Tokugawa Mitsukuni
Encyclopedia
or was a prominent daimyo
who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period
. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa
(who in turn was the ninth son of Tokugawa Ieyasu
) and succeeded him, becoming the second daimyo of the Mito domain
.
3) at the age
of 27, he married a daughter of the kampaku
Konoe Nobuhiro
.
He was responsible for assembling the Mitogaku
scholars to compile a huge Japanese history, Dai Nihon shi. In it, Japan was depicted as a nation under the Emperor
, analogous to that in Chinese dynasties. This helped the rise of nationalism in the late shogunate and in the Mito domain
later.
In 1661, at age 34, he became the daimyo
of the Mito han
. He anticipated the forcible division of kami
and Buddhas (shinbutsu bunri
) of 1868 ordering there the destruction of a thousand Buddhist temples and the construction of at least one shrine per village (.
At age 63, he was awarded the court office of gon-chūnagon
, or provisional middle counsellor. In 1691, he retired to his villa, Seizan-sō. He died there a decade later. He is now considered to be a kami.
He was also known as a gourmet of the Edo period
. He is claimed to be one of the first Japanese to eat ramen
as well as routinely enjoying such exotic food as wine
and yogurt.
He directed at Zuisen-ji
the creation of the very first guide to Kamakura
, the Shinpen Kamakurashi
. The book would have a profound influence on the city in the following centuries, an influence which continues to this day in names for parts of the city like Kamakura's Seven Mouths, Kamakura's Ten Bridges, and other such popular monikers he coined.
He posthumously received the court rank of junior first rank (1869) and first rank (1900). Mitsukuni had one son, who took the Matsudaira surname. Additionally, Mitsukuni adopted the son of an elder brother; this adopted son, Tokugawa Tsunaeda, became his heir.
During the latter half of the Edo period and the Meiji period
, a kōdan
(narrative tale) named "Mito Mitsukuni Man'yūki" fictionalized the travels of Tokugawa Mitsukuni. This tradition of dramatizing his life continued with a novel and, in 1951, the first television
series to portray him as a wanderer, masquerading as a commoner, who castigated the evil powers in every corner of the nation. In 1969, the TBS
series Mito Kōmon
began, and today continues to attract audiences. Episodes were re-broadcast in the early 1990s by WNYE-TV
(New York City) under the title "The Elder Lord of Mito."
Each summer, the city of Mito
hosts the Mito Komon festival, which prominently feature the Tokugawa seal as well as actors representing Tokugawa Mitsukuni and his assistants.
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...
who was known for his influence in the politics of the early 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....
. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa
Tokugawa Yorifusa
, also known as Mito Yorifusa, was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period.- Biography :Known in his childhood as Tsuruchiyomaru, he was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first Tokugawa shogun...
(who in turn was the ninth son 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...
) and succeeded him, becoming the second daimyo of the Mito domain
Mito Domain
was a prominent feudal domain in Japan during the Edo period. Its capital was the city of Mito, and it covered much of present-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Beginning with the appointment of Tokugawa Yorifusa by his father, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, in 1608, the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan...
.
Biography
In 1657 (MeirekiMeireki
was a after Jōō and before Manji. This period spanned the years from April 1655 to July 1658. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:* 1655 : The era name was changed to mark the enthronement of Emperor Go-Sai...
3) at the age
East Asian age reckoning
East Asian age reckoning is a concept and practice that originated in China and is widely used by other cultures in East Asia, which share this traditional way of counting a person's age. Newborns start at one year old, and each passing of a Lunar New Year, rather than the birthday, adds one year...
of 27, he married a daughter of the kampaku
Sessho and Kampaku
In Japan, was a title given to a regent who was named to assist either a child emperor before his coming of age, or an empress. The was theoretically a sort of chief advisor for the emperor, but was the title of both first secretary and regent who assists an adult emperor. During the Heian era,...
Konoe Nobuhiro
Konoe Nobuhiro
, Ōzan as a monk, was a kugyō or Japanese court noble of the Edo period . He was born as the fourth son of Emperor Go-Yōzei. His mother was Empress Dowager Chūka, Konoe Sakiko in birth...
.
He was responsible for assembling the Mitogaku
Mitogaku
Mitogaku refers to a school of Japanese historical and Shinto studies that arose in the Mito domain, in modern-day Ibaraki prefecture.The school had its genesis in 1657 when Tokugawa Mitsukuni , second head of the Mito domain, commissioned the compilation of the Dai Nihon-shi...
scholars to compile a huge Japanese history, Dai Nihon shi. In it, Japan was depicted as a nation under the Emperor
Emperor of Japan
The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...
, analogous to that in Chinese dynasties. This helped the rise of nationalism in the late shogunate and in the Mito domain
Mito Domain
was a prominent feudal domain in Japan during the Edo period. Its capital was the city of Mito, and it covered much of present-day Ibaraki Prefecture. Beginning with the appointment of Tokugawa Yorifusa by his father, Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, in 1608, the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan...
later.
In 1661, at age 34, he became the 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 Mito han
Han (Japan)
The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...
. He anticipated the forcible division of kami
Kami
is the Japanese word for the spirits, natural forces, or essence in the Shinto faith. Although the word is sometimes translated as "god" or "deity", some Shinto scholars argue that such a translation can cause a misunderstanding of the term...
and Buddhas (shinbutsu bunri
Shinbutsu Bunri
The term in Japanese indicates the forbidding by law of the amalgamation of kami and buddhas made during the Meiji Restoration. It also indicates the effort made by the Japanese government to create a clear division between native kami beliefs and Buddhism on one side, and Buddhist temples and...
) of 1868 ordering there the destruction of a thousand Buddhist temples and the construction of at least one shrine per village (.
At age 63, he was awarded the court office of gon-chūnagon
Chunagon
was a counselor of the second rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century.The role was eliminated from the Imperial hierarchy in 701, but it was re-established in 705...
, or provisional middle counsellor. In 1691, he retired to his villa, Seizan-sō. He died there a decade later. He is now considered to be a kami.
He was also known as a gourmet of 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....
. He is claimed to be one of the first Japanese to eat ramen
Ramen
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...
as well as routinely enjoying such exotic food as wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and yogurt.
He directed at Zuisen-ji
Zuisen-ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Rinzai sect in Nikaidō's near Kamakura, Japan. During the Muromachi period it was the family temple of the Ashikaga rulers of Kamakura : four of the five kubō are buried there in a private cemetery closed to the public and first kubō Ashikaga Motouji's is also known...
the creation of the very first guide to Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
, the Shinpen Kamakurashi
Shinpen Kamakurashi
The is an Edo period compendium of topographic, geographic and demographic data concerning the city of Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, and its vicinities. Consisting of eight volumes and commissioned in 1685 by Tokugawa Mitsukuni to three vassals, it contains for example information about...
. The book would have a profound influence on the city in the following centuries, an influence which continues to this day in names for parts of the city like Kamakura's Seven Mouths, Kamakura's Ten Bridges, and other such popular monikers he coined.
He posthumously received the court rank of junior first rank (1869) and first rank (1900). Mitsukuni had one son, who took the Matsudaira surname. Additionally, Mitsukuni adopted the son of an elder brother; this adopted son, Tokugawa Tsunaeda, became his heir.
Mito Kōmon
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 :...
, a kōdan
Kodan
, is a style of traditional oral Japanese storytelling. The form evolved out of lectures on historical or literary topics given to high-ranking nobles of the Heian period, changing over the centuries to be adopted by the general samurai class and eventually by commoners, and eventually, by the end...
(narrative tale) named "Mito Mitsukuni Man'yūki" fictionalized the travels of Tokugawa Mitsukuni. This tradition of dramatizing his life continued with a novel and, in 1951, the first television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
series to portray him as a wanderer, masquerading as a commoner, who castigated the evil powers in every corner of the nation. In 1969, the TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
series Mito Kōmon
Mito Kōmon
is a Japanese jidaigeki or period drama that has been on prime-time television since 1969. The title character is the historic Tokugawa Mitsukuni, former vice-shogun and retired second daimyo of the Mito domain...
began, and today continues to attract audiences. Episodes were re-broadcast in the early 1990s by WNYE-TV
WNYE-TV
WNYE-TV, channel 25 is an non-commercial educational, independent television station located in New York City, USA. WNYE-TV is part of the NYC Media Group and has its studios located in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and transmitter at the Conde Nast Building....
(New York City) under the title "The Elder Lord of Mito."
Each summer, the city of Mito
Mito, Ibaraki
is the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan and has a central location, moderately offset towards the coast in that prefecture. As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 263,748 and a total area is 217.45 km², giving a population density of 1,212.91 persons per km²...
hosts the Mito Komon festival, which prominently feature the Tokugawa seal as well as actors representing Tokugawa Mitsukuni and his assistants.