The was a Japanese samurai clan who rose to prominence under 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 ...

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 ...

. The main branch of the clan ruled as ''

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

Kōriyama Domain The Kōriyama Domain (郡山藩) thrived within Yamato Province, with its central hub nestled within Kōriyama Castle, Koriyama Castle, situated in Yamatokoriyama City, Nara Prefecture. file: Yanagisawa Yasunobu.jpg , 270px, Yanagisawa Yasunob ...

Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, th ...

(150,120 ''

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 ...

'') 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 ...

, and was subsequently unbowed with the ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''Daimyo, daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distin ...

'' peerage title of ''hakushaku'' (count).

Origins and Edo period history

The Yanagisawa were originally from Kai Province and descend from the

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

by Ichijo Tokinobu, grandson of Takeda Nobunaga, a grandson of Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128-1186). Yanagisawa Nobutoshi (1548-1614) was the son of Aoki Nobutaka, and member of the Mukawashu, a cadet branch of the Takeda clan descending from Ichijo Tokinobu, and a group of warriors who defended the border. At that time, the Aoki clan was in the position of the head of the Mukawashu. After the fall of the Takeda clan, the Yanagisawa together with other Mukawashu were recruited by

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 protected several surviving retainers of the Takeda clan, such as the Yonekura clan and the

Tsuchiya clan is a Japanese samurai kin group. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Yūki," ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 66 retrieved 2013-5-17. History The Tsuchiya clan descend from ...

. On August 16, 1582, Ieyasu granted him 72 kan 800 mon (equivalent to approximately 300

) of land in Kai province. In 1590, when Ieyasu was transferred to Kanto, Nobutoshi received 230 koku in the Hachigata territory of Musashi Province. Yanagisawa Yasuyoshi (1595-1686), his son, was a ''

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 ...

'', a direct retainer of

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 ...

and later

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. ...

, increasing his income to 430 ''koku'', whereas his younger brother Yanagisawa Yasutada (1602-1687) went into the service of

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- ...

Tatebayashi Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Kōzuke Province (modern-day Gunma Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Tatebayashi Castle in what is now the city of Tatebayashi, Gunma. History Fol ...

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period. He was an official in the Tokugawa shogunate and a favourite of the fifth shōgun, Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. His second concubine was Ogimachi Machiko, a writer and scholar from the noble court who wr ...

(1659-1714), son of Yasutada inherited the family stipend of 530 koku in 1675 when his father retired. In 1680, when Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, became the 5th Shogun, Yoshiyasu, became also the direct retainer of the Shogun. In 1688, he was appointed Sobayonin (Lord Chamberlain) and was promoted to

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 ...

Sanuki Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Kazusa Province (central modern-day Chiba Prefecture). It was centered on Sanuki Castle in what is now the city of Futtsu, Chiba. History The original Sanuki Castl ...

(12,000 ''koku'') in Kazusa province. In 1690, he was given an additional 20,000 koku. In 1694, he was appointed as

Rōjū The , usually translated as ''Elder (administrative title), 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 wh ...

, and transferred to

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 ...

(82,000 koku). In 1704, when Tokugawa Tsunatoyo from

Kōfu Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The domain was centered at Kōfu Castle what is now the city of Kōfu, Yamanashi.

was chosen as Tsunayoshi's heir, Yoshiyasu was transferred to Kōfu Domain (150,000 ''koku''). From April 10 to April 12 of the same year, at the memorial service for the 133rd anniversary of the death of

Takeda Shingen was daimyō, daimyo of Kai Province during the Sengoku period of Japan. Known as "the Tiger of Kai", he was one of the most powerful daimyo of the late Sengoku period, and credited with exceptional military prestige. Shingen was based in a p ...

at Kai Erin-ji Temple, Yoshiyasu emphasized that he was a member of the Takeda family. In 1706, he was promoted to the rank of

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 ...

. His son,

Yanagisawa Yoshisato Yanagisawa (written: or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the name include: *Atsushi Yanagisawa (born 1977), Japanese footballer *Hakuo Yanagisawa (born 1935), a Japanese politician *, Japanese sprint canoeist *, Japanese footballer * K ...

was transferred in 1724 to Yamato-Kōriyama Domain in 1724, where his descendants resided to the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

in 1871. The final ''daimyō'' of Yamato-Kōriyama Yanagisawa Yasunobu received the ''kazoku'' peerage title of ''hakushaku'' (Count).

Cadet branches

* A branch of the clan descended from

Yanagisawa Tsunetaka Yanagisawa Mitsuteru, the next-to-last ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa was a '' fudai'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Echigo Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Kurokawa Jin'ya, located in ...

, the 4th son of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was granted the 10,000 ''koku'' holding of

Kurokawa Domain Yanagisawa Mitsuteru, the next-to-last ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa was a '' fudai'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Echigo Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Kurokawa Jin'ya, located in ...

(today part of

Tainai, Niigata file:金屋方面 - panoramio.jpg, Tulip fields in Tainai is a Cities of Japan, city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 28,495 in 10,821 households, and a population density of 110 persons per km2 (288 ...

), from 1723 to 1868, and subsequently 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 ...

. * A branch of the clan descended from Yanagisawa Tokichika, the 5th son of Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu was granted the 10,000 ''koku'' holding of Mikkaichi Domain (today part of

Shibata, Niigata is a city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 96,236 in 37,017 households, and a population density of 179 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Shibata is located in a mostly inland r ...

), from 1723 to 1868, and subsequently received the title of

References

* Papinot, Edmond: ''Historical and Geographical Dictionary of Japan.'' Originally published in 1910. Tuttle, 1972, . * Miyaji, Saichiro: ''Koriyma-han.'' In: ''Bakumatsu shoshu saigo-no hanchu-tachi. Saikoku-hen.'' Jinbunsha, 1997, . * Ikeda, Koichi: ''Kurokawa jinya'' und ''Mikkaichi jinya.'' in: ''Miura, Masayuki (Hrsg.): Shiro to jinya. Tokoku-hen.'' Gakken, 2006. {{ISBN, 978-4-05-604378-5 Japanese clans