Sakai Tadakiyo
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, also known as Uta-no-kami, Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999)
''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed,'' p. 442.
/ref> was a ''
daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
'' (feudal lord) in
Kōzuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered by Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Kōzuke was ran ...
, and a high-ranking government advisor and official in the
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 ...
of Japan. Sansom, George Bailey. (1963)
''A History of Japan: 1615-1867,'' pp. 54
The Sakai were identified as one of the '' fudai'' or insider ''daimyō'' clans which were hereditary vassals or allies 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 ...
,Alpert, Georges. (1888)
''Ancien Japon,'' pp. 76-77
in contrast with the '' tozama'' or outsider clans.


Sakai clan genealogy

Tadakiyo was part of the senior branch of the Sakai. The ''fudai''
Sakai clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Nitta branch of the Minamoto clan, who were in turn descendants of Emperor Seiwa. Serata (Nitta) Arichika, a samurai of the 14th century, was the common ancestor of both the Sakai ...
originated in 14th century
Mikawa Province was an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces. Mik ...
.Appert
p. 76
The Sakai claim descent from
Minamoto Arichika was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the line of succession and demoted into the ranks of the nobility from 1192 to 1333. The practice was m ...
. Arichika had two sons: one of them, Yasuchika, took the name Matsudaira; and the other son, Chikauji, took the name Sakai — and this samurai ancestor is the progenitor of this clan's name. Papinot, Edmond. (2003)
''Nobiliare du Japon'' – Sakai, pp. 50–51
Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; retrieved 2012-11-7.
Sakai Hirochika is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...
, who was the son of Chikauji, had two sons, and their descendants gave rise to the two main branches of the Sakai clan. Hirochika's younger son,
Sakai Masachika is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...
, served several Tokugawa clan leaders – Nobutada, Kiyoyasu and Hirotada; and in 1561, Masachika was made master of
Nishio Castle is a Japanese castle located in the city of Nishio, eastern Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Nishio Castle was home to the Ogyu Matsudaira, ''daimyō'' of Nishio Domain. The castle was also known as , , or . History Nish ...
in Mikawa.
Sakai Sigetada is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and in ...
, who was the son of Masachika, received the fief of
Kawagoe Domain Kawagoe Castle daimyō residence, administrative headquarters of Kawagoe Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Musashi Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Kawagoe Castle, locate ...
in
Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, S ...
in 1590; and then in 1601, Sigetada was transferred to Umayabashi Domain in
Kōzuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered by Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Kōzuke was ran ...
.Papinot
p. 51
In 1749, the descendants of Tadakiyo were transferred to
Himeji Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Harima Province in what is now the southern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Himeji Castle, which is located in what is now the ...
(150,000 ''koku'') in
Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During the ...
, where they continued to live up through 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 ...
. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Count" 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 ...
.


Events in Tadakiyo's life

Tadayiko served under ''
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 Kamakur ...
''
Tokugawa Ietsuna was the fourth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan who was in office from 1651 to 1680. He is considered the eldest son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, which makes him the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. E ...
as one of the ''
Rōjū The , usually translated as '' Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a whole; under the first two ''sh ...
'' (chief advisor) from 1653–1666, and then as ''
Tairō ''Tairō'' (, "great elder") was a high-ranking official position in the Tokugawa shogunate government of Japan, roughly comparable to the office of prime minister. The ''tairō'' presided over the governing ''rōjū'' council in the event of an e ...
'', head of the ''Rōjū'' council, from 1666–1680. Generally regarded today as self-indulgent and corrupt, his policies (or lack thereof) are generally said to have been responsible for initiating the shift to hedonism, and debauchery which characterized the
Genroku was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from the ninth month of 1688 to the third month of 1704. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 415. The period was ...
era (1688–1704). Though a
Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...
for the arts, this era was regarded by the following generation of officials as one of immorality, impropriety, and excessive extravagance.Sansom
p. 63
By the time Tadakiyo became head of the ''Rōjū'' in 1666, most of the capable and stalwart politicians who might have opposed him, such as
Matsudaira Nobutsuna was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final vi ...
had died. Abe Tadaaki remained as his only significant critic, until his death in 1671. Tadaaki constantly rebuked Tadakiyo for his poor sense of proper policy, and his laidback nature. He accused Tadakiyo of taking bribes, and of handling situations on a case-by-case basis, without any sense of overall policy or progress towards a goal. Tadakiyo was also criticized by a number of ''daimyō'', including a member of the
Ikeda clan was a Japanese clan that claimed descent from Minamoto no Yorimitsu (948-1021) of the Seiwa Genji. Minamoto no Yasumasa, the fourth generation descending from Yorimitsu, and younger brother of Minamoto no Yorimasa (1104-1180), was the first to ...
of
Okayama Province is the prefectural capital, capital Cities of Japan, city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan. The city was founded on June 1, 1889. , the city has an estimated population of 720,841 and a population density of 910 persons per ...
, who warned of poor conditions and discontent in the provinces, and the threat of peasant revolt. From 1658 to 1674, Tadakiyo took a personal interest in the affairs of the
Date clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Date", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 5 retrieved 2013-5-5. History The Date family was founded ...
of
Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture, the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,091,407 in 525,828 households, and is one of Japan's 20 Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, desig ...
, and particularly in the Date Disturbance, a now-famous succession dispute within the clan over leadership of the family and the role of ''daimyō''. Tadakiyo was friendly with the former ''daimyō'' of the clan,
Date Tadamune was an early Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 2nd ''daimyō'' of the 625,000 ''koku'' Sendai Domain in the Tōhoku region of northern Japan. He was the half-brother of Date Hidemune of Uwajima Domain. Biography Tadamune was born as Torakikum ...
, whose son
Date Tsunamune was an early Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 3rd ''daimyō'' of Sendai Domain in northern Japan from 1658 to 1660, and the 19th hereditary chieftain of the Date clan. Tsunamune's succession and rule was soon opposed by a number of his kinsm ...
, was arrested in 1660, and forced to retire from his post on accusations of drunkenness and debauchery. The regents who governed over his successor, Tsunamune's infant son
Date Tsunamura was an early Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 4th ''daimyō'' of Sendai Domain in northern Japan, and the 20h hereditary chieftain of the Date clan. Tsunamura’s succession led to the ''Date Sōdō'' or "Date Disturbance" of 1671, which has ...
, were then accused in turn of corruption and poor government. This element of the affair dragged out for ten years before Tadakiyo summoned the key parties involved to Edo in order to conduct a formal inquiry; this ultimately ended in the death of one Sendai retainer at the hands of another, who was in turn cut down by the ''Tairō's'' guards. Some historians believe that Tadakiyo could have, and should have, seen the entire affair to an end years earlier, and judge it likely therefore that he was taking bribes from Tsunamura's regents, who sought to draw out the situation and avoid any action being taken against them. When Shogun Ietsuna died in 1680, Tadakiyo suggested that his successor be chosen from the princely houses of the
Imperial family A royal family is the immediate family of King, kings/Queen regnant, queens, Emir, emirs/emiras, Sultan, sultans/Sultana (title), sultanas, or raja/rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the ...
. This reportedly infuriated ''Rōjū''
Hotta Masatoshi was a ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in Shimōsa Province, and top government advisor and official in the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He served as ''rōjū'' (chief advisor) to ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ietsuna from 1679–80, and as ''Tairō'' (head of th ...
, who had been appointed the previous year, and who vehemently objected to this obvious attempt on Tadakiyo's part to seize power for himself; ''Rōjū'' and ''Tairō'' wielded significant power, but were not meant to control shogunal succession, as this would also imply the ability to gain power over the shogun himself. Tadakiyo resigned his post, and
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis-Fr ...
, Ietsuna's younger brother, was installed the following day, appointing Masatoshi as Tadakiyo's successor as ''Tairō''. Tadakiyo died the following year.Sansom
p. 68


References


Further reading

* Appert, Georges and H. Kinoshita. (1888). ''Ancien Japon.'' Tokyo: Imprimerie Kokubunsha
OCLC 4429674
* Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice. (1999). ''Kaempfer's Japan: Tokugawa Culture Observed.'' Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press . ;
OCLC 246417677
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). ''Japan Encyclopedia.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 48943301
* Papinot, Edmund. (1906) ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du japon.'' Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha
OCLC 465662682''Nobiliaire du japon'' (abridged version of 1906 text).
* Plutschow, Herbert. (1995). "Japan's Name Culture: The Significance of Names in a Religious, Political and Social Context.'' London: Routledge.
OCLC 35526378
* Sansom, George Bailey. (1958). ''A History of Japan: 1615-1867.'' Stanford: Stanford University Press
OCLC 607164037
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sakai, Tadakiyo Daimyo Sakai clan Rōjū Tairō 1681 deaths 1624 births