was a Japanese ''

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 no ...

'' of the late

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

who ruled the

Tsuyama Domain 270px, Matsudaira Naritami, 8th daimyo of Tsuyama 270px, Kakuzankan, han school was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now northern Okayama Prefecture. It controlled most of Mimasaka Province and wa ...

Mimasaka Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan in the area that is northern Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū Province, Bitchū, Bizen Province, Bizen, Harima Province, Harima, Hōki Province, Hō ...

. Born Tokugawa Ginnosuke (銀之助), the 16th son of the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...

Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari (, 18 November 1773 – 22 March 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan'', p. 21./ref> ...

, Naritami was adopted by Matsudaira Naritaka of Tsuyama. Naritami succeeded him in late 1831, continuing as daimyo of Tsuyama until 1855. Naritami was the lesser-known third candidate in the shogunal succession dispute of 1858 (the other two being

Tokugawa Iemochi (17 July 1846 – 29 August 1866) was the 14th '' shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. I ...

and Yoshinobu). In a rather curious turn of events, following his retirement, Naritami received a stupendously large pension of 10,000 ''hyō'' (俵; bales of rice) directly from the Bakufu; this is believed to have been because of his status as Ienari's son. Following 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

, Naritami became the guardian of the young

Tokugawa Iesato Prince was the first head of the Tokugawa clan after the overthrow of the Tokugawa shogunate, and a significant figure in Japanese politics and diplomacy during the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa period of Japan. When Prince Tokugawa travel ...

, overseeing his education. As he oversaw most of the principal affairs of the family (particularly during Iesato's time studying abroad), he was secretly known by some as ''dai jūrokudai'' (第十六代 "16th generation ord of the clan). Naritami was deeply trusted by Yoshinobu, even with affairs as important as finding good matches for his children. A letter left by Yoshinobu attests to this fact: ''Before any marriage proposal, be sure to consult with Naritami''. During the Meiji era, Naritami was made a ''shishaku'' (viscount) in the new nobility system. Naritami, also known as Matsudaira Kakudō, was an acquaintance of Clara Whitney, and is often mentioned in Whitney's early Meiji-era diary. Naritami's court rank was the rather high senior third rank (''shōsanmi'' 正三位); at different times over the course of his life, he also held the honorary titles of ''Echigo no Kami'' 越後守 and ''Mikawa no Kami'' 三河守. Naritami died on March 23, 1891, at age 78.

Family

* Father:

* Mother: Oyae no Kata (d. 1843) later Kaishun'in * Wives: ** Daughter of Matsudaira Naritaka ** Daughter of Matsudaira Tsunataka * Children: ** Matsudaira Yasutomo, Adopted By Matsudaira Yoshitomo ** Matsudaira Yasutami (1861–1921) ** Hitoshimaru

References

*"Tokugawa Shōgun-ke to Matsudaira Ichizoku". ''Rekishi Dokuhon'', Jan. 2006, p. 231. *Whitney, Clara A. ''Clara's Diary: An American Girl in Meiji Japan''. Edited by M. William Steele and Tamiko Ichimata. Tokyo/New York: Kodansha International, 1979.

External links

Biographical data
1814 births 1891 deaths Daimyo Kazoku Meiji Restoration Tokugawa clan Tsuyama-Matsudaira clan {{daimyo-stub