Tsugaru Nobuhira
Encyclopedia
was the 2nd daimyō
of Hirosaki Domain
in northern Mutsu Province
, Honshū
, Japan
(modern-day Aomori Prefecture
). His courtesy title was Etchū-no-kami.
, head of the Tsugaru clan
. In 1596, along with his two elder brothers Nobutake and Nobukata, he is known to have converted to Christianity
.
In 1600, at the Battle of Sekigahara
he and his father sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu
’s Eastern Army, while his brother Nobutake fought on the side of Ishida Mitsunari
’s Western Army. This was the same stratagem as employed by the Sanada clan
to ensure the clan’s survival no matter which side won. As a reward for his services, Nobuhira was given a 2000 koku
fief in Kōzuke Province
. On his father’s death in 1607, he became head of the Tsugaru clan, over the objections of a faction which supported his nephew Tsugaru Kumachiyo (1600–1623), the young son of Nobutake. This was the first of many O-Ie Sōdō
internal conflicts within the Tsugaru clan during the Edo period
. From 1609-1611, Nobuhira rushed to complete Hirosaki Castle
, demolishing other castles in his domains for buildings and materials to speed up construction. The completed castle, with its huge donjon was on a scale far larger than typical for a 47,000 koku daimyo
. To secure his position vis-à-vis the Tokugawa shogunate
, he married Tokugawa Ieyasu’s niece (the widow of Fukushima Masayuki), Mate-hime (1589–1638). Nobuhira already happened to be married to Tatsu-hime, the daughter of Ishida Mitsunari, and she was demoted in status to that of concubine, and exiled to the clan's small subsidiary holding in Kozuke Province.
In 1614, Nobuhira dispatched his forces in support of the Tokugawa at the Osaka Winter Campaign
, but was ordered initially remain on garrison duty in Edo
before being told to return to his home domain to guard against unrest from other northern domains who might come out in support of the Toyotomi
. In June 1619, Ieyasu demoted Fukushima Masanori
from Hiroshima Domain
to Hirosaki Domain, with the Tsugaru clan ordered to be transferred to Echigo Province
. The Tsugaru clan strongly protested this move, and through the assistance of the influential priest Nankōbō Tenkai
were able to get the Fukushima clan transferred to Nakajima Domain in Shinano Province
instead.
In August 1628, Nobuhira renamed his castle from "Takaoka" to "Hirosaki". He also developed Aomori port
on Mutsu Bay
as a main port for shipping to Edo, and for transit to the northern island of Ezo
. He also took steps to increase the rice
production in his province by developing new paddy field
s, irrigation, and by bringing in craftsmen and artisans from other parts of Japan. Nobuhira died on January 14, 1631 at the clan residence in Edo. His grave is at the temple of Juyo-in in Taitō-ku
, Tokyo
.
Nobuhira was succeeded by his eldest son, Tsugaru Nobuyoshi
, by his first wife Tatsuhime. Nobuhira had nine sons and four daughters. His second son, Tsugaru Nobufusa, by his second wife Mate-hime was given a 5000 koku holding in Kuroishi
, and was the ancestor of the future daimyō of Kuroishi Domain
.
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 Hirosaki Domain
Hirosaki Domain
The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in northern Mutsu Province . It was ruled by the Tsugaru clan...
in northern Mutsu Province
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
, Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
(modern-day Aomori Prefecture
Aomori Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
). His courtesy title was Etchū-no-kami.
Biography
Tsugaru Noruhira was born as the 3rd son of Tsugaru TamenobuTsugaru Tamenobu
was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku through early Edo period. He was known as Ōura Tamenobu earlier on in his life. Tamenobu had at one time battled against Nanbu Nobunao. Following this, Tamenobu submitted to Toyotomi Hideyoshi and fought against the Hōjō during the siege of Odawara. It was...
, head of the Tsugaru clan
Tsugaru clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . A branch of the local Nanbu clan, the Tsugaru rose to power during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. It was on the winning side of the Battle of Sekigahara, and entered the Edo period as a family of lords ...
. In 1596, along with his two elder brothers Nobutake and Nobukata, he is known to have converted to Christianity
Kirishitan
, from Portuguese cristão, referred to Roman Catholic Christians in Japanese and is used as a historiographic term for Roman Catholics in Japan in the 16th and 17th centuries. Christian missionaries were known as bateren or iruman...
.
In 1600, at the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
he and his father sided with 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 Eastern Army, while his brother Nobutake fought on the side of Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century. Also known by his court title, Jibunoshō...
’s Western Army. This was the same stratagem as employed by the Sanada clan
Sanada clan
The was a Japanese clan which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period. During the Edo era, the Sanada ruled the Matsushiro Domain, where they remained until the Meiji Restoration.-Sengoku period:...
to ensure the clan’s survival no matter which side won. As a reward for his services, Nobuhira was given a 2000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
fief in Kōzuke Province
Kozuke Province
was an old province located in the Tōsandō of Japan, which today comprises Gunma Prefecture. It is nicknamed as or .The ancient provincial capital was near modern Maebashi. During the Sengoku period, Kōzuke was controlled variously by Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, the late Hōjō clan, and...
. On his father’s death in 1607, he became head of the Tsugaru clan, over the objections of a faction which supported his nephew Tsugaru Kumachiyo (1600–1623), the young son of Nobutake. This was the first of many O-Ie Sōdō
O-Ie Sodo
O-Ie Sōdō were noble family disputes within the samurai and aristocratic classes of Japan, particularly during the early Edo period...
internal conflicts within the Tsugaru clan during 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....
. From 1609-1611, Nobuhira rushed to complete Hirosaki Castle
Hirosaki Castle
is a hirayama-style Japanese castle constructed in 1611. It was the seat of the Tsugaru clan, a 47,000 koku tozama daimyō clan who ruled over Hirosaki Domain, Mutsu Province, in what is now central Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It was also referred to as .-Background:Hirosaki Castle measures...
, demolishing other castles in his domains for buildings and materials to speed up construction. The completed castle, with its huge donjon was on a scale far larger than typical for a 47,000 koku 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...
. To secure his position vis-à-vis 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...
, he married Tokugawa Ieyasu’s niece (the widow of Fukushima Masayuki), Mate-hime (1589–1638). Nobuhira already happened to be married to Tatsu-hime, the daughter of Ishida Mitsunari, and she was demoted in status to that of concubine, and exiled to the clan's small subsidiary holding in Kozuke Province.
In 1614, Nobuhira dispatched his forces in support of the Tokugawa at the Osaka Winter Campaign
Siege of Osaka
The was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages , and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment...
, but was ordered initially remain on garrison duty 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...
before being told to return to his home domain to guard against unrest from other northern domains who might come out in support of the Toyotomi
Toyotomi clan
Originating in Owari Province, the served as retainers to the Oda clan throughout 16th-century Japan's Sengoku period. -Unity and Conflict:The most influential figure within the Toyotomi was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three "unifiers of Japan." Oda Nobunaga was another primary unifier and the...
. In June 1619, Ieyasu demoted Fukushima Masanori
Fukushima Masanori
was a Japanese daimyo of the late Sengoku Period to early Edo Period who served as lord of the Hiroshima Domain. A retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he fought in the battle of Shizugatake in 1583, and soon became known as one of Seven Spears of Shizugatake which also included Katō Kiyomasa and...
from Hiroshima Domain
Hiroshima Domain
Hiroshima Domain was a han, or feudal domain, of Edo period Japan. Based at Hiroshima castle in the city of Hiroshima, the domain encompassed Aki province and parts of neighboring Bingo province....
to Hirosaki Domain, with the Tsugaru clan ordered to be transferred to Echigo Province
Echigo Province
was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Etchū Provinces. Today the area is part of Niigata Prefecture, which also includes the island which was the old Sado Province. This province was the northernmost part of the...
. The Tsugaru clan strongly protested this move, and through the assistance of the influential priest Nankōbō Tenkai
Tenkai
was a Japanese Tendai Buddhist monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. He achieved the rank of Daisōjō, the highest rank of the priesthood....
were able to get the Fukushima clan transferred to Nakajima Domain in Shinano Province
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces...
instead.
In August 1628, Nobuhira renamed his castle from "Takaoka" to "Hirosaki". He also developed Aomori port
Aomori, Aomori
is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 302,068 and a density of 366 persons per km². Its total area was 824.52 km².- History :...
on Mutsu Bay
Mutsu Bay
is a bay inside Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It includes three bays; Aomori Bay, Noheji Bay and Ōminato Bay. Mutsu Bay covers about 1660 km². The culture of scallops is prosperous in the bay....
as a main port for shipping to Edo, and for transit to the northern island of Ezo
Ezo
is a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk, like Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands...
. He also took steps to increase the rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
production in his province by developing new paddy field
Paddy field
A paddy field is a flooded parcel of arable land used for growing rice and other semiaquatic crops. Paddy fields are a typical feature of rice farming in east, south and southeast Asia. Paddies can be built into steep hillsides as terraces and adjacent to depressed or steeply sloped features such...
s, irrigation, and by bringing in craftsmen and artisans from other parts of Japan. Nobuhira died on January 14, 1631 at the clan residence in Edo. His grave is at the temple of Juyo-in in Taitō-ku
Taito, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 168,909, with 94,908 households, and a population density of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².-History:The ward was founded...
, 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...
.
Nobuhira was succeeded by his eldest son, Tsugaru Nobuyoshi
Tsugaru Nobuyoshi
was the 3rd daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Tosa-no-kami.-Biography:...
, by his first wife Tatsuhime. Nobuhira had nine sons and four daughters. His second son, Tsugaru Nobufusa, by his second wife Mate-hime was given a 5000 koku holding in Kuroishi
Kuroishi, Aomori
is a city located in northeastern Aomori in Tōhoku region of Japan. As of 2009, the city had an estimated population of 36,675 and a density of 169 persons per km². Its total area was 216.96 km².-Geography:Kuroishi is located in west-central Aomori Prefecture...
, and was the ancestor of the future daimyō of Kuroishi Domain
Kuroishi Domain
' was a tozama feudal domain of Edo period Japan, located in northwestern Mutsu Province, Honshū.Its territory included 2000 koku in the area around present-day city of Kuroishi, 1000 koku in present day Hiranani, and 2000 koku in what is now part of Ōta, Gunma...
.