Date Yoshikuni
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese daimyo
lord of the late Edo
period, known primarily for being the commander-in-chief of the Northern Alliance of Confederated Domains during the Boshin War
.
During his tenure as lord he was also known by his courtesy title, Matsudaira .
Early the following year, at age 14, he had his coming-of-age ceremony in Edo Castle, paying his respects to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi
and receiving the "yoshi" character from his name, thus becoming Date Yoshitoshi, and receiving the titles of Chikuzen no Kami and jijū (chamberlain), and the court rank of junior 4th, lower grade.
Late in Tenpo 12, on the shogun's orders, he succeeded his elder brother and became lord of Sendai, holding an income of 620,000 koku and receiving the titles of Mutsu no Kami and Sakon-e gon-shosho. However, despite such a high income rating, his domain was ravaged from the enormous Tenpo Famine, and for the rest of the Bakumatsu era, functioned at an actual economic rating of around 100,000 koku.
. However, in the period immediately following the battle, he was increasingly consulted by Matsudaira Nobunori
, lord of Aizu, who wished to use the Date clan's as-yet unmarred reputation in the eyes of the new government in order to achieve leniency for his father, Katamori
. Yoshikuni eventually became leader of the Northern Alliance of Confederated Domains, and received the title of shōgun from Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa, who had declared himself the northern emperor, Tōbu. However, because of Yoshikuni's indecisiveness and the confederation's incohesiveness, he was defeated by the combined armies of Satsuma and Chōshū led by Kujō Michitaka
, and voluntarily retired, and placed himself in confinement.
The same year, Yoshikuni's fourth son Munemoto succeeded the family headship, and Yoshikuni himself went into retirement, dying in 1874 at age 50. For the purpose of being deified, he did not receive a posthumous, funerary name.
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
lord of the late Edo
Edo
, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
period, known primarily for being the commander-in-chief of the Northern Alliance of Confederated Domains during the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
.
During his tenure as lord he was also known by his courtesy title, Matsudaira .
Early life
Yoshikuni was born at Aoba Castle in Sendai, the 2nd son of the 11th generation lord, Date Nariyoshi. His childhood name was first , and then . In 1838, after taking the name Date Toshimura, he became selected as successor to the 12th generation lord Date Narikuni.Early the following year, at age 14, he had his coming-of-age ceremony in Edo Castle, paying his respects to the shogun Tokugawa Ieyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyoshi was the 12th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.He was the second son of the 11th shogun, Tokugawa Ienari, and appointed Mizuno Tadakuni to conduct the Tenpo reform....
and receiving the "yoshi" character from his name, thus becoming Date Yoshitoshi, and receiving the titles of Chikuzen no Kami and jijū (chamberlain), and the court rank of junior 4th, lower grade.
Late in Tenpo 12, on the shogun's orders, he succeeded his elder brother and became lord of Sendai, holding an income of 620,000 koku and receiving the titles of Mutsu no Kami and Sakon-e gon-shosho. However, despite such a high income rating, his domain was ravaged from the enormous Tenpo Famine, and for the rest of the Bakumatsu era, functioned at an actual economic rating of around 100,000 koku.
Career as Daimyo
Yoshikuni contributed to security efforts in Kyoto in the 1860s, having the Shimodachiuri-gomon Gate of the Imperial Palace under his supervision. In 1868, however, Sendai forces did not get involved in the Battle of Toba-FushimiBattle of Toba-Fushimi
The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 , when the forces of the Tokugawa shogunate and the allied forces of Chōshū, Satsuma and Tosa domains clashed near Fushimi...
. However, in the period immediately following the battle, he was increasingly consulted by Matsudaira Nobunori
Matsudaira Nobunori
Viscount was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who served as daimyō of Aizu Domain from 1868-69. Born the son of Tokugawa Nariaki of Mito, he was adopted by Matsudaira Katamori as successor. After a year of serving as daimyō, he resigned, allowing Katamori's birth son Keizaburō to assume...
, lord of Aizu, who wished to use the Date clan's as-yet unmarred reputation in the eyes of the new government in order to achieve leniency for his father, Katamori
Matsudaira Katamori
was a samurai who lived in the last days of the Edo period and the early to mid Meiji period. He was the 9th daimyo of the Aizu han and the Military Commissioner of Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. During the Boshin War, Katamori and the Aizu han fought against the Meiji Government armies, but...
. Yoshikuni eventually became leader of the Northern Alliance of Confederated Domains, and received the title of shōgun from Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa, who had declared himself the northern emperor, Tōbu. However, because of Yoshikuni's indecisiveness and the confederation's incohesiveness, he was defeated by the combined armies of Satsuma and Chōshū led by Kujō Michitaka
Kujo Michitaka
, son of regent Nijō Hisatada and adopted son of his brother Yukinori, was a kuge or Japanese court noble of the late Edo period and politician of the early Meiji era who served as a member of the House of Peers...
, and voluntarily retired, and placed himself in confinement.
The same year, Yoshikuni's fourth son Munemoto succeeded the family headship, and Yoshikuni himself went into retirement, dying in 1874 at age 50. For the purpose of being deified, he did not receive a posthumous, funerary name.