The is a branch of the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty which produced the Tokugawa shoguns who ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868 during the Edo period. It was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of ...

based in

Mito, Ibaraki is the capital city of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 268,036 in 126,055 households and a population density of 1,233 persons per km2. The percentage of the population aged ...

History

Following the establishment 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 ...

in 1603,

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 ...

appointed his eleventh son,

Tokugawa Yorifusa , also known as Mito Yorifusa, was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period. Biography Known in his childhood as Tsuruchiyomaru (鶴千代丸), he was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun with his concubine, Ka ...

, as ''daimyō'' in 1610. With his appointment, Yorifusa became the founding member of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan. Along with the Tokugawa branches in Kii and Owari, the Mito branch represented one of three Tokugawa houses known as 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"). Although the Mito branch held less land and wealth than either of the other two branches, they maintained considerable influence throughout 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 ...

Mito Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Hitachi Province in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture.Tokugawa Mitsukuni , also known as , was a Japanese daimyō, daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming ...

, the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa, became the second daimyō of Mito in 1661. Mitsukuni further established Mito's status as a respected han by sponsoring the ''

Dai Nihonshi The ''Dai Nihonshi'' (大日本史), literally ''History of Great Japan'', is a book on the history of Japan written in Classical Chinese. It was begun in the 17th century and was completed by 1715 by Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the head of the Mito b ...

'' in 1657.Koschmann, 2 The endeavor would launch Mito's reputation as a center for intellectual thought. The treasures of the Mito branch are kept in The Tokugawa Museum (彰考館徳川博物館) in Mito. "If a war were to break out between the Tokugawa shogunate and the Imperial Court, do not hesitate to side with the Imperial Court." This has been the tradition of the Mito Tokugawa family since Lord Mitsukuni. The 15th head of the Mito House is (born in 1958). From July 2009 he is also the director of Mito's Tokugawa Museum. He presently works for Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. A Tokyo resident, he commutes to Mito during weekends.

Heads

(1603-1661) #

Tokugawa Mitsukuni , also known as , was a Japanese daimyō, daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming ...

(1628-1701) # Tokugawa Tsunaeda (1656-1718) #

Tokugawa Munetaka was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the mid-Edo period, who ruled the Mito Domain. He was the son of Matsudaira Yoritoyo, the lord of the Takamatsu Domain 270px, Matsudaira Yoritoshi. pre-1903 270px, Takamatsu Castle Tsukimi Yagura was a ...

(1705-1730) # Tokugawa Munemoto (1728-1766) #

Tokugawa Harumori Tokugawa ( , ) may refer to: *Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 *Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period ** Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), mos ...

(1751-1805) #

Tokugawa Harutoshi was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Edo period, who ruled the Mito Domain. He presented the ''Dai Nihonshi'', a historical record of Japan, to the Imperial Court. The eldest son of Tokugawa Harumori, his childhood name was Tsuruchiyo (鶴千代) ...

(1773-1816) #

Tokugawa Narinobu Tokugawa ( , ) may refer to: *Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 *Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period **Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), most ...

(1797-1829) #

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 ...

(1800-1860) #

Tokugawa Yoshiatsu Tokugawa ( , ) may refer to: *Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 *Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period **Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), most ...

(1832-1868) #

Tokugawa Akitake was a younger half-brother of the Japanese Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu and final daimyō of Mito Domain. He represented the Tokugawa shogunate at the courts of several European powers during the final days of Bakumatsu period Japan. Biography ...

(1853-1910) #

Tokugawa Atsuyoshi Tokugawa ( , ) may refer to: *Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 *Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period **Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), most ...

(1855-1898) #

Tokugawa Kuniyuki Prince was the 13th head of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan and the President of the House of Peers in the Diet of Japan. Biography Kuniyuki Tokugawa inherited the title of ''shishaku'' (侯爵, marquis) under the ''kazoku'' peerage sys ...

(1886-1969) #

Tokugawa Kuninari Tokugawa ( , ) may refer to: *Tokugawa era, an alternative term for the Edo period, 1603 to 1868 *Tokugawa shogunate, a feudal regime of Japan during the Edo period **Tokugawa clan, a powerful family of Japan ***Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), most ...

(1912-1986) #

Tokugawa Narimasa was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. The son of Tokugawa Harusada, head of the Hitotsubashi-Tokugawa house, he succeeded Tokugawa Haruaki as head of the Tayasu branch of the Tokugawa house, which had been without a ruler for some time. H ...

History

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References

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