, and R8 and R9 may each bond to form a ring structure. - is the anionic residue of an organic or inorganic acid.