Okubo clan
Encyclopedia
The were a samurai
kin group which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period
and the Edo period
s. Under the Tokugawa shogunate
, the Ōkubo, as hereditary vassels of the Tokugawa clan
, were classified as one of the fudai
daimyō clans.
. The Ōkubo claimed descent from the Utsunomiya clan, descendants of Fujiwara no Michikane
(955–995). Ōkubo Tadatoshi (1499-1581) and his younger brother Ōkubo Tadakazu (1511-1583) were the first to abandon the Utaunomiya name for "Ōkubo". Both brothers were amoung the seven closest retainers of Matsudaira Hirotada
, the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu
.
The head of this clan, Ōkubo Tadanori
line was ennobled as a viscount
("shishaku") in the kazoku
peerage system.
"Ōkubo-shi" on Harimaya.com (23 Feb. 2008)
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...
kin group which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
and the Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
s. Under 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...
, the Ōkubo, as hereditary vassels of the Tokugawa clan
Tokugawa clan
The was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...
, were classified as one of the fudai
Fudai
was a class of daimyo who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa in Edo period Japan. It was primarily the fudai who filled the ranks of the Tokugawa administration.-Origins:...
daimyō clans.
Ōkubo clan genealogy
The Ōkubo clan traces its origins to 16th century Mikawa provinceMikawa Province
is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces....
. The Ōkubo claimed descent from the Utsunomiya clan, descendants of Fujiwara no Michikane
Fujiwara no Michikane
Fujiwara no Michikane , the son of Kaneie, was a kugyo and bonze of the Heian period.When his nephew took the throne as Emperor Ichijō in 994, he returned from monastic life and took the government position of Udaijin...
(955–995). Ōkubo Tadatoshi (1499-1581) and his younger brother Ōkubo Tadakazu (1511-1583) were the first to abandon the Utaunomiya name for "Ōkubo". Both brothers were amoung the seven closest retainers of Matsudaira Hirotada
Matsudaira Hirotada
was the lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa province, Japan during the Sengoku Period of the 16th century. He is best known for being the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa Shogunate....
, the father of 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...
.
Main branch
- Ōkubo TadayoOkubo Tadayowas a samurai general in the service of Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, subsequently becoming a daimyō in early Edo period , Japan.Ōkubo Tadayo was the eldest son of Ōkubo Tadakazu, a hereditary retainer of the Tokugawa clan...
(1531–1593), the son of Ōkubo Tadakazu, participated as a general in all the military campaigns of Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1590, upon the transfer of Ieyasu to the Kanto regionKanto regionThe is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....
, he was rewarded with formal recognition as a daimyōDaimyois 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...
, and the clan was established in the han of OdawaraOdawara Domainwas a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in western Sagami Province. It was centered on Odawara Castle in what is now the city of Odawara.-History:...
(45,000 koku) in Sagami provinceSagami Provincewas an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay...
, where the Ōkubo were made castellans Odawara castleOdawara Castleis a landmark in the city of Odawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.-History:Odawara was a stronghold of the Doi clan during the Kamakura period, and a fortified residence was built by their collateral branch, the Kobayakawa clan stood on the approximate site of the present castle...
. The main branch of Ōkubo clan consists of his family and their descendants.- Ōkubo TadachikaOkubo Tadachikawas daimyō of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province in early Edo period, Japan.Ōkubo Tadachika was the son of Ōkubo Tadayo, a hereditary vassal to the Tokugawa clan in what is now part of the city of Okazaki, Aichi. He entered into service as a samurai frm age 11, and took his first head in battle at...
(1553–1628) succeeded his father at Odawara, and the revenues of the han had increased to 70,000 koku. In 1614 Tadachika was accused of participation in the plot of Tokugawa Tadateru against his brother, Shogun Tokugawa HidetadaTokugawa Hidetadawas the second shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate.-Early life :...
; and the Ōkubo were dispossessed. Tadahicka was confined at Hikone in Ōmi provinceOmi Provinceis an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province...
. - Ōkubo Tadamoto (1604–1670) was implicated initially in the disgrace of his grandfather; however, he was installed in 1632 at Kanō DomainKano DomainThe ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Mino Province .-History:The territory of the Kanō domain was once ruled from Gifu, by Oda Hidenobu, Oda Nobunaga's grandson. However, as Hidenobu sided with Ishida Mitsunari at the Battle of Sekigahara, his territory was confiscated by...
(50,000 koku) in Mino provinceMino Province, one of the old provinces of Japan, encompassed part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mino Province bordered Echizen, Hida, Ise, Mikawa, Ōmi, Owari, and Shinano Provinces....
, and then he was transferred in 1639 to Akashi DomainAkashi DomainThe was a feudal domain of Japan. It occupied Akashi District and surroundings in Harima Province. Fudai and Shimpan daimyo were assigned, and frequently reassigned, to Akashi. The domain had its administrative headquarters at Akashi Castle.Akashi was established in 1617 when Ikeda Mitsumasa was...
in Harima provinceHarima Provinceor Banshu was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tamba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji....
. He was transferred again in 1649 to Karatsu DomainKaratsu Domain' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Hizen Province, in Kyūshū. Its seat of government was in Karatsu Castle, in modern-day Karatsu, Saga.-History:...
(90,000 koku) in Hizen provinceHizen Provincewas an old province of Japan in the area of Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō...
, and he was moved again in 1678 to Sakura DomainSakura Domainwas a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Shimōsa Province , Japan. It was centered on Sakura Castle in what is now part of the city of Sakura...
in Shimōsa Province. This senior branch of the Ōkubo was restored to Odawara Domain (100,000 koku), where they resided until the Meiji restorationMeiji RestorationThe , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
. The final daimyō of Odawara Domain, Ōkubo TadayoshiŌkubo Tadayoshi (II)was the 10th and final daimyō of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province, in Bakumatsu period Japan. Before the Meiji Restoration, his courtesy title was Kaga no Kami.-Biography:...
died in the Satsuma RebellionSatsuma RebellionThe 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:...
.
- Ōkubo Tadachika
The head of this clan, Ōkubo Tadanori
Ōkubo Tadanori
was the 9th daimyō of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province, in late-Edo period Japan. Before the Meiji Restoration, his courtesy title was Kaga no Kami.-Biography:...
line was ennobled as a viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
("shishaku") in the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
peerage system.
Cadet lines
- A cadet branch was created in 1601 for Ōkubo TadasukeOkubo Tadasukewas a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period through early Edo period....
(1537–1613), the second son of Ōkubo Tadakazu, who had served as a general in the armies of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Ōkubo Tadasuke was given Numazu CastleNumazu Castlewas a Japanese castle located in the city of Numazu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was a hirayama-jō, a castle built on a plains rather than a hill or mountain...
and assigned Numazu DomainNumazu Domain' was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Suruga Province. Numazu was a Fudai domain. It was centered on what is now the city of Numazu, Shizuoka.-History:...
(20,000 koku) in Suruga provinceSuruga Provincewas an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay.-History:...
; however, he died without leaving any heirs, and the domain reverted to the shogunate.
- A cadet branch of the Ōkubo was created in 1684. The descendants of Ōkubo Tadatame (1554–1616), the sixth son of Ōkubo Tadakazu, has served as hatamotoHatamotoA was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
to the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1687, Ōkubo Tadataka had amassed a revenue base of 10,000 koku, which qualified him to join the ranks of the daimyō. His son, Ōkubo Tsuneharu (1675-1728) was assigned to Karasuyama Domain (30,000 koku) in Shimotsuke provinceShimotsuke Provinceis an old province of Japan in the area of Tochigi Prefecture in the Kanto region. It was sometimes called or .The ancient capital of the province was near the city of Tochigi, but in feudal times the main center of the province was near the modern capital, Utsunomiya.-History:Different parts of...
in 1725, where his descendants remained until the Meiji restoration. The head of this clan line, Ōkubo Tadayori, was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period.
- A cadet branch of the Ōkubo was created in 1706. This clan line was instituted for the descendants of Ōkubo Norihiro (1657–1737), who were installed at Ogino-Yamanaka Domain (13,000 koku) in Sagami provinceSagami Provincewas an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay...
from 1718 through 1868. The head of this clan line was ennobled as a "Viscount" in the Meiji period.
Indirect Ōkubo kazoku lines
- Ōkubo ToshimichiOkubo Toshimichi, was a Japanese statesman, a samurai of Satsuma, and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. He is regarded as one of the main founders of modern Japan.-Early life:...
, 1830-1878—1st Finance MinisterMinister of Finance (Japan)The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Ministry of Finance. This position was formerly cited as being Japan's most powerful and one of the world's, because Japan had historically held the largest foreign exchange reserves...
& 1st Home MinisterMinister of Internal Affairs and Communications (Japan)The is the member of the Cabinet of Japan in charge of the Internal Affairs and Communications. The post has been held by Tatsuo Kawabata since 2 September 2011.-Ministers of Internal Affairs and Communications:...
of MeijiEmperor MeijiThe or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
's government. GenrōGenrowas an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen, considered the "founding fathers" of modern Japan, who served as informal extraconstitutional advisors to the emperor, during the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa periods in Japanese history.The institution of genrō...
. was the son of a low-ranking samuraiSamuraiis 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...
in the service of the Satsuma clan in Kagoshima. He claimed descent from a branch of the Ōkubo clan who migrated to Satsuma ProvinceSatsuma Provincewas 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...
from KyotoKyotois a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
during the Sengoku periodSengoku periodThe or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
. For his services to the Meiji government, he was made a marquessMarquessA marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam...
(koshaku) under the kazoku peerage in 1884.
- In 1877, a former samurai from Suruga Province, Ōkubo Ichio (1817-1888) was ennobled as a "Viscount" under the kazoku system. Ōkubo Ichio had served as councilor to the last five Tokugawa Shoguns, and during the Boshin WarBoshin WarThe 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....
, had served as an emissary for Tokugawa YoshinobuTokugawa Yoshinobuwas 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...
to negotiate the surrender of EdoEdo, 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...
to imperial forces. Under the Meiji government, he served as appointed governor of Shizuoka (1870) and Kyoto (1875), and as a member of the GenrōinGenroin' was a national assembly in early Meiji Japan, established after the Osaka Conference of 1875. It is also referred to as the Senate of Japan, Genrōin being the word used to describe the Roman Senate, and other western legislatures named after it....
(1877). He was also known as Ōkubo Tadahiro.
External links
- National Diet LibraryNational Diet LibraryThe is the only national library in Japan. It was established in 1948 for the purpose of assisting members of the in researching matters of public policy. The library is similar in purpose and scope to the U.S...
: Ōkubo Toshimichi, text and image
"Ōkubo-shi" on Harimaya.com (23 Feb. 2008)