Matsudaira Katamori
Encyclopedia
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 were severely defeated. Katamori's life was spared, and he later became the Chief of the Tōshōgū Shrine. He, along with his three brothers Sadaaki
, Yoshikatsu, and Mochiharu, had highly influential roles during the Meiji Restoration and were called the four Takasu brothers (Takasu yon-kyōdai ).
He was the seventh son of Matsudaira Yoshitatsu, daimyo of Takasu, born by one of Yoshitatsu's concubines, a woman of the Komori family whose name is believed by some scholars to be Chiyo (she was also known by her Buddhist name, Zenkyō-in.) Katamori, or as he was first known, Keinosuke , had an eventful childhood. Though the Takasu domain was small, it had a high level of prestige due to its status as a branch family of the Tokugawa clan (through the gosanke
house of Owari
). Furthermore, in the history of the Takasu-Matsudaira line, there were daimyo who had been adopted from senior branches of the Tokugawa clan, such as Mito. Consequently, Katamori was in a very good position to be adopted out to a senior member of the Tokugawa house. This opportunity presented itself in the form of Matsudaira Katataka
, the 8th generation lord of the Aizu
domain. Yoshitatsu readily approved of the adoption, not only because Katataka was the lord of a more senior house with a distinguished history and lineage, but the fact that Katataka was his birth brother must have also entered into the equation. Consequently, the young Keinosuke was adopted by Katataka, and married Katataka's daughter Toshihime, in 1856. Following his adoption, Keinosuke assumed the name "Katamori," which made use of one of the characters from his adoptive father's name. He was presented to the reigning shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi
, as well as to Ii Naosuke
, four months after his adoption, and at the end of the year was invested with the court title of Wakasa no Kami , which was traditionally held by the heir to the house of Aizu. Interested to further Katamori's education, Katataka then sent his heir to Aizu, where he was educated in the domain school, Nisshinkan.
.
, a translator on the Perry mission, backs up this record: "Some of the flags seen ashore, and the red jackets, too, to-day had on them." This character, read "ai" was the contemporary character used in the "ai" of "Aizu", and, as seen in artistic depictions of the era, was used on the domain's banners.
(Kyoto Military Commissioner), for the purpose of recovering public order in the city, which was under the influence of Sonnō Jōi
militants. The post of Kyoto Shugoshoku was one that changed much of the dynamic that had theretofore existed in the city. Previously, the holder of the Kyoto shoshidai
position had held the highest power there, supervising affairs in the Kyoto-Osaka area as the representative of the Shogun. However, the successive Shoshidai, as well as the city magistrates under their charge, were increasingly unable to secure and maintain the public order, so the post of Shugoshoku was superimposed on the existing structure. Where the Shoshidai and magistrates had been unable to secure through civil law, the Shugoshoku was to achieve through the use of military force. After much deliberation, the choice for the Shugoshoku post came down to two domains: Echizen and Aizu. Of the two, Echizen's Matsudaira Yoshinaga
already held high Shogunal office as President of Political Affairs , so all attention was then turned to Matsudaira Katamori. As Katamori was ill, Aizu's senior Edo-based councilor Yokoyama Tsunenori was summoned to Edo Castle instead, and given word of the assignment. Katamori sent a retainer back with a request for being excused: "As this is a shogunal order, we not only have no choice but to accept. Furthermore, our domain's founder Lord Masayuki laid down a direct command to do so in our house code. However, our lord Katamori is still young, and our men are in the north and unfamiliar with conditions in the Capital. If we were to accept this assignment without question, and a one in ten thousand chance of disaster were to strike, we of the Aizu domain could not possibly do it all alone; the Shogun would have to get involved, as would all of Japan. We would like to consider this carefully." However, the Bakufu would not listen to this refusal. Matsudaira Yoshinaga traveled personally to the Aizu residence, and confronted Katamori with harsh words invoking Aizu's distinguished past as Shogunate functionaries: "If [your founder] Lord Masayuki were still alive, he would accept without a second thought!" Rumors began to circulate that Katamori refused the assignment out of a desire for self-preservation, to which Katamori is said to have responded, "If people start talking like this, it will shame our domain. There is no way I could explain this to the generations of Aizu lords who have gone before me. I have no choice but to accept."
and Tanaka Tosa
, were particularly opposed to the position, not only for the reasons that Katamori initially opposed it, but also from a financial stance: Aizu, having been recently charged with both coastal defense at Edo Bay and supervision in eastern Ezo (Hokkaidō
), was heavily burdened by expense, and could not afford to do any more without risking total financial ruin. The two men rode nonstop from Aizu to try dissuading their lord from this venture. Saigo, ostensibly quoting the Chinese text Huai nan-tzu, described the intent to rein in the radicals as "trying to put out a fire while carrying brushwood". However, faced with the issues of preserving Aizu's reputation, as well as the pressure of a direct Shogunal order brought about by such power figures as Tokugawa Yoshinobu
, Matsudaira Yoshinaga
, and others, Katamori hardly had a say in the matter; this was something that he indicated directly to his retainers. His words to the aforementioned Yokoyama (and others) show that he knew full well what Aizu was getting itself into: "What will be, will be. Be prepared to meet your grave in Kyoto."
On September 23, 1862, Katamori was formally summoned to Edo Castle and presented with the assignment. The position was not without its personal incentives: it included an office salary of 50,000 koku a year, a 30,000 ryō loan to cover the expense of traveling to Kyoto, as well as a promotion to senior 4th court rank, lower grade . Following the assignment, a sweeping program of personnel reassignment took place in the Tokugawa government's Kyoto command structure. Assigned together with Katamori were a group of trusted, powerful daimyo and hatamoto: Nagai Naoyuki
was named Kyoto City Magistrate, Makino Tadayuki
, the lord of the Nagaoka domain, was made Kyoto Shoshidai, and Chūjō Nobunori as Katamori's assistant for protocol. Katamori then sent a group of seven men under the previously mentioned Tanaka Tosa
ahead to Kyoto, in order to begin forming the necessary connections with domains already in Kyoto, as well as the Imperial court. After a few months of further political difficulty, he left Edo on January 27, 1863 at the head of a thousand-strong Aizu force. Entering Kyoto on February 11, he first headed to Honzenji Temple, changing into court clothes, then going to the residence of Imperial regent Konoe Tadahiro
and paying his respects. After that, he promptly set up residence in the eastern section of the city, at Konkaikōmyōji Temple, in the Kurotani area. Soon after his arrival, Katamori was again formally received by the Court, appearing before regent Konoe together with his senior retainers Ono Gonnojō and Komori Ikkan. His warm reception and popularity with many in the Court thus set a precedent of frequent visits that was to continue for the duration of his position.
. Other groups emerged in subsequent years, including the Mimawarigumi
, which was under the control of the Shoshidai (which as of 1864 was Katamori's brother Matsudaira Sadaaki
of Kuwana). Katamori took his role as protector of Kyoto (and the Court) very seriously, and thus played a large role in the Coup D'état of September 30 (or the Coup D'état of August 18), and the Forbidden Gates Incident , which both involved clashes between the allied domainal forces under Shogunate command (including Aizu han) against the men of Chōshū han
. During the Choshu Expeditions, he also advocated a hard line against the domain. These events lead to increased animosity towards Katamori and the Aizu han within the Chōshū han.
Katamori served as shugoshoku from 1862 through 1864; and he served again from 1864 through 1868.
, apologizing to the Imperial court many times, and even formally presenting a letter of submission to Prince Rinnoji no Miya Yoshihisa
, but the members of the new Meiji government refused to pay him any heed. This was because the new government was primarily composed of people from Chōshū and Satsuma
, who resented Katamori for his activities as the Military Commissioner. Although the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei
, comprising most of the domains of northern Japan, supported the Aizu han and Katamori, they were eventually defeated in the Aizu War. After a few years under house arrest
in Tokyo, Katamori's life was spared, and he later became the Chief Priest of the Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine. He died on December 5, 1893, and was buried by Shinto rites, receiving the posthumous Shinto name of Masane-reishin . His heir, Matsudaira Nobunori, was adopted from the Mito Tokugawa family. However, Nobunori left the Aizu Matsudaira family soon after the Meiji Restoration, to let Matsudaira Kataharu become the heir of the family. Matsudaira Kataharu was Katamori's eldest biological son, born from one of Katamori's two concubines (Saku
and Kiyo
) after Nobunori was adopted. The family headship then passed to Kataharu's brother Morio, and subsequently to Morio's son Matsudaira Morisada
, who is the present head of the Aizu-Matsudaira.
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
who lived in the last days of the Edo period and the early to mid Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
. He was the 9th daimyo
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...
of the Aizu han
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
and the Military Commissioner of Kyoto
Kyoto Shugoshoku
The ' was a Japanese bureaucratic office of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1862 through 1868. The officeholder was responsible for keeping the peace in the city of Kyoto and its environs, and in this role, largely supplanted the extant office of Kyoto Shoshidai, though the two offices existed side by...
during the Bakumatsu period. 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....
, Katamori and the Aizu han fought against the Meiji Government armies, but were severely defeated. Katamori's life was spared, and he later became the Chief of the Tōshōgū Shrine. He, along with his three brothers Sadaaki
Matsudaira Sadaaki
was a Japanese daimyo 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 Sadakutsu , who was Tokugawa Ieyasu's brother. His family was known as the Hisamatsu Matsudaira...
, Yoshikatsu, and Mochiharu, had highly influential roles during the Meiji Restoration and were called the four Takasu brothers (Takasu yon-kyōdai ).
Early life
Matsudaira Katamori was born in the Yotsuya district of Edo, on February 15, 1836, at the residence of the Takasu DomainTakasu Domain
The was a Japanese domain located in Mino Province . For most of its history, it was ruled by the Takasu-Matsudaira, a branch of the Tokugawa clan of Owari....
He was the seventh son of Matsudaira Yoshitatsu, daimyo of Takasu, born by one of Yoshitatsu's concubines, a woman of the Komori family whose name is believed by some scholars to be Chiyo (she was also known by her Buddhist name, Zenkyō-in.) Katamori, or as he was first known, Keinosuke , had an eventful childhood. Though the Takasu domain was small, it had a high level of prestige due to its status as a branch family of the Tokugawa clan (through the gosanke
Gosanke
The , also called simply Gosanke or even Sanke, were three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu and Yorifusa and allowed to provide a shogun in case of need. The three houses were called Owari House of Tokugawa,...
house of Owari
Owari
Owari may refer to:* Owari Province* Owari Domain* Owari, more commonly spelled oware, a game* Owari Mandarin orange, a form of citrus fruit...
). Furthermore, in the history of the Takasu-Matsudaira line, there were daimyo who had been adopted from senior branches of the Tokugawa clan, such as Mito. Consequently, Katamori was in a very good position to be adopted out to a senior member of the Tokugawa house. This opportunity presented itself in the form of Matsudaira Katataka
Matsudaira Katataka
Japanese daimyo lord, ruler of the 230,000 koku Aizu domain in Mutsu Province. Known in his youth as Keizaburō 慶三郎, he was born to Matsudaira Yoshikazu, the lord of the Takasu domain, in Mino. Adopted by Matsudaira Katahiro of Aizu, Katataka succeeded to the family headship, receiving the court...
, the 8th generation lord of the Aizu
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
domain. Yoshitatsu readily approved of the adoption, not only because Katataka was the lord of a more senior house with a distinguished history and lineage, but the fact that Katataka was his birth brother must have also entered into the equation. Consequently, the young Keinosuke was adopted by Katataka, and married Katataka's daughter Toshihime, in 1856. Following his adoption, Keinosuke assumed the name "Katamori," which made use of one of the characters from his adoptive father's name. He was presented to the reigning 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....
, as well as to Ii Naosuke
Ii Naosuke
was daimyo of Hikone and also Tairō of Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan, a position he held from April 23, 1858 until his death on March 24, 1860. He is most famous for signing the Harris Treaty with the United States, granting access to ports for trade to American merchants and seamen and...
, four months after his adoption, and at the end of the year was invested with the court title of Wakasa no Kami , which was traditionally held by the heir to the house of Aizu. Interested to further Katamori's education, Katataka then sent his heir to Aizu, where he was educated in the domain school, Nisshinkan.
Succession and Inheritance
Following Katataka's death in early 1852, Katamori succeeded to the family headship at age 18. As the 9th daimyo, he was granted the title of Higo no Kami , which was traditionally held by the daimyo of Aizu-han. He also received the additional title of Sakonnoe-gon-shōshō from the Imperial court, and formally sent his thanks to the Emperor later that year. Furthermore, Katamori inherited the family's traditional seat in the tamari no ma chamber, where important matters of state were discussed in conjunction with the Senior CouncilRoju
The ', usually translated as Elder, was one of the highest-ranking government posts in Tokugawa Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council as a whole; under the first two shoguns, there were only two Rōjū...
.
Katamori and the Perry Mission
The early years following his appointment were filled with trying times for his leadership of the domain. Just one year later, Commodore Matthew C. Perry led the American East India Squadron into Edo Bay and demanded the opening of Japan to trade. The Shogunate mobilized a massive number of men and ships from a broad coalition of feudal domains, and Aizu, being a prominent branch of the Shogun's house, was no exception. Aizu had already received orders to provide security in the coastal areas of Kazusa and Awa provinces in the months prior to the Perry mission, and when the commodore went ashore to meet with Japanese officials, Aizu was one of the domains which provided patrol boats and coastal security for the event. Samuel Wells WilliamsSamuel Wells Williams
Samuel Wells Williams was a linguist, missionary and Sinologist from the United States in the early 19th century.-Biography:...
, a translator on the Perry mission, backs up this record: "Some of the flags seen ashore, and the red jackets, too, to-day had on them." This character, read "ai" was the contemporary character used in the "ai" of "Aizu", and, as seen in artistic depictions of the era, was used on the domain's banners.
Background
In 1862, senior political figures in the Tokugawa shogunate created the post of Kyoto ShugoshokuKyoto Shugoshoku
The ' was a Japanese bureaucratic office of the Tokugawa shogunate from 1862 through 1868. The officeholder was responsible for keeping the peace in the city of Kyoto and its environs, and in this role, largely supplanted the extant office of Kyoto Shoshidai, though the two offices existed side by...
(Kyoto Military Commissioner), for the purpose of recovering public order in the city, which was under the influence of Sonnō Jōi
Sonno joi
is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement derived from Neo-Confucianism; it became a political slogan in the 1850s and 1860s in the movement to overthrow the Tokugawa bakufu, during the Bakumatsu period.-Origin:...
militants. The post of Kyoto Shugoshoku was one that changed much of the dynamic that had theretofore existed in the city. Previously, the holder of the Kyoto shoshidai
Kyoto Shoshidai
The was an important administrative and political office in the early modern government of Japan. However, the significance and effectiveness of the office is credited to the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, who developed these initial creations as bureaucratic elements in a consistent and...
position had held the highest power there, supervising affairs in the Kyoto-Osaka area as the representative of the Shogun. However, the successive Shoshidai, as well as the city magistrates under their charge, were increasingly unable to secure and maintain the public order, so the post of Shugoshoku was superimposed on the existing structure. Where the Shoshidai and magistrates had been unable to secure through civil law, the Shugoshoku was to achieve through the use of military force. After much deliberation, the choice for the Shugoshoku post came down to two domains: Echizen and Aizu. Of the two, Echizen's Matsudaira Yoshinaga
Matsudaira Yoshinaga
, also known as Matsudaira Keiei, was the 14th head of Fukui Domain during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and politician of the Meiji era. "Yoshinaga" is his imina and "Shungaku" is his gō...
already held high Shogunal office as President of Political Affairs , so all attention was then turned to Matsudaira Katamori. As Katamori was ill, Aizu's senior Edo-based councilor Yokoyama Tsunenori was summoned to Edo Castle instead, and given word of the assignment. Katamori sent a retainer back with a request for being excused: "As this is a shogunal order, we not only have no choice but to accept. Furthermore, our domain's founder Lord Masayuki laid down a direct command to do so in our house code. However, our lord Katamori is still young, and our men are in the north and unfamiliar with conditions in the Capital. If we were to accept this assignment without question, and a one in ten thousand chance of disaster were to strike, we of the Aizu domain could not possibly do it all alone; the Shogun would have to get involved, as would all of Japan. We would like to consider this carefully." However, the Bakufu would not listen to this refusal. Matsudaira Yoshinaga traveled personally to the Aizu residence, and confronted Katamori with harsh words invoking Aizu's distinguished past as Shogunate functionaries: "If [your founder] Lord Masayuki were still alive, he would accept without a second thought!" Rumors began to circulate that Katamori refused the assignment out of a desire for self-preservation, to which Katamori is said to have responded, "If people start talking like this, it will shame our domain. There is no way I could explain this to the generations of Aizu lords who have gone before me. I have no choice but to accept."
Dissent, Preparation, and Arrival in Kyoto
News of Katamori's acceptance of the assignment quickly reached Aizu. Two of the domain-based councilors, Saigo TanomoSaigo Tanomo
was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. Chief senior councilor of the Aizu clan, he achieved fame due to his distinguished action in the Boshin War. He adopted the name Hoshina Chikanori . Surviving the war, he became a Shinto priest, and achieved renown as a martial artist...
and Tanaka Tosa
Tanaka Tosa
was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period who was a retainer of the Matsudaira clan of Aizu. He served as a karō in the Aizu administration, and fought in the Boshin War. Upon the entry of Imperial Japanese Army forces into the Aizu castle town, he led an effort to halt their advance...
, were particularly opposed to the position, not only for the reasons that Katamori initially opposed it, but also from a financial stance: Aizu, having been recently charged with both coastal defense at Edo Bay and supervision in eastern Ezo (Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
), was heavily burdened by expense, and could not afford to do any more without risking total financial ruin. The two men rode nonstop from Aizu to try dissuading their lord from this venture. Saigo, ostensibly quoting the Chinese text Huai nan-tzu, described the intent to rein in the radicals as "trying to put out a fire while carrying brushwood". However, faced with the issues of preserving Aizu's reputation, as well as the pressure of a direct Shogunal order brought about by such power figures as Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
was the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful...
, Matsudaira Yoshinaga
Matsudaira Yoshinaga
, also known as Matsudaira Keiei, was the 14th head of Fukui Domain during the Late Tokugawa shogunate and politician of the Meiji era. "Yoshinaga" is his imina and "Shungaku" is his gō...
, and others, Katamori hardly had a say in the matter; this was something that he indicated directly to his retainers. His words to the aforementioned Yokoyama (and others) show that he knew full well what Aizu was getting itself into: "What will be, will be. Be prepared to meet your grave in Kyoto."
On September 23, 1862, Katamori was formally summoned to Edo Castle and presented with the assignment. The position was not without its personal incentives: it included an office salary of 50,000 koku a year, a 30,000 ryō loan to cover the expense of traveling to Kyoto, as well as a promotion to senior 4th court rank, lower grade . Following the assignment, a sweeping program of personnel reassignment took place in the Tokugawa government's Kyoto command structure. Assigned together with Katamori were a group of trusted, powerful daimyo and hatamoto: Nagai Naoyuki
Nagai Naoyuki
, also known as or , was a Japanese samurai and Tokugawa retainer during the Bakumatsu and Meiji periods.-Early life:Nagai Naoyuki, or as he was first known, , was born in the Nukada district of the Okutono Domain by a concubine to . Noritada, while head of a collateral branch of the Tokugawa, was...
was named Kyoto City Magistrate, Makino Tadayuki
Makino Tadayuki
was a Japanese daimyo of the late Edo period.The Makino were identified as one of the fudai or insider daimyō clans which were hereditary vassels or allies of the Tokugawa clan, in contrast with the tozama or outsider clans.-Makino clan genealogy:...
, the lord of the Nagaoka domain, was made Kyoto Shoshidai, and Chūjō Nobunori as Katamori's assistant for protocol. Katamori then sent a group of seven men under the previously mentioned Tanaka Tosa
Tanaka Tosa
was a Japanese samurai of the Edo period who was a retainer of the Matsudaira clan of Aizu. He served as a karō in the Aizu administration, and fought in the Boshin War. Upon the entry of Imperial Japanese Army forces into the Aizu castle town, he led an effort to halt their advance...
ahead to Kyoto, in order to begin forming the necessary connections with domains already in Kyoto, as well as the Imperial court. After a few months of further political difficulty, he left Edo on January 27, 1863 at the head of a thousand-strong Aizu force. Entering Kyoto on February 11, he first headed to Honzenji Temple, changing into court clothes, then going to the residence of Imperial regent Konoe Tadahiro
Konoe Tadahiro
Prince , son of Motosaki, was a kugyō or Japanese court noble of the late Edo period . He held a regent position kampaku from 1862 to 1863. His consort was an adopted daughter of Shimazu Narioki, tenth head of Satsuma Domain. With her he had sons Tadafusa and Atsumaro who was later adopted by...
and paying his respects. After that, he promptly set up residence in the eastern section of the city, at Konkaikōmyōji Temple, in the Kurotani area. Soon after his arrival, Katamori was again formally received by the Court, appearing before regent Konoe together with his senior retainers Ono Gonnojō and Komori Ikkan. His warm reception and popularity with many in the Court thus set a precedent of frequent visits that was to continue for the duration of his position.
Tenure
The first difficulty that Katamori faced after taking office was the unfamiliarity of the locals with Aizu and its ability to get the job done. Aizu was so unfamiliar to many people in early 1863 that many of them pronounced its name "kaizu" or "kwaizu," due to the contemporary spelling of "Aizu" ( as opposed to the present ). This issue of unfamiliarity and unease began to have some resolution in the early months of Bunkyu 3 (1863), when Katamori was formally received at the Imperial court. The court nobles were very pleased to see his arrival, and had great hopes for him as an agent of the kōbu-gattai movement to promote renewed cooperation between the Court and the Shogunate. In order to achieve the objectives that the Shugoshoku position entailed, Katamori made use of city patrol units, some of them made up of his own retainers, but others consisting of hired, previously lordless men, such as the ShinsengumiShinsengumi
The were a special police force of the late shogunate period.-Historical background:After Japan opened up to the West following U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's visits in 1853, its political situation gradually became more and more chaotic...
. Other groups emerged in subsequent years, including the Mimawarigumi
Mimawarigumi
The was a special police force created by the Tokugawa shogunate during the late Bakumatsu period to restore public order to Kyoto.In the unsettled period after to ending of the national isolation policy, the political situation in Japan became increasing chaotic...
, which was under the control of the Shoshidai (which as of 1864 was Katamori's brother Matsudaira Sadaaki
Matsudaira Sadaaki
was a Japanese daimyo 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 Sadakutsu , who was Tokugawa Ieyasu's brother. His family was known as the Hisamatsu Matsudaira...
of Kuwana). Katamori took his role as protector of Kyoto (and the Court) very seriously, and thus played a large role in the Coup D'état of September 30 (or the Coup D'état of August 18), and the Forbidden Gates Incident , which both involved clashes between the allied domainal forces under Shogunate command (including Aizu han) against the men of Chōshū han
Nagato Province
, often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces....
. During the Choshu Expeditions, he also advocated a hard line against the domain. These events lead to increased animosity towards Katamori and the Aizu han within the Chōshū han.
Katamori served as shugoshoku from 1862 through 1864; and he served again from 1864 through 1868.
The Boshin War and its Aftermath
Katamori tried to achieve peaceful resolutions after 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...
, apologizing to the Imperial court many times, and even formally presenting a letter of submission to Prince Rinnoji no Miya Yoshihisa
Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa
of Japan, was the 2nd head of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family.- Early life :Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa was the ninth son of Prince Fushimi Kuniye . He entered the Buddhist priesthood under the title Rinnoji-no-miya...
, but the members of the new Meiji government refused to pay him any heed. This was because the new government was primarily composed of people from Chōshū and Satsuma
Satsuma Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation is Sasshū .During the Sengoku Period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyo, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city.In 1871, with the...
, who resented Katamori for his activities as the Military Commissioner. Although the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei
Ouetsu Reppan Domei
-External links:**...
, comprising most of the domains of northern Japan, supported the Aizu han and Katamori, they were eventually defeated in the Aizu War. After a few years under house arrest
House arrest
In justice and law, house arrest is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to his or her residence. Travel is usually restricted, if allowed at all...
in Tokyo, Katamori's life was spared, and he later became the Chief Priest of the Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine. He died on December 5, 1893, and was buried by Shinto rites, receiving the posthumous Shinto name of Masane-reishin . His heir, Matsudaira Nobunori, was adopted from the Mito Tokugawa family. However, Nobunori left the Aizu Matsudaira family soon after the Meiji Restoration, to let Matsudaira Kataharu become the heir of the family. Matsudaira Kataharu was Katamori's eldest biological son, born from one of Katamori's two concubines (Saku
Matsudaira Saku
; . Japanese figure of the mid-19th century. The daughter of Tashiro Genbei of Edo, she became the concubine of the Aizu lord Matsudaira Katamori, and gave birth to several of his children.-Source:...
and Kiyo
Matsudaira Kiyo
Matsudaira Kiyo , was a Japanese woman of the mid to late 19th century. Believed to have been a native of Edo. Kiyo, or as she was also known, Naka , was a concubine of Matsudaira Katamori.-Source:...
) after Nobunori was adopted. The family headship then passed to Kataharu's brother Morio, and subsequently to Morio's son Matsudaira Morisada
Matsudaira Morisada
is a retired Japanese businessman who is active in historical preservation. The grandson of Matsudaira Katamori, he spends a fair amount of time in Aizu...
, who is the present head of the Aizu-Matsudaira.
External links
- http://www.shinsengumihq.com
- Genealogy of Aizu lords (in Japanese), including Katamori
- The Shinsengumi and Matsudaira Katamori