The was a Japanese

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

clan that descended from the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in

Mikawa Province was an Provinces of Japan, old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture.Louis-Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari Province, O ...

(modern-day

Aichi Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,461,111 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the ...

). During the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, the chieftain of the main line of the Matsudaira clan,

Matsudaira Motoyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

became a powerful regional

daimyo 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 nominally to ...

under

Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...

and

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

and changed his name to Tokugawa Ieyasu. He subsequently seized power as the first

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 ...

of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

which ruled Japan during the

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 ...

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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

of 1868. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, many cadet branches of the clan retained the Matsudaira surname, and numerous new branches were formed in the decades after Ieyasu. Some of those branches were also of ''

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 ...

'' status. After the

and the abolition of the ''han'' system, the Tokugawa and Matsudaira clans became part of the new ''kazoku'' nobility.

Origins

The Matsudaira clan originated in

. Its origins are uncertain, but in the Sengoku era, the clan claimed descent from the medieval

Seiwa Genji The is a line of the Japanese Minamoto clan that is descended from Emperor Seiwa, which is the most successful and powerful line of the clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto members, including Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Minamoto no Yoritomo, ...

branch of the

. According to this claim, the founder of the Matsudaira line was Matsudaira Chikauji, who lived in the 14th century and established himself in Mikawa Province, at Matsudaira village.

National historic sites

The location of Matsudaira village is within the borders of the modern city of

Toyota, Aichi , formerly known as Koromo, is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 426,162 and a population density of 464 people per km2. The total area was . It is located about 50 minutes from Nagoya by way of the Me ...

. A number of locations associated with the early history of the clan were collectively designated a National Historic Site of Japan in the year 2000. These include: # The ruins of a Sengoku period fortified residence on the eastern bank of the Tomoe River (Asuke River) which was the birthplace of Tokugawa Ieyasu. The site is now part of a

Shinto Shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

, the

Matsudaira Tosho-gu The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...

, which was built in 1615, after Tokugawa Ieyasu's death and deification. #

Matsudaira Castle The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...

, from which the Matsudaira clan ruled over a portion of

during the Sengoku period. # Ōgyū Castle, built around 1507 and used by the clan to 1575 # Kōgetsu-in, a Buddhist temple and ''

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 ju ...

'' for the Matsudaira clan file:Matsudaira Toshogu.jpg, Matsudaira Tosho-gu file:Matsudairago3.jpg, Kogetsu-in

Sengoku period

Minor power between major neighbors

In its territory in Mikawa Province, the Matsudaira clan was surrounded by much more powerful neighbors. To the west was the territory of the Oda clan of

Owari Province was a province of Japan in the area that today forms the western half of Aichi Prefecture, including the modern city of Nagoya. The province was created in 646. Owari bordered on Mikawa, Mino, and Ise Provinces. Owari and Mino provinces w ...

; to the east, the

Imagawa clan was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Kawachi Genji. It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan. Origins Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in ...

of Suruga. Each generation of Matsudaira family head had to carefully negotiate his relationship with these neighbors.

Branches of the Matsudaira clan

Before the Edo period, there were 19 major branches of the Matsudaira clan: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , and . Each of these branches (with the exception of the Kaga-Matsudaira, which relocated to Kaga Province) took its name from the area in Mikawa where it resided. Also, many of the branches often fought with each other.

Matsudaira of Okazaki

It was the main Matsudaira line residing in

Okazaki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, ''daimyō'' of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu ...

which rose the highest during the Sengoku period. During the headship of

Matsudaira Hirotada was the lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa province, Japan during the Sengoku Period of the 16th century. He is best known for being the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hirotada was the son of Matsudaira ...

, it was threatened by the Oda and Imagawa clans, and for a time was forcibly brought into Imagawa service. After the death of

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a Japanese ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the Sengoku period. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as ; he was one of the three ''daimyō'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become Shogun. He ...

and the fall from power of the Imagawa clan, Hirotada's son Matsudaira Motoyasu was successful in forming an alliance with

, the hegemon of

. Motoyasu is better known as

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

, who became the first Tokugawa shōgun in 1603.

Matsudaira branches and the use of the surname

Pre-Edo branches

Several of the pre-Edo branch families survived into the Edo period; some of them became ''

s''. The Takiwaki-Matsudaira family became ''daimyōs'' of the Ojima Domain, and from 1868 to 1871, ruled the

Sakurai Domain Sakurai may refer to: __NOTOC__ Places * Sakurai, Nara, a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan ** Sakurai Line, a railway line operated by West Japan Railway Company in Nara Prefecture ** Sakurai Station (Nara), a railway station in Sakurai, Nara ...

. The Nagasawa-Matsudaira, also known as the Ōkōchi-Matsudaira, had several branches, one of them ruled the Yoshida Domain of

. A prominent Nagasawa-Matsudaira is the early

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 ...

politician

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 ...

. The Fukōzu-Matsudaira ruled the

Shimabara Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Originally known as Hinoe Domain, its administrative center was initially established at Hinoe Castle in Minamishimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture. However, it was later relocated to Shimabara Castle ...

. The Sakurai-Matsudaira ruled the Amagasaki Domain. The Ogyū-Matsudaira had many branches, one of which ruled the

Okutono Domain , also known as Okudono, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Matsudaira (Ōgyū)" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 30-32 retrieved 2013-7-9. was a feudal domain under t ...

Nagai Naoyuki , also known as or , was a Japanese hatamoto under the Tokugawa of Bakumatsu period Japan. His great-great-grandchild was Yukio Mishima. Naoyuki's adopted son, Iwanojō Nagai, was the father of Natsu, who was Mishima's grandmother. Iwanojō's ...

was a prominent

Bakumatsu were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate Meiji Restoration, ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a Feudali ...

-era descendant of the Ogyū-Matsudaira of Okutono. Other pre-Edo branches of the family became

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

Tokugawa branches and the Matsudaira surname

The Tokugawa surname was not granted to all of the sons of the shōgun or the heads of the six main Tokugawa branches. Only the inheritor received the Tokugawa name, while all of his siblings would receive the Matsudaira surname. For example, the last shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu was not the firstborn heir of his father (

Tokugawa Nariaki Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川斉昭, April 4, 1800 – September 29, 1860) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' who ruled the Mito Domain (now Ibaraki Prefecture) and contributed to the rise of nationalism and the Meiji Restoration. Biography Clan leader ...

of Mito). Consequently, Yoshinobu was known as Matsudaira Shichirōma during his minority. Some of these sons, particularly of the 3 main Tokugawa branches (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 ...

''), formed their own families, and received their own fiefs. These included

Takamatsu file:Takamatsu City Hall.jpg, 270px, Takamatsu City Hall file:Takamatsu city center area Aerial photograph.2007.jpg, 270px, Aerial view of Takamatsu city center file:Takamatsu200910cut.JPG, 270px, View from Yashima to Takashima port is a capital ...

, Shishido,

Fuchū Fuchū may refer to: Current settlements *Fuchū, Tokyo, a city in Tokyo *Fuchū, Hiroshima, a city in Hiroshima Prefecture *Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), a town in Hiroshima Prefecture * , a former town (1889–2005) in Toyama Prefecture, Japan, which ...

, and

Moriyama 270px, Lake Biwa from Moriyama is a city located in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 85,485 in 34,366 households and a population density of 1533.63 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Mo ...

(branches of the Mito Tokugawa); Saijō (a branch of the Kii Tokugawa); and Takasu (a branch of the Owari Tokugawa). Notable Matsudaira of these branches include Matsudaira Yoritoshi of Takamatsu, and Matsudaira Yoritaka of Fuchū. Yoritsune Matsudaira and his son Yoriaki Matsudaira, who were 20th-century composers, were descendants of the Matsudaira of Fuchū.

Yūki-Matsudaira clan (Echizen)

The Yūki-Matsudaira clan was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu's son

Yūki Hideyasu was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the ''daimyō'' of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province, Echizen. Early life Hideyasu was born as in 1574, the second son of To ...

. Several branches of the Yūki-Matsudaira came into existence during the Edo period. Though the Yūki-Matsudaira retained control of Kitanoshō (later renamed Fukui), the main Yūki line was not there, but in

Tsuyama is a city in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. In February 2023, the city had an estimated population of 97,507 in 45,653 households and a population density of 190 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Tsuyama is located in nort ...

instead. Branches of the family ruled the Fukui, Hirose, Mori,

Matsue is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Shimane Prefecture, Japan, located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. , the city had an estimated population of 196,748 in 91287 households and a population density of 340 persons per km². The total area of ...

, Tsuyama, Akashi, Itoigawa, and

Maebashi is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It was ...

domains. Famous Yūki-Matsudaira include Matsudaira Naritami and

Matsudaira Yoshinaga , also known as Matsudaira Keiei,Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–1868'', p. 335. or better known as Matsudaira Shungaku (春嶽) was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period. He was head of Fuk ...

, two ''daimyōs'' of the late Edo period. Matsudaira Yoshinaga in particular was very important to Japanese politics of the early Meiji period, and his leadership put the Fukui Domain on the side of the victors in 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 coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

(1868–69).

Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan

The Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan was founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu's half-brother

Hisamatsu Sadakatsu , also known as , was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and military commander of the early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan. He was the half-brother of Tokugawa Ieyasu and a founding member of the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan. His father was Hisamats ...

. Due to his close relation to Ieyasu, Sadakatsu was allowed the use of the Matsudaira surname. Eventually, some of the branches of the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira were also allowed the use of the Tokugawa family crest, as well as being formally recognized as Tokugawa relatives (''

shinpan was a class of ''daimyō'' in the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan who were certain relatives of the ''Shōgun''. While all ''shinpan'' were relatives of the ''shōgun'', not all relatives of the shōgun were ''shinpan''; an example of this is the ...

''), rather than simply being a '' fudai'' family. Branches of the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira ruled the Kuwana,

Imabari is a city in Ehime Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture. , the city had an estimated population of 152,111 in 75,947 households and a population density of 360 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Th ...

, and Iyo-Matsuyama domains. Famous Hisamatsu-Matsudaira include the political reformer

Matsudaira Sadanobu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief of the Tokugawa shogunate, from 1787 to 1793. Early life Matsu ...

, the final

Kyoto Shoshidai The was an important administrative and political office in the Tokugawa shogunate. The office was the personal representative of the military dictators Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Kyoto, the seat of the Japanese Emperor, and was ado ...

Matsudaira Sadaaki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Bakumatsu period, who was the last ruler of the Kuwana Domain. Sadaaki was the adopted heir of Matsudaira Sadamichi, the descendant of Sadatsuna, the third son of Hisamatsu Sadakatsu (1569–1623), who was ...

, and shogunate politician

Itakura Katsukiyo was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the late Edo period. Famed for his tenure as rōjū, Itakura later became a Shinto priest. Biography Itakura, born to the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira of the Kuwana Domain, was adopted by Itakura Katsutsune, the lord ...

. In the Meiji era, the heads of all the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira branches received titles in the new nobility.List of Meiji-era Japanese nobility
(accessed 15 August 2008)

Ochi-Matsudaira clan

The Ochi-Matsudaira clan was founded by Matsudaira Kiyotake, the younger brother of the 6th shōgun Tokugawa Ienobu. The Ochi-Matsudaira ruled the Hamada Domain. The family lost most of its territory in 1866, when the castle town was occupied by

Chōshū Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81 The Chōshū Domain was based ...

forces under

Ōmura Masujirō (May 30, 1824 – December 7, 1869) was a Japanese military leader and theorist in Bakumatsu period Japan. He was the "Father" of the Imperial Japanese Army, launching a modern military force closely patterned after the French system of the da ...

during the Chōshū War. Matsudaira Takeakira, the last ''daimyō'', escaped Hamada and went to Tsuruta, one of the domain's non-contiguous territories; there he set up the Tsuruta Domain, which existed until the abolition of the domains in 1871. In the

Meiji era The was an Japanese era name, era of History of Japan, 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 feu ...

, Takeakira's son Matsudaira (Ochi) Takenaga received the title of

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

Hoshina-Matsudaira clan (Aizu)

The Hoshina-Matsudaira clan was founded by

Hoshina Masayuki was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period, who was the founder of what became the Matsudaira clan, Matsudaira house of Aizu. He was an important figure in the politics and philosophy of the early Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hoshina ...

. Masayuki, a son of the second shōgun Tokugawa Hidetada, was adopted by

Hoshina Masamitsu was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan. Masamitsu was the son of Hoshina Masanao, and after having lent his support to Tokugawa Ieyasu at the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara, he was given the Takatō Domain, Takatō ...

, the lord of the

Takatō Domain was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871. The Takatō Domain was based at Takatō Castle in Shinano Province, in the modern city of Ina, located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshu. The ...

. Masayuki was recognized as a relative of the Tokugawa family by his half-brother

Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate, Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada with Oeyo, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Lady Kasuga was his wet nurse, who acted as his political adviser and was at the ...

; after Iemitsu's death, Masayuki served as a regent for his nephew, the underaged shōgun

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. ...

, thus effectively running the shogunate. It was at this time that Masayuki received rulership of the fief of

Aizu is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The princ ...

(with an income of 230,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

''). Two generations later, during the reign of the 3rd lord Masakata, the family was allowed the use of the Matsudaira surname and crest. The family remained prominent in shogunate affairs and in security duty in Ezo (

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

). It also sponsored several schools of martial arts, as well as working to develop and spread the production of local crafts. In the

Bakumatsu period were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunat ...

, the 8th lord

Matsudaira Katataka was the 8th ''daimyō'' of Aizu Domain in Mutsu Province, Japan (modern-day Fukushima Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Sakonoe-gon-chūshō'' and ''Jijū'', and his Court rank was Senior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade. Biography Matsudaira ...

assisted with security duties during and after the arrival of the

Perry Expedition ] The Perry Expedition (, , "Arrival of the Black Ships") was a diplomatic and military expedition in two separate voyages (1852–1853 and 1854–1855) to the Tokugawa shogunate () by warships of the United States Navy. The goals of this expedit ...

; Katataka's successor, 9th lord

Matsudaira Katamori Matsudaira Katamori after the Meiji restoration was a samurai who lived in Bakumatsu period and the early to mid Meiji period Japan. He was the 9th ''daimyō'' of the Aizu Domain and the Kyoto Shugoshoku (Military Commissioner of Kyoto). He ...

served as ''

Kyoto Shugoshoku The was a Japanese bureaucratic office of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1862 through 1868.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kyōto-shugoshoku''" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'Deutsche Nationalbibli ...

'', but his clan was later defeated in the

. The Aizu-Matsudaira survived the Meiji Restoration, and were ennobled with the title of

. Katamori's son

Morio Matsudaira Viscount was an admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Biography Morio Matsudaira was the son of Matsudaira Katamori Matsudaira Katamori after the Meiji restoration was a samurai who lived in Bakumatsu period and the early to mid Meiji per ...

served as an admiral in the

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

. The family survives to the present day. Isao Matsudaira, who was governor of

Fukushima Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,771,100 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miyagi Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture ...

in the 1980s, was a descendant of this family. Princess Chichibu Setsuko, the wife of Emperor

Hirohito , Posthumous name, posthumously honored as , was the 124th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, from 25 December 1926 until Death and state funeral of Hirohito, his death in 1989. He remains Japan's longest-reigni ...

's brother

Prince Chichibu was the second son of Emperor Taishō (Yoshihito) and Empress Teimei (Sadako), a younger brother of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and a general in the Imperial Japanese Army. As a member of the Imperial House of Japan, he was the patron of seve ...

Yasuhito, was another.

Matsudaira as an honorific

Over the course of the Edo period, the Tokugawa shogunate granted the use of the Matsudaira surname to certain families as an honorific. These families included both '' fudai'' and '' tozama daimyō'' families. The

Date clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group.Edmond Papinot, 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 fam ...

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

, the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...

Satsuma Satsuma may refer to: * Satsuma (fruit), a citrus fruit * ''Satsuma'' (gastropod), a genus of land snails Places Japan * Satsuma, Kagoshima, a Japanese town * Satsuma District, Kagoshima, a district in Kagoshima Prefecture * Satsuma Domain, a ...

, the

Mōri clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power in Aki Province. Durin ...

of Choshu, the

Maeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who occupied most of the Hokuriku region of central Honshū from the end of the Sengoku period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Maeda claimed descent from the Sugawara clan through Sugawara no Kiyotom ...

of Kaga (and its branches at Daishōji and Toyama), the Yamanouchi clan of Tosa, the Kuroda clan of Fukuoka, the Asano clan of Hiroshima (and its branch at Hiroshima-shinden), the Nabeshima of Saga, the Ikeda of Tottori (as well as its branches of Okayama, Shikano, Wakazakura, Hirafuku, as well as hatamoto-level Ikeda), and the Hachisuka of Tokushima were all ''tozama'' families that had the use of the Matsudaira surname. The Yanagisawa clan of Yamato"Tokugawa shogun-ke to Matsudaira ichizoku", p. 183. and Honjō clan of Miyazu were two ''fudai'' families among those who had the right to use the Matsudaira surname. In addition, if a Tokugawa princess married into another family, her husband had the right to use the Matsudaira surname and the Tokugawa crest for one generation.

Present day

Prominent Matsudaira in the present day include Ryūmon Matsudaira (actor), and

Iyo-Matsuyama Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now central Ehime Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Matsuyama Castle, and was ruled throughout most of its history by the '' shinpan ...

Matsudaira Hisamatsu family of branch family bannermen hits the descendants Sadatomo Matsudaira (ja; former anchor for

NHK , also known by its Romanization of Japanese, romanized initialism NHK, is a Japanese public broadcasting, public broadcaster. It is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television licence, television license fee. NHK ope ...

), among others.

Key genealogies

Main line (Tokugawa shōgun)

* Serata Arichika * Matsudaira Chikauji * Matsudaira Yasuuji * Matsudaira Nobumitsu * Matsudaira Chikatada (1431–1501) * Matsudaira Nagachika (1473–1544) * Matsudaira Nobutada (1486–1531) *

Matsudaira Kiyoyasu was the 7th lord over the Matsudaira clan during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. Kiyoyasu was the paternal grandfather of the third "great unifier of Japan", Tokugawa Ieyasu. Biography Kiyoyasu gained control of the whole of northe ...

(1511–1535) *

(1526–1549) *

(1543–1616) *

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. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was born to Tokugawa Ieyasu and the Lady Saigō on May ...

(1579–1632) *

(1604–1651) *

(1641–1680) *

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- ...

(1646–1709) *

Tokugawa Ienobu (11 June 1662 – 12 November 1712) was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iem ...

(1662–1712) *

Tokugawa Ietsugu Tokugawa Ietsugu; 徳川家継 (8 August 1709 – 19 June 1716) was the seventh ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1713 until his death in 1716. He was the son of Tokugawa Ienobu, thus making him the grandson of Tokugawa Tsu ...

(1709–1716) *

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. Yoshimune is know ...

(1684–1751) *

Tokugawa Ieshige Tokugawa Ieshige; 徳川家重 (28 January 1712 – 13 July 1761) was the ninth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. The first son of Tokugawa Yoshimune, his mother was the daughter of Ōkubo Tadanao, known as Osuma no kata. His moth ...

(1712–1761) *

Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu 徳川家治 (20 June 1737 – 17 September 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given the ...

(1737–1786) *

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> ...

(1773–1841) *

Tokugawa Ieyoshi was the 12th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan',' p. 21./ref> Biography Ieyoshi was born as the second son of the 11th ''shōgun'', Tokugawa Ienari and named Toshijirō (敏 ...

(1793–1853) *

Tokugawa Iesada was the 13th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He held office for five years from 1853 to 1858. He was physically weak and was therefore considered by later historians to have been unfit to be ''shōgun''. His reign marks the begi ...

(1824–1858) *

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 ...

(1846–1866) *

Tokugawa Yoshinobu Kazoku, 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 his position as shogun in late 1867, while ai ...

(1837–1913) *

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 ...

(1863–1940) *

Iemasa Tokugawa Prince also known as Iyemasa, was a Japanese political figure of the Taishō and early Shōwa periods. He was the 17th hereditary head of the former shogunal branch of the Tokugawa clan and the final President of the House of Peers in the D ...

(1884–1963) *

Tsunenari Tokugawa is the former 18th generation head of the Tokugawa clan. He is the son of Ichirō Matsudaira and Toyoko Tokugawa. His great-grandfather was the famed Matsudaira Katamori of Aizu and his paternal great-grandfather was Tokugawa Iesato. As a great- ...

(born 1940)

Hoshina-Matsudaira clan (Aizu)

(1611–1673) * Hoshina Masatsune (1647–1681) * Matsudaira Masakata (1669–1731) * Matsudaira Katasada (1724–1750) * Matsudaira Katanobu (1744–1805) * Matsudaira Kataoki (1779–1806) * Matsudaira Katahiro (1803–1822) *

(1806–1852) *

(1836–1893) *

Matsudaira Nobunori Viscount was a Japanese samurai of the Bakumatsu period and the 10th (and final) ''daimyō'' of Aizu Domain. Biography Nobunori was the 19th son of Tokugawa Nariaki of Mito Domain. he was initially named Akinori (昭則), bout received a ''k ...

(1855–1891) * Matsudaira Kataharu (1869–1910) *

(1878–1944) * Morisada Matsudaira (1926–2011) * Morihisa Matsudaira

Yūki-Matsudaira clan (Echizen)

(1574–1607) *

Matsudaira Tadanao was a Japanese samurai lord from Sengoku to early Edo period, who was the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Matsudaira Tadanao"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 617] Biography Tadanao was born ...

(1595–1650) *

Matsudaira Tadamasa was an early to mid-Edo period Japanese samurai, and ''daimyō''. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Matsudaira" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 30 retrieved 2013-4-9. ...

(1598–1645) *

Matsudaira Mitsumichi was an early to mid-Edo period Japanese people, Japanese samurai, and the 4th ''daimyō'' of Fukui Domain.Foulk, T. Griffin. "The Forgotten history of Daian-zenji, a Tokugawa-period Zen Monastery," ''The Japan Foundation Newsletter'' (''Kokusai ...

(1636–1674) * Matsudaira Masachika (1640–1711) * Matsudaira Tsunamasa (1661–1699) * Yoshinori (the former Masachika) * Matsudaira Yoshikuni (1681–1722) * Matsudaira Munemasa (1675–1724) * Matsudaira Munenori (1715–1749) * Matsudaira Shigemasa (1743–1758) *

Matsudaira Shigetomi was the 12th ''daimyō'' of Fukui Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate in Echizen Province.Burks, Ardath W. (1985) ''The Modernizers: overseas students, foreign employees, and Meiji Japan'', p. 47 He ruled Fukui for 41 years, the long ...

(1748–1809) * Matsudaira Haruyoshi (1768–1826) * Matsudaira Naritsugu (1811–1835) * Matsudaira Narisawa (1820–1838) *

(1828–1890) * Matsudaira Mochiaki (1836–1890)

Ochi-Matsudaira clan (Hamada)

* Matsudaira Kiyotake (1663–1724) * Matsudaira Takemasa (1702–1728) * Matsudaira Takemoto (1714–1779) * Matsudaira Takehiro (1754–1789) * Matsudaira Nariatsu (1783–1839) * Matsudaira Takeoki (1827–1842) * Matsudaira Takeshige (1825–1847) * Matsudaira Takeakira (1842–1882) * Matsudaira Takenaga

Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan (Kuwana)

* Matsudaira Sadatsuna (1592–1652) * Matsudaira Sadayoshi (1632–1657) * Matsudaira Sadashige (1644–1717) * Matsudaira Sadamichi (1677–1718) * Matsudaira Sadateru (1704–1725) * Matsudaira Sadanori (1680–1727) * Matsudaira Sadayoshi (1709–1770) * Matsudaira Sadakuni (1720–1790) *

(1759–1829) * Matsudaira Sadanaga (1791–1838) * Matsudaira Sadakazu (1812–1841) * Matsudaira Sadamichi (1831–1859) *

(1847–1908) * Matsudaira Sadanori (1857–1899)

Ogyū-Matsudaira clan (Okutono)

* Matsudaira Sanetsugu * Matsudaira Noritsugu (1632–1687) * Matsudaira Norinari (1658–1703) * Matsudaira Norizane (1686–1716) * Matsudaira Mitsunori (1716–1742) * Matsudaira Noriyasu (1739–1783) * Matsudaira Noritomo (1760–1824) * Matsudaira Noritada (1777–1818) * Matsudaira Noriyoshi (1791–1827) * Matsudaira Noritoshi (1811–1854) * Matsudaira Norikata (1839–1910) * Matsudaira Noritake

Gallery

Image: Yoshinobu Tokugawa 5.jpg, Matsudaira Shichirōma, the future Tokugawa Yoshinobu Image:Matsudaira Mochiaki.jpg, Matsudaira Mochiaki, last lord of Fukui Image:Matudaira Sadayasu.jpg, Matsudaira Sadayasu, last lord of Matsue Image:Matsudaira Fumai.JPG, Matsudaira Harusato (Fumai), lord of Matsue, tea master Image: Matudaira Yoritoshi.jpg, Matsudaira Yoritoshi, last lord of Takamatsu Image:Princess Chichibu Setsuko.jpg, Princess Chichibu (Matsudaira) Setsuko Image:Matudaira Tadanari.jpg, Matsudaira Tadanari, last lord of Ueda Image:Nagai naoyuki.jpg, Nagai Naoyuki, the son of Okutono lord Matsudaira Noritada

Notes

{{reflist

References

English * Thornton, Sybil A. (1999). ''Charisma and Community Formation in Medieval Japan''. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press. * Totman, Conrad (1967). ''Politics in the Tokugawa bakufu''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. German
List of Meiji-era Japanese nobility
(accessed 15 August 2008). Japanese

(accessed 24 August 2008).

(accessed 24 August 2008).

(accessed 24 August 2008). * "Tokugawa Shōgun-ke to Matsudaira Ichizoku", ''Rekishi Dokuhon'' magazine, January 2006.

Origins

National historic sites

Sengoku period

Minor power between major neighbors

Branches of the Matsudaira clan

Matsudaira of Okazaki

Matsudaira branches and the use of the surname

Pre-Edo branches

Tokugawa branches and the Matsudaira surname

Yūki-Matsudaira clan (Echizen)

Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan

Ochi-Matsudaira clan

Hoshina-Matsudaira clan (Aizu)

Matsudaira as an honorific

Present day

Key genealogies

Main line (Tokugawa shōgun)

Hoshina-Matsudaira clan (Aizu)

Yūki-Matsudaira clan (Echizen)

Ochi-Matsudaira clan (Hamada)

Hisamatsu-Matsudaira clan (Kuwana)

Ogyū-Matsudaira clan (Okutono)

Gallery

Notes

References

See also