The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled the northwestern half of what is now

Aomori Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the eas ...

in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku reta ...

of Japan under the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

. The Tsugaru were ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominall ...

'' of Hirosaki Domain and its semi-subsidiary, Kuroishi Domain. The Tsugaru were in constant conflict with their former overlords, the

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji of Kai ...

of adjoining Morioka Domain. During the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

of 1868-69, the Tsugaru clan fought mostly on the pro-imperial side, although it did briefly join the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei. In the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, the former ''daimyō'' became part of the ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ...

'' peerage, with Tsugaru Tsuguakira receiving the title of ''hakushaku'' (Count). The main Tsugaru line is now extinct.

Origins

Much about the ancestry of the Tsugaru clan is uncertain. Ōura Tamenobu was born in 1550, as the adopted son and heir of Ōura Tamenori, a retainer of the

, based at

Sannohe Castle was a Muromachi period Japanese castle located in the center of what is now the town of Sannohe, in Sannohe District of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of far northern Japan. It was located on a river terrace of the Mabechi River, w ...

. He succeeded his father in 1567 or 1568 as castellan of Ōura Castle, located in what is now part of the city of

Hirosaki is a city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. On 1 April 2020, the city had an estimated population of 168,739 in 71,716 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Hirosaki developed as a castle town fo ...

. According to later Tsugaru clan records, the clan was descendant from the noble

Fujiwara clan was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

and had an ancient claim to ownership of the Tsugaru region of northwestern

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island s ...

; however, according to the records of their rivals, the Nanbu clan, Tamenobu was born as either Nanbu Tamenobu or Kuji Tamenobu, from a minor branch house of the Nanbu clan and was driven from the clan due to discord with his elder brother. The Ōura served as hereditary under the Nanbu clan's local magistrate Ishikawa Takanobu; however, in 1571 Tamenobu attacked and killed Ishikawa and began taking the Nanbu clan's castles in the Tsugaru region one after another. "Tokugawa Bakufu to Tozama 117 han." ''Rekishi Dokuhon''. April 1976 (Tokyo: n.p., 1976), p. 71. He captured castles at Ishikawa, Daikoji and Aburakawa, and soon gathered support of many former Nanbu retainers in the region. Tamenobu later attacked Kitabatake Akimura (another local power figure) and took his castle at Namioka.''Tsugaru-shi'' on Harimaya.com
(15 July 2008). In 1582, with the death of

Nanbu Harumasa Nanbu may refer to: Places * Nanbu, Aomori, Japan * Nanbu, Tottori, Japan * Nanbu, Yamanashi, Japan * Nanbu County, Sichuan Province, China * Nanbu Domain, a feudal domain in northeastern Japan People with the surname *, Japanese samurai and ''d ...

, the Nanbu clan collapsed into numerous competing factions. The 25th hereditary clan chieftain, Nanbu Harutsugu, was a boy of 13 and soon died under uncertain circumstances, and the Kunohe branch of the Nanbu clan under the warlord Kunohe Masazane began to expand its influence over the Sannohe main branch. This provided an opportunity for Ōura Tamenobu to declare that the western Nanbu territories under his control would henceforth be independent of Nanbu rule. Proclaimed a traitor by the Nanbu clan, rivals

Nanbu Nobunao was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai, and '' daimyō'' and the 26th hereditary chieftain of the Nanbu clan. His courtesy title was ''Daizen Daibu'', and his Court rank was Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade. Nobunao was the second son of Nan ...

and Kunohe Masazane both called for Tamenobu's death. Tamenobu, realizing that he would need to solicit outside help, approached the Mogami clan for an introduction to the regime of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

. Tamenobu initially departed by boat from Ajigasawa, but inclement winds blew the boat north as far as Matsumae. He made attempts to reach Hideyoshi overland in 1586, 1587 and 1588, but was blocked each time by hostile forces in the territories to the south of Tsugaru. In 1590, Tamenobu pledged fealty to

; Hideyoshi confirmed Tamenobu in his holdings. As the Ōura fief had been in the Tsugaru region on the northern tip of

Honshū , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island sepa ...

, the family then changed its name to Tsugaru. Tugaru Tamenobu

The Tsugaru clan in the Edo era

The Tsugaru clan sided with

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fello ...

during the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 ( Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

in 1600, although Tsugaru Tamenobu's eldest son, Nobutake, was serving

Toyotomi Hideyori was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first united all of Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was the niece of Oda Nobunaga. Early life Born in 1593, he was Hideyoshi's second son. The birth of Hideyori cr ...

as a page in

Osaka Castle is a Japanese castle in Chūō-ku, Osaka, Japan. The castle is one of Japan's most famous landmarks and it played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Layout The main tower ...

. After the Tokugawa victory at Sekigahara, the Tsugaru clan remained somewhat “suspect” in the eyes of the fledgling

as Tsugaru Tamenobu granted refuge to

Ishida Mitsunari Ishida Mitsunari (, 1559 – November 6, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the ...

’s son and arranged for Ishida Mitsunari's daughter to marry his third son and heir,

Tsugaru Nobuhira was the second ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Etchū-no-kami,'' and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. Biography Tsugaru Nobu ...

. As a result, the clan was confirmed in its original territory with only a nominal increase in ''

kokudaka refers to a system for determining land value for taxation purposes under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo-period Japan, and expressing this value in terms of ''koku'' of rice. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Koku"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 54 ...

'' to 47,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

''. Tsugaru Tamenobu further fueled concerns by reconstructing

Hirosaki Castle is a city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. On 1 April 2020, the city had an estimated population of 168,739 in 71,716 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Hirosaki developed as a castle town for ...

on a massive scale disproportionate to the size of his territories. The early years of the Edo era were marked by a series of major '' O-Ie Sōdō'' disturbances over the succession to the clan chieftainship. Tsugaru Nobuhira's accession was disputed by supporters of the son of Tsugaru Nobutake in the of 1607. Further troubles arose in the of 1612, the of 1634, and the of 1647. Tsugaru Nobuhira was forced to reduce his wife to concubine status and marry a niece of

to strength his political ties to the shogunate. However, he named the son by his first wife,

Tsugaru Nobuyoshi was the 3rd ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Tosa-no-kami,'' and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. Biography Tsugaru Nobuyoshi ...

as heir. His son by the niece of Tokugawa Ieyasu was made head of a subsidiary '' hatamoto'' household based in Kuroishi. Nobuyoshi was forced to retire in 1655 for alleged misgovernment, and was replaced by his son,

Tsugaru Nobumasa was the 4th ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Etchū-no-kami,'' and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. Biography Tsugaru Nobumasa ...

, who was a reformer who developed the resources of the domain. Nobumasa's son Tsugaru Nobuhisa developed the arts and cultural level of the domain, but was beset by numerous natural disasters, including bad weather and repeated eruptions of

Mount Iwaki is a stratovolcano located in western Aomori Prefecture, Tohoku, Japan. It is also referred to as and less frequently, due to its similar shape to Mount Fuji. With a summit elevation of and a prominence of it is the highest mountain in ...

. He continued to rule from behind-the scenes during the tenure of his grandson,

Tsugaru Nobuaki was the 6th ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Dewa-no-kami'', and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. Biography Tsugaru Nobuaki wa ...

and great-grandson Tsugaru Nobuyasu as the domain fell further and further into debt. Nobuyasu's son, Tsugaru Nobuakira attempted reforms, but was vexed by corrupt officials and died under suspicious circumstances in 1791 without heir.

Tsugaru Yasuchika was the 9th ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title, initially Dewa-no-kami, was later raised to ''Saikyo Daiyu'' and ''Jujū'', and his Court rank was Junior ...

, son of the 5th Lord of Kuroishi, was appointed ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki to succeed Nobuakira. Under his tenure, the official ''kokudaka'' of the domain was raised from 47,000 to 70,000 and then to 100,000 ''koku'' to cover the expenses of dispatching military forces to

Ezo (also spelled Yezo or Yeso) is the Japanese term historically used to refer to the lands to the north of the Japanese island of Honshu. It included the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido, which changed its name from "Ezo" to "Hokkaidō" in 18 ...

to protect Japan's northern borders. Also under Yasuchika's tenure, Kuroishi was raised in status to become Kuroishi Domain, In 1821, during his '' sankin kōtai'' journey to

Edo Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...

, he survived an assassination attempt by Sōma Daisaku, a former retainer of the Nanbu clan. Although Yasuchika was a noted reformer who attempted to strength the domain, he spent a tremendous amount of money attempting to arrange prestigious marriages for his incompetent son,

Tsugaru Nobuyuki was the 10th '' daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Dewa-no-kami'', to which was later added title ''Jujū'', and his court rank was Junior Fourth R ...

, which again plunged the domain into financial crisis. Nobuyuki was eventually forced out of office in 1839 and a complete outsider, the 7th son of '' rōjū'' Matsudaira Nobuakira, lord of Yoshida Domain in Mikawa Province was adopted into the Tsugaru clan as

Tsugaru Yukitsugu was the 2nd '' daimyō'' of Kuroishi Domain, and later the 11th ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Ōsumi-no-kami'', and his Court rank was Junio ...

. Yukitsugu managed to restore order and prosperity to the domain and modernized its military forces through increased implementation of rangaku studies.

The Tsugaru clan in the Boshin War

During the

of 1868-69, the Tsugaru clan under its final ''daimyō'', Tsugaru Tsuguakira, first sided with the imperial government, and attacked the forces of the nearby

Shōnai Domain was a feudal domain in Edo period Japan, located in Dewa Province (modern-day Yamagata Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Tsuruoka Castle in what is now the city of Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture, and was thus also known as the . It w ...

.McClellan, p. 175. However, it soon switched course, and was briefly a signatory to the pact that created the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei, before backing out, once again in favor of the imperial government. It did not take part in any of the major military action against the imperial army. The Kuroishi branch joined the Hirosaki-Tsugaru in siding with the imperial government. As a result, the clan was able to evade the punishment meted out by the government on the northern domains. After northern

was pacified, Tsugaru forces joined the imperial army in attacking the Republic of Ezo at

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

. In return for its assistance, the Meiji government granted the Tsugaru family of Hirosaki a 10,000 ''koku'' increase. Both branches of Tsugaru daimyo were made of their domains in 1869. Two years later, as with all other daimyo, both Tsugaru lines were relieved of their offices by the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lord ...

Meiji and beyond

In the Meiji era, Tsugaru Tsuguakira, was ennobled with the title of count (''hakushaku'') under the ''

'' peerage system. Tsugaru Tsugumichi, the last ''daimyō'' of the Kuroishi-Tsugaru, became a

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

(''shishaku''). He later worked as a director of the , and Tsugumichi became a member of the House of Peers in 1890. Tsugaru Tsuguakira had no son, and adopted the younger son of the court noble Konoe Tadafusa, who took the name of to be his heir. Hidemaru was educated in Germany, graduating from the

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

Humboldt University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

and

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centur ...

and after his return to Japan served in under the Japanese Resident-General of Korea from 1907-1914, and in the Ministry of the Imperial Household from 1914-1918. In 1918, he was appointed to the House of Peers. Hidemaru was succeeded by , who was born as the second son of a branch of the Owari Tokugawa clan. As his mother was the daughter of Tsugaru Tsuguakira, he was adopted by Hidemaru as heir, becoming Count and chieftain of the clan in 1919. A noted equestrian, he was involved with the creation of the Japan Racing Association. Yoshitaka's fourth daughter, Hanako, married

Prince Hitachi is a member of the Imperial House of Japan and the younger brother of Emperor emeritus Akihito. He is the second son and sixth born child of Emperor Shōwa and Empress Kōjun and is third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne. Nobody follows ...

, the younger son of Emperor Showa. The main Tsugaru clan temple in Hirosaki is Chōshō-ji.

Family heads

Main line (Hirosaki)

(as Ōura clan) *Ōura Norinobu *Ōura Motonobu *Ōura Mitsunobu (1460–1526) *Ōura Morinobu (1483–1538) *Ōura Masanobu (1497–1541) *Ōura Tamenori (1520–1567) (as Tsugaru clan) * Tsugaru Tamenobu (1550–1608) *

(1586–1631) *

(1619–1655) *

(1646–1710) * Tsugaru Nobuhisa (1669–1746) *

(1719–1744) (Tsugaru continued) * Tsugaru Nobuyasu (1739–1784) * Tsugaru Nobuakira (1762–1791) *

(1765–1833) *

(1800–1862) *

(1800–1865) * Tsugaru Tsuguakira (1840–1916) *Tsugaru Hidemaro (1872–1919) *Tsugaru Yoshitaka (1907-1994) *Tsugaru Masuo

Branch line (Kuroishi)

As '' hatamoto'' *Tsugaru Nobufusa (1620–1662) *Tsugaru Nobutoshi (1646–1683) *Tsugaru Masatake (1667–1743) *Tsugaru Hisayo (1699–1758) *Tsugaru Akitaka (1724–1778) *

(1765–1833) *Tsugaru Tsunetoshi (1787–1805) As ''

tozama daimyō was a class of powerful magnates or '' daimyō'' (大名) considered to be outsiders by the ruler of Japan.Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, ''Tozama daimyō'' were classified in the Tokugawa Shogunate (江戸幕府) as ''daimyō' ...

'' *

Tsugaru Chikatari was the 1st '' daimyō'' of Kuroishi Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan (modern-day Aomori Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Kai-no-kami'', and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. Biography Tsugaru Chikata ...

(1788–1849, promoted to ''

'') * Tsugaru Yukinori (1800–1865) * Tsugaru Tsuguyasu (1821–1851) * Tsugaru Tsugumichi (1840–1903)

Notable retainers

Hirosaki

*Tsugaru Takehiro *Numata Sukemitsu (d. ) *Morioka Nobumoto (1546–1600) *Kanehira Tsunanori *Ogasawara Nobukiyo *Hattori Yasunari * Sugiyama Gengo ( – ; 2nd son of

) *Daidōji Naohide (1552–1642) *Daidōji Naohide (2nd) (d. 1636) * Mitugu Nyui(1712 - 1792) * Shibue Chūsai (1805–1858)McClellan, p. 10.

Notes

References

*Dodd, Jan (2001). ''The rough guide to Japan''. n.p.: Rough Guides. *Kojima, Keizō (2002). ''Boshin sensō kara Seinan sensō e''. Tokyo: Chūōkōron-shinsha. *Koyasu Nobushige (1880). ''Buke kazoku meiyoden'' 武家家族名誉伝 Volume 1. Tokyo: Koyasu Nobushige. (Accessed fro
National Diet Library
17 July 2008)

on Prince and Princess Hitachi (accessed 15 July 2008). * McClellan, Edwin and Mori Ōgai. (1985)
''Woman in the Crested Kimono : The Life of Shibue Io and Her Family Drawn from Mori Ogai's 'Shibue Chusai.''
New Haven:

Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day, and became an official department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and operationally autonomous. , Yale Univers ...

.
"Nobility, Peerage and Ranks in Ancient and Meiji-Japan"
(accessed 15 July 2008) *Noguchi, Shin'ichi (2005). ''Aizu-han''. Tokyo: Gendai shokan. *Onodera, Eikō (2005). ''Boshin nanboku sensō to Tōhoku seiken''. Sendai: Kita no mori. *''Peerage of Japan''. Tokyo: Japan Gazette, 1912. *Ravina, Mark (1999). ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan''. California: Stanford University Press. *"Tokugawa Bakufu to Tozama 117 han". ''Rekishi Dokuhon'' Magazine, April 1976. *

on Edo 300 HTML (accessed 15 July 2008). *

on Harimaya.com (accessed 15 July 2008).