The is a branch of the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

, and it is the seniormost house of the ''

Gosanke The , also called simply , or even , were the most noble three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan: Owari, Kii, and Mito, all of which were descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu, and Yorifusa ...

'' ("three honourable houses of the Tokugawa").Hosa Library, City of Nagoya
Hosa Library. Accessed July 4, 2007.

History

The family was originally founded by

Tokugawa Yoshinao was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Biography Born the ninth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu with his concubine, Okame no Kata. His childhood name was Gorōtamaru (五郎太丸). While still a young child, he was appointed leader of ...

, the ninth son of

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 ...

. Yoshinao was originally named ''Matsudaira Yoshitoshi'' (松平義利); it was not until 1621 that he changed his name to Yoshinao, and later gained the surname Tokugawa in 1636; the family, along with Kishu-Tokugawa family (descendants of

Tokugawa Yorinobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Born under the name Nagatomimaru (長福丸), he was the 10th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, by his concubine Kageyama-dono. On December 8, 1603, Yorinobu received the fief of Mito, then rated at 20 ...

, Yoshinao's half-brother), had succession right to the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamak ...

'' once the latter died without heir.Iwanami Nihonshi Jiten, ''Tokugawa Gosanke'', ''Tokugawa Owari-ke'', ''Tokugawa Kii-ke'', and ''Tokugawa Mito-ke'' For over 250 years, the Owari family ruled Owari Domain, the area surrounding present day

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, Aichi Prefecture, using Nagoya Castle as its main base. Usually, the clan had about 6,000 Samarai and other troops at its disposal
Nagoya Castle
Urabe Research Laboratory. Accessed July 4, 2007. Other residences were the Ōzone ''Oshitayashiki'', the Aoi ''Oshitayashiki'' (both in the Higashi ward of the town), as well as the New Palace ((新御殿 ''Shin Goten'') in

Horibata-chō, Nagoya Horibata-chō (堀端町) is a historic neighbourhood located in the Nishi ward of Nagoya, central Japan. History The area is located north of central enceinte across the moat of Nagoya Castle and west of the former Ofuke Garden, since 1931 Me ...

. The treasures of the Owari are kept in the

Tokugawa Art Museum The is a private art museum, located on the former '' Ōzone Shimoyashiki'' compound in Nagoya, central Japan. Its collection contains more than 12,000 items, including swords, armor, Noh costumes and masks, lacquer furniture, Chinese and Japane ...

in Nagoya. Despite having seniority of the Tokugawa clan, there were no ''shōguns'' that came from the Owari-Tokugawa family throughout 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 characte ...

Tokugawa Muneharu was a ''daimyō'' in Japan during the Edo period. He was the seventh Tokugawa lord of the Owari Domain, and one of the ''gosanke''. Biography Muneharu was the 20th son

, the 7th head of Owari-Tokugawa family, was forced to retire in 1739 because of his policy dispute with

Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lineage Yoshimu ...

;Tokugawa Muneharu: Shogun Yoshimune's Rival
. Aichi Prefectural Education Center. Accessed May 12, 2008. Muneharu was then replaced by his cousin Munekatsu. The main patrillineal descent of Yoshinao, however, became extinct in 1800 with the death of the 9th family head,

Tokugawa Munechika was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Owari Domain. His childhood name was Kumagoro (熊五郎). Family * Father: Tokugawa Munekatsu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Takasu Domain and then th ...

, who outlived his two only sons and four heirs he adopted. As such, the Owari-Tokugawa family had since been kept in existence through repeated adoptions from the two remaining houses, from Kishu and

Mito-Tokugawa family The is a branch of the Tokugawa clan based in Mito, Ibaraki. History Following the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu appointed his eleventh son, Tokugawa Yorifusa, as ''daimyō'' in 1608. With his appointment ...

. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, in 1880,

Tokugawa Yoshikatsu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period, who ruled the Owari Domain as its 14th (1849–1858) and 17th daimyō (1870–1880). He was the brother of Matsudaira Katamori. His childhood name was Hidenosuke (秀之助). Early years Yoshik ...

appointed his son-in-law, , as his heir (

mukoyōshi A ; () is an adult man who is adopted into a Japanese family as a daughter's husband, and who takes the family's surname. Generally in Japan, a woman takes her husband's name and is adopted into his family. When a family, especially one with a ...

, "adopted son-in-law"); Yoshiakira was later recognized as 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 ...

and became a marquis in 1884. The mukoyōshi adoption of the Owari-Tokugawa happened again twice, once to Yoshichika in 1908 and the other to Yoshinobu in 1955; Yoshinobu was born a member of the

Hotta clan The was a Japanese clan that ruled the Sakura Domain in Shimosa Province in the late Edo period. Jindai-ji in the present-day city of Sakura was the clan's bodaiji A in Japanese Buddhism is a temple which, generation after generation, ta ...

instead of the Tokugawa.

Kenchū-ji Kenchū-ji (建中寺) is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple in Tsutsui, Higashi-ku, Nagoya, central Japan. Starting in the Edo period, the mausoleums of the lords of the Owari Domain were located there, making it the '' Bodaiji'' of the Owari Tokuga ...

is a

Jōdo-shū , also known as Jōdo Buddhism, is a branch of Pure Land Buddhism derived from the teachings of the Japanese ex-Tendai monk Hōnen. It was established in 1175 and is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan, along with Jōdo Sh ...

Buddhist temple in Tsutsui,

Higashi-ku, Nagoya is one of the 16 wards of the city of Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the ward had an estimated population of 82,939 and a population density of 10,757 persons per km². The total area was 7.71 km². Geography Higashi Ward is locate ...

. Starting in the

it became the ''

Bodaiji A in Japanese Buddhism is a temple which, generation after generation, takes care of a family's dead, giving them burial and performing ceremonies in their soul's favor.Iwanami kojien The name is derived from the term , which originally meant jus ...

History

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References