Matsudaira Sadaaki
Encyclopedia
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 (1569-1623), who was Tokugawa Ieyasu
's brother. His family was known as the Hisamatsu Matsudaira clan. It was to this family that Matsudaira Sadanobu
also belonged.
in Edo
, the 8th son of Matsudaira Yoshitatsu, the lord of the Takasu
domain. One of his older brothers was Matsudaira Katamori
, who later became the lord of Aizu
. In 1859, Tetsunosuke was adopted to succeed the newly deceased Matsudaira Sadamichi as lord of the Kuwana Domain
. He was betrothed to Sadamichi's 3 year old daughter Hatsu, thus formalizing the adoption. Coming of age, he took the name Sadaaki.
Sadaaki was the Tokugawa shogunate
's last Kyoto shoshidai
in the period spanning May 16, 1864 through January 3, 1868. As shoshidai, he supported his brother's work in Kyoto as the Kyoto protector. In 1864, Sadaaki deployed Kuwana troops as part of the shogunate's effort to subdue the Tengu-tō's uprising.
During these years Sadaaki was famous as an avid horseman
, and received an imported Arabian horse
as a gift from the Shogunate.
Sadaaki fought in the Boshin War
(1868-1869), leading Kuwana forces during the fighting in northern Japan. He was together with Katamori until the start of the siege of Aizu, when Katamori asked him to leave and seek reinforcements from the other clans of the Northern Alliance
. Sadaaki followed his brother's advice and headed for the Yonezawa Domain
. After the fall of Yonezawa and the defeat of the Alliance
, Sadaaki embarked on Enomoto Takeaki
's warships at Matsushima Bay, and went on to the Ezo Republic. He was brought to Yokohama
at the war's end, where he formally surrendered. After a few years in confinement, he was pardoned and released in 1872. It was soon after his release that he finally married Matsudaira Hatsu, who had just turned 16.
Sadaaki joined the Imperial Japanese Army
during the Satsuma Rebellion
, leading a group of former Kuwana samurai and heading for Kyūshū
. Later in life, he served as one of the head priests of Tōshōgū Shrine, along with his brother Katamori, and his brother's former chief karō
, Saigō Tanomo
. He also lived in Tokyo for some time, and had an avid interest in music; Clara Whitney, an American resident of Tokyo, notes in her diary that he was a skilled organ
player.
Sadaaki and Hatsu had two children, Toshi and Masao, both of whom died in infancy. However, Sadaaki also had a concubine; it was this concubine who bore him a son (Sadaharu) who survived to adulthood. He also had a daughter by another woman; this daughter married Sakai Tadakazu.
Sadaaki died at age 61, and is buried in the Somei Cemetery in Tokyo
.
. In the 1987 TV miniseries Byakkotai, he was portrayed by Hashinosuke Nakamura. In NHK
's 1998 Taiga drama
Tokugawa Yoshinobu, Jō Watanabe portrayed him.. He also appears briefly in episode 7 of the anime Clockwork Fighters, Hiwou's war.
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 Bakumatsu period, who was the last ruler of the Kuwana Domain
Kuwana Domain
The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Ise Province .-List of Daimyo:*Honda clan #Tadakatsu#Tadamasa*Matsudaira clan...
. Sadaaki was the adopted heir of Matsudaira Sadamichi, the descendant of Sadatsuna, the third son of Hisamatsu Sadakutsu (1569-1623), who was Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
's brother. His family was known as the Hisamatsu Matsudaira clan. It was to this family that Matsudaira Sadanobu
Matsudaira Sadanobu
Japanese daimyo of the mid-Edo period, famous for his financial reforms which saved the Shirakawa Domain, and the similar reforms he undertook during his tenure as chief senior councilor of the Tokugawa Shogunate, from 1787 to 1793....
also belonged.
Biography
Matsudaira Tetsunosuke (the future Sadaaki) was born at IchigayaIchigaya
Ichigaya is an area in the eastern portion of Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.-Places in Ichigaya:*Hosei University Ichigaya Campus*Chuo University Graduate School...
in 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...
, the 8th son of Matsudaira Yoshitatsu, the lord of the Takasu
Takasu 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....
domain. One of his older brothers was Matsudaira 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...
, who later became the lord of 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:...
. In 1859, Tetsunosuke was adopted to succeed the newly deceased Matsudaira Sadamichi as lord of the Kuwana Domain
Kuwana Domain
The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Ise Province .-List of Daimyo:*Honda clan #Tadakatsu#Tadamasa*Matsudaira clan...
. He was betrothed to Sadamichi's 3 year old daughter Hatsu, thus formalizing the adoption. Coming of age, he took the name Sadaaki.
Sadaaki was the Tokugawa shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
's last 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...
in the period spanning May 16, 1864 through January 3, 1868. As shoshidai, he supported his brother's work in Kyoto as the Kyoto protector. In 1864, Sadaaki deployed Kuwana troops as part of the shogunate's effort to subdue the Tengu-tō's uprising.
During these years Sadaaki was famous as an avid horseman
Horseman
Horseman may refer to:* Horse rider; see Equestrianism* Wrangler , in the United States* Stockman , who works with horses rather than with cattle or sheep* Horseman, a 2003 Croatian film...
, and received an imported Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
as a gift from the Shogunate.
Sadaaki fought in 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....
(1868-1869), leading Kuwana forces during the fighting in northern Japan. He was together with Katamori until the start of the siege of Aizu, when Katamori asked him to leave and seek reinforcements from the other clans of the Northern Alliance
Ouetsu Reppan Domei
-External links:**...
. Sadaaki followed his brother's advice and headed for the Yonezawa Domain
Yonezawa Domain
Yonezawa Domain was a feudal domain of Tokugawa Japan, controlled by daimyō of the Uesugi clan. Covering the Okitama district of Dewa province, in what is today southeastern Yamagata Prefecture, the territory was ruled from Yonezawa castle in Yonezawa city...
. After the fall of Yonezawa and the defeat of the Alliance
Ouetsu Reppan Domei
-External links:**...
, Sadaaki embarked on Enomoto Takeaki
Enomoto Takeaki
Viscount was a samurai and admiral of the Tokugawa navy of Bakumatsu period Japan, who remained faithful to the Tokugawa shogunate who fought against the new Meiji government until the end of the Boshin War...
's warships at Matsushima Bay, and went on to the Ezo Republic. He was brought to Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
at the war's end, where he formally surrendered. After a few years in confinement, he was pardoned and released in 1872. It was soon after his release that he finally married Matsudaira Hatsu, who had just turned 16.
Sadaaki joined the Imperial Japanese Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
during the Satsuma Rebellion
Satsuma Rebellion
The was a revolt of Satsuma ex-samurai against the Meiji government from January 29 to September 24, 1877, 9 years into the Meiji Era. It was the last, and the most serious, of a series of armed uprisings against the new government.-Background:...
, leading a group of former Kuwana samurai and heading for Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. Later in life, he served as one of the head priests of Tōshōgū Shrine, along with his brother Katamori, and his brother's former chief karō
KARO
KARO is a radio station licensed to serve Nyssa, Oregon, USA. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.It broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format as part of the Air 1 network.-History:...
, Saigō Tanomo
Saigo 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...
. He also lived in Tokyo for some time, and had an avid interest in music; Clara Whitney, an American resident of Tokyo, notes in her diary that he was a skilled organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
player.
Sadaaki and Hatsu had two children, Toshi and Masao, both of whom died in infancy. However, Sadaaki also had a concubine; it was this concubine who bore him a son (Sadaharu) who survived to adulthood. He also had a daughter by another woman; this daughter married Sakai Tadakazu.
Sadaaki died at age 61, and is buried in the Somei Cemetery in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
.
In Fiction
Matsudaira Sadaaki has appeared as a character in many works of fiction, usually in works about his brother and AizuAizu
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:...
. In the 1987 TV miniseries Byakkotai, he was portrayed by Hashinosuke Nakamura. In NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
's 1998 Taiga drama
Taiga drama
is the name NHK gives to the annual, year-long historical fiction television series it broadcasts in Japan. Beginning in 1963 with the black-and-white Hana no Shōgai, starring kabuki actor Onoe Shōroku and Takarazuka star Awashima Chikage, the network has hired a producer, director, writer, music...
Tokugawa Yoshinobu, Jō Watanabe portrayed him.. He also appears briefly in episode 7 of the anime Clockwork Fighters, Hiwou's war.
Further reading
- --- (1998). Matsudaira Sadaaki no Subete. Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha.
- Totman, Conrad (1980). Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu, 1862-1868. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.