The were a ''

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of History of Japan#Medieval Japan (1185–1573/1600), medieval and Edo period, early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retai ...

'' kin group which rose to prominence in the

Sengoku period The was a period in Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the feudal system of Japan under the Ashikaga shogunate. Variou ...

and 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 ...

s.Meyer, Eva-Maria
"Gouverneure von Kyôto in der Edo-Zeit."
Universität Tübingen (in German) Under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in ...

, the Ōkubo, as hereditary vassals 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 cl ...

, were classified as one of the '' fudai daimyō'' clans.Appert, Georges. (1888)
''Ancien Japon'', p. 75
/ref>

Ōkubo clan genealogy

The Ōkubo clan traces its origins to 16th 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. M ...

. The Ōkubo claimed descent from the Utsunomiya clan, descendants of Fujiwara no Michikane (955–995). Papinot, Edmond. (2003)
''Nobiliare du Japon'' -- Ōkubo, p. 46
Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon;'' retrieved 2012-11-7 Ōkubo Tadatoshi (1499–1581) and his younger brother Ōkubo Tadakazu (1511–1583) were the first to abandon the Utaunomiya name for "Ōkubo". Both brothers were among the seven closest retainers of Matsudaira Hirotada, the father 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 fel ...

Main branch

* Ōkubo Tadayo (1531–1593), the son of Ōkubo Tadakazu, participated as a general in all the military campaigns of Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1590, upon the transfer of Ieyasu to the Kantō region, he was rewarded with formal recognition as a

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 ...

, and the clan was established in the '' han'' of Odawara (45,000 ''koku'') in

Sagami Province was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kanagawa''" at . Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Pac ...

, where the Ōkubo were made castellans Odawara Castle. The main branch of Ōkubo clan consists of his family and their descendants. **

Ōkubo Tadachika was ''daimyō'' of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province in early Edo period, Japan. Ōkubo Tadachika was the son of Ōkubo Tadayo, a hereditary vassal to the Tokugawa clan in what is now part of the city of Okazaki, Aichi. He entered into service a ...

(1553–1628) succeeded his father at Odawara, and the revenues of the ''han'' had increased to 70,000 ''koku.'' In 1614 Tadachika was accused of participation in the plot of

Tokugawa Tadateru was a ''daimyō'' during the Edo period of Japan. He was the sixth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. He was born in Edo Castle during the year of the dragon (''tatsu''), and as a child his name was Tatsuchiyo (辰千代). His mother was , a concubine of I ...

against his brother, ''Shōgun''

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

; and the Ōkubo were dispossessed. Tadahicka was confined at Hikone in

Ōmi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. Its nickname is . Under the ''Engishiki'' classification system, Ōmi was ranked as one of the 13 "great countri ...

. **

Ōkubo Tadamoto , also Okubo, Ohkubo and Ookubo, is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ōkubo clan **Ōkubo Tadayo (1532–1594), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period **Ōkubo Tadasuke (1537–1613), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku an ...

(1604–1670) was implicated initially in the disgrace of his grandfather; however, he was installed in 1632 at Kanō Domain (50,000 ''koku'') in

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, and Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbrevia ...

, and then he was transferred in 1639 to Akashi Domain in Harima Province. He was transferred again in 1649 to Karatsu Domain (90,000 ''koku'') in Hizen Province, and he was moved again in 1678 to

Sakura Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Shimōsa Province (modern-day Chiba Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Sakura Castle in what is now the city of Sakura, Chiba. It was ruled for most of its hi ...

in Shimōsa Province. This senior branch of the Ōkubo was restored to Odawara Domain (100,000 ''koku''), where they resided until 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 r ...

. The final daimyō of Odawara Domain, Ōkubo Tadayoshi died in the

Satsuma Rebellion The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government, nine years into the Meiji Era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in the Restoration and be ...

. The head of this clan, Ōkubo Tadanori line was ennobled as 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") in 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 system.

Cadet lines

* A cadet branch was created in 1601 for Ōkubo Tadasuke (1537–1613), the second son of Ōkubo Tadakazu, who had served as a general in the armies of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ōkubo Tadasuke was given Numazu Castle and assigned

Numazu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan located in Suruga Province. It was centered on Numazu Castle in what is now the city of Numazu, in modern-day Shizuoka Prefecture. History In 1601, Ōkubo Tadasuke, a 5 ...

(20,000 ''koku'') in Suruga Province; however, he died without leaving any heirs, and the domain reverted to the shogunate. * A cadet branch of the Ōkubo was created in 1684. The descendants of

Ōkubo Tadatame , also Okubo, Ohkubo and Ookubo, is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ōkubo clan ** Ōkubo Tadayo (1532–1594), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period ** Ōkubo Tadasuke (1537–1613), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku ...

(1554–1616), the sixth son of

Ōkubo Tadakazu , also Okubo, Ohkubo and Ookubo, is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ōkubo clan ** Ōkubo Tadayo (1532–1594), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period ** Ōkubo Tadasuke (1537–1613), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku ...

, has served as ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' Howev ...

'' to the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1687, Ōkubo Tadataka had amassed a revenue base of 10,000 ''koku'', which qualified him to join the ranks of the daimyō. His son, Ōkubo Tsuneharu (1675–1728) was assigned to Karasuyama Domain (30,000 ''koku'') in Shimotsuke Province in 1725, where his descendants remained until the Meiji restoration. The head of this clan line, Ōkubo Tadayori, was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period. * A cadet branch of the Ōkubo was created in 1706. This clan line was instituted for the descendants of

Ōkubo Norihiro , also Okubo, Ohkubo and Ookubo, is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Ōkubo clan ** Ōkubo Tadayo (1532–1594), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period ** Ōkubo Tadasuke (1537–1613), Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku ...

(1657–1737), who were installed at Ogino-Yamanaka Domain (13,000 ''koku'') in

from 1718 through 1868. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period.

Indirect Ōkubo ''kazoku'' lines

* Ōkubo Toshimichi, 1830–1878—1st

Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

and 1st Home Minister of Meiji's government. '' Genrō.''McLaren, Walter. (1966)
''A Political History of Japan: During the Meiji Era, 1867–1912,'' p. 117
/ref> was the son of a low-ranking

in the service of the Satsuma clan in

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

. He claimed descent from a branch of the Ōkubo clan who migrated to Satsuma Province from

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ...

during the

. For his services to the

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

, he was made a

marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman ...

(''koshaku'') under the kazoku peerage in 1884. * In 1877, a former samurai from Suruga Province, Ōkubo Ichio (1817–1888) was ennobled as a "Viscount" under the kazoku system. Ōkubo Ichio had served as councilor to the last five Tokugawa ''shōguns'', and during the Boshin War, had served as an emissary for

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Prince was the 15th and last ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful. He resigned of his position as shogun in late 1867, while aiming ...

to negotiate the surrender of

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 ...

to imperial forces. Under the

, he served as appointed governor of Shizuoka (1870) and Kyoto (1875), and as a member of the '' Genrōin'' (1877). He was also known as Ōkubo Tadahiro.

Notes

References

* Dalberg-Acton, John, George Walter Prothero and Adolphus William Ward and Stanley Mordaunt Leathes. (1906)
''The Cambridge Modern History'', p. 865.
London: Macmillan & Company * Appert, Georges and H. Kinoshita. (1888)
''Ancien Japon''.
Tokyo: Imprimerie Kokubunsha * McLaren, Walter. (1966)
''A Political History of Japan: During the Meiji Era, 1867–1912''.
London:

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, ...

. * Meyer, Eva-Maria. (1999). ''Japans Kaiserhof in de Edo-Zeit: Unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Jahre 1846 bis 1867''. Münster: Tagenbuch. * Papinot, Edmond. (1906) ''Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du japon''. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaish
..Click link for digitized 1906 ''Nobiliaire du japon'' (2003)
* Röhl, William. (2005)
''History of Law in Japan Since 1868''.
Leiden: Brill Publishers. * Sasaki, Suguru. (2002). ''Boshin sensō: haisha no Meiji ishin''. Tokyo: Chūōkōron-shinsha

External links

National Diet Library The is the national library of Japan and among the largest libraries in the world. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope t ...

Ōkubo Toshimichi, text and image

(23 Feb. 2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Okubo Clan Japanese clans