Tsugaru clan
Encyclopedia
The was a Japanese samurai clan
Japanese clans
This is a list of Japanese clans. The ancient clans mentioned in the Nihonshoki and Kojiki lost their political power before the Heian period. Instead of gozoku, new aristocracies, Kuge families emerged in the period...

 originating in northern Japan, specifically 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...

 (the northeast coast of 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...

). A branch of the local Nanbu clan
Nanbu clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . The Nanbu claimed descent from the Minamoto clan, and its members first enter the historical record as residents of Kai Province during the Kamakura period. The clan later moved to Mutsu...

, the Tsugaru rose to power during the Azuchi-Momoyama period
Azuchi-Momoyama period
The came at the end of the Warring States Period in Japan, when the political unification that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate took place. It spans the years from approximately 1573 to 1603, during which time Oda Nobunaga and his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, imposed order...

. It was on the winning side of 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...

, and entered 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....

 as a family of lords (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...

) ruling the 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...

. A second branch of the family was later established, which ruled the 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...

. The Tsugaru survived as a daimyo family until the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...

, when Tsugaru Tsuguakira
Tsugaru Tsuguakira
was the 12th and final daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Tosa-no-kami.-Biography:...

 of Hirosaki and Tsugaru Tsugumichi of Kuroishi were relieved of office
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...

. Their extended family then became part of the new nobility
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...

 in the Meiji era.

Origins through 1599

The Tsugaru clan initially claimed descent from the Kawachi Genji branch of the Minamoto clan
Minamoto clan
was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were demoted into the ranks of the nobility. The practice was most prevalent during the Heian Period , although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku Era. The Taira were another such offshoot of...

; in later years, this claim of origin would change to the Konoe family
Konoe family
The Konoe family is a branch of the Fujiwara clan, a powerful noble family in Japan. As one of the five regent houses, the Konoe family monopolized the offices of Sessho and Kampaku along with Takatsukasa, Kujō, Ichijō and Nijō families. They are collectively known as the Five regent houses.With...

, which was a branch of the Fujiwara clan. It was first known as the , a branch family
Cadet branch
Cadet branch is a term in genealogy to describe the lineage of the descendants of the younger sons of a monarch or patriarch. In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets – titles, realms, fiefs, property and income – have...

 of the Nanbu clan
Nanbu clan
The ' was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . The Nanbu claimed descent from the Minamoto clan, and its members first enter the historical record as residents of Kai Province during the Kamakura period. The clan later moved to Mutsu...

, which ruled sections of 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...

. Relations between the two families soured after the Ōura declared their independence from the Nanbu in 1571, during the headship of Ōura Tamenobu. He had been under the Nanbu clan's local magistrate Ishikawa Takanobu; however, he attacked and killed Ishikawa and began taking the Nanbu clan's castles. Tamenobu also attacked Kitabatake Akimura (another local power figure) and took his castle at Namioka. The Ōura clan's fight against the Nanbu clan, under Nanbu Nobunao
Nanbu Nobunao
' was a Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period. He succeeded his father as head of the Nanbu clan and was a prominent figure in the local warfare which took place in northern Japan, and was the father of Nanbu Toshinao, the first daimyo of the Morioka Domain....

, would continue in the ensuing years. In 1590, Tamenobu pledged fealty to Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...

; Hideyoshi confirmed Tamenobu in his holdings. As the Ōura fief had been in the Tsugaru region on the northern tip of 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...

, the family then changed its name to Tsugaru.

The Tsugaru in the Edo era

The Tsugaru clan 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 during 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...

 in 1600. Its immediate neighbors also all supported the Eastern Army. After the Tokugawa victory at Sekigahara, the Tsugaru clan was granted an increase in territory, along with permission to keep its existing domain of Hirosaki
Hirosaki Domain
The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in northern Mutsu Province . It was ruled by the Tsugaru clan...

 (named for the family's castle town). The domain started out small at 45,000 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...

, before being increased in size to 100,000 koku. Tamenobu remained politically active in the early years of the Edo era, mainly in the Kansai
Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Mie, Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo, and Shiga. Depending on who makes the distinction, Fukui, Tokushima and even Tottori Prefecture are also included...

 area; he died in Kyoto
Kyoto
is 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:...

 in 1608.

The early years of the Edo era were marked by a series of major 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...

disturbances that shook the Tsugaru family: the of 1607, of 1612, the of 1634, and the of 1647. In 1821, there was a foiled plot by Sōma Daisaku, a former retainer of the Nanbu clan, to assassinate the Tsugaru lord; this stemmed from the old enmity between the two clans.

A major branch of the Tsugaru clan was founded in 1656, which was first given hatamoto
Hatamoto
A 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...

rank, before being promoted to 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...

 status in 1809; this became the ruling family of the 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...

, which immediately bordered its parent family's domain. A lesser branch was founded by Tsugaru Nobuzumi, the son of the first Kuroishi-Tsugaru family head; this branch remained hatamoto through the end of the Edo period. The main Tsugaru family's funerary temple in Hirosaki was located at Chōshō-ji. Though neither Tsugaru daimyo family ever held shogunate office, the Tsugaru of Hirosaki (together with many of the other domains of northern 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...

) assisted the shogunate in policing the frontier region of Ezochi (now Hokkaido
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...

). In the late Edo period, during the headship of Tsugaru Tsuguakira
Tsugaru Tsuguakira
was the 12th and final daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Tosa-no-kami.-Biography:...

, the Hirosaki domain's forces were modernized along western lines.

The Tsugaru clan in the Boshin War


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....

 of 1868-69, the Tsugaru clan first sided with the imperial government, and attacked the forces of the nearby Shōnai Domain. However, it soon switched course, and was briefly a signatory to the pact that created the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei
Ouetsu Reppan Domei
-External links:**...

, before backing out, once again in favor of the imperial government. It did not take part in any of the major military action against the imperial army. The Kuroishi branch joined the Hirosaki-Tsugaru in siding with the imperial government. As a result, the entire clan was able to evade the punishment meted out by the government on the northern domains. After northern 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...

 was pacified, Tsugaru forces joined the imperial army in attacking the Republic of Ezo
Republic of Ezo
The ' was a short-lived state established by former Tokugawa retainers in what is now known as Hokkaidō, the large but sparsely populated northernmost island in modern Japan.-Background:...

 at Hakodate. In return for its assistance, the Meiji government granted the Tsugaru family of Hirosaki a 10,000 koku increase to its fief. Both branches of Tsugaru daimyo were made of their domains in 1869. Two years later, as with all other daimyo, both Tsugaru lines were relieved of their offices by the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...

.

Meiji and beyond

In the Meiji era, Tsugaru Tsuguakira
Tsugaru Tsuguakira
was the 12th and final daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Tosa-no-kami.-Biography:...

, who had been the last daimyo of the main Tsugaru family, was ennobled with the title of count (hakushaku). Tsugaru Tsugumichi, the last daimyo of the Kuroishi-Tsugaru, became a viscount (shishaku). Tsuguakira later worked as a supervisor in the , and Tsugumichi became a member of the House of Peers
House of Peers (Japan)
The ' was the upper house of the Imperial Diet as mandated under the Constitution of the Empire of Japan ....

 in 1890. As Tsuguakira was heirless, he adopted Konoe Hidemaro, the son of court noble Konoe Tadafusa
Konoe Tadafusa
, son of regent Tadahiro, was a kugyō or Japanese court noble of the late Edo period . He did not hold any regent position kampaku or sesshō. His consort was an adopted daughter of Shimazu Nariakira, eleventh head of Satsuma Domain. The couple adopted a son of Konoe Tadahiro as their son Atsumaro....

, as his heir; Hidemaro succeeded to headship upon Tsuguakira's death in 1916.

Princess Hitachi
Princess Hitachi
, née was born on 19 July 1940. She is the fourth daughter of Count Yoshitaka Tsugaru, a descendant of the Tsugaru daimyō of Tsugaru Domain , née was born on 19 July 1940. She is the fourth daughter of Count Yoshitaka Tsugaru, a descendant of the Tsugaru daimyō of Tsugaru Domain , née was born...

 is a present-day descendant of the main Tsugaru line.

Main line (Hirosaki)

  • Nanbu Moriyuki

(as Ōura clan)
  • Ōura Norinobu
  • Ōura Motonobu
  • Ōura Mitsunobu (1460-1526)
  • Ōura Morinobu (1483-1538)
  • Ōura Masanobu (1497-1541)
  • Ōura Tamenori (1520-1567)


(as Tsugaru clan)
  • Tsugaru Tamenobu
    Tsugaru 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...

     (1550-1608)
  • Tsugaru Nobuhira
    Tsugaru Nobuhira
    was the 2nd daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Etchū-no-kami.-Biography:Tsugaru Noruhira was born as the 3rd son of Tsugaru Tamenobu, head of the Tsugaru clan...

     (1586-1631)
  • 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:...

     (1619-1655)
  • Tsugaru Nobumasa
    Tsugaru Nobumasa
    was the 4th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Etchū-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1646-1710)
  • Tsugaru Nobuhisa
    Tsugaru Nobuhisa
    was the 5th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Tosa-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1669-1746)
  • Tsugaru Nobuaki
    Tsugaru Nobuaki
    was the 6th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Dewa-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1719-1744)


(Tsugaru continued)
  • Tsugaru Nobuyasu
    Tsugaru Nobuyasu
    was the 7th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Etchū-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1739-1784)
  • Tsugaru Nobuakira
    Tsugaru Nobuakira
    was the 8th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Tosa-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1762-1791)
  • Tsugaru Yasuchika
    Tsugaru Yasuchika
    was the 9th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title, initially Dewa-no-kami, was later raised to Saikyo Daiyu.-Biography:...

     (1765-1833)
  • Tsugaru Nobuyuki
    Tsugaru Nobuyuki
    was the 10th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Dewa-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1800-1862)
  • Tsugaru Yukitsugu
    Tsugaru Yukitsugu
    was the 2nd daimyō of Kuroishi Domain, and later the 11th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Ōsumi-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1800-1865)
  • Tsugaru Tsuguakira
    Tsugaru Tsuguakira
    was the 12th and final daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title was Tosa-no-kami.-Biography:...

     (1840-1916)
  • Tsugaru Hidemaro (1916-?)
  • Tsugaru Yoshitaka

Branch line (Kuroishi)

As hatamoto
Hatamoto
A 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...

  • Tsugaru Nobufusa (1620-1662)
  • Tsugaru Nobutoshi (1646-1683)
  • Tsugaru Masatake (1667-1743)
  • Tsugaru Hisayo (1699-1758)
  • Tsugaru Akitaka (1724-1778)
  • Tsugaru Yasuchika
    Tsugaru Yasuchika
    was the 9th daimyō of Hirosaki Domain in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū, Japan . His courtesy title, initially Dewa-no-kami, was later raised to Saikyo Daiyu.-Biography:...

     (1765-1833)
  • Tsugaru Tsunetoshi (1787-1805)


As tozama daimyo
  • Tsugaru Chikatari (1788-1849, promoted to 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...

    )
  • Tsugaru Yukinori (1800-1865)
  • Tsugaru Tsuguyasu (1821-1851)
  • Tsugaru Tsugumichi (1840-1903)

Hirosaki

  • Tsugaru Takehiro
  • Numata Sukemitsu (?-1612?)
  • Morioka Nobumoto (1546-1600)
  • Kanehira Tsunanori
  • Ogasawara Nobukiyo
  • Hattori Yasunari

  • Sugiyama Gengo (1589?-1641?; 2nd son 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...

    )
  • Daidōji Naohide (1552-1642)
  • Daidōji Naohide (2nd) (?-1636)
  • Shibue Chūsai
    Shibue Chusai
    was a Japanese physician of the late Edo period, who served the Tsugaru clan of Hirosaki. He was the subject of Mori Ōgai's novel Shibue Chūsai.-References:*Edwin McClellan . Woman in the Crested Kimono ....

     (1805-1858)

Further reading

  • Dazai, Osamu (1985). Return to Tsugaru: travels of a purple tramp. Tokyo: Kodansha International.
  • Kurotaki, Jūjirō (1984). Tsugaru-han no hanzai to keibatsu 津軽藩の犯罪と刑罰. Hirosaki: Hoppō shinsha.
  • Narita, Suegorō (1975). Tsugaru Tamenobu: shidan 津軽為信: 史談. Aomori: Tōō Nippōsha.
  • Tsugaru Tsuguakira Kō Den kankōkai (1976). Tsugaru Tsuguakira kō-den 津輕承昭公傳. Tokyo: Rekishi Toshosha

See also

  • Tsugaru Strait
    Tsugaru Strait
    is a channel between Honshu and Hokkaido in northern Japan connecting the Sea of Japan with the Pacific Ocean. It was named after the western part of Aomori Prefecture...

  • Tsugaru Tamenobu
    Tsugaru 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...

  • 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...

  • Nanbu clan
    Nanbu clan
    The ' was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . The Nanbu claimed descent from the Minamoto clan, and its members first enter the historical record as residents of Kai Province during the Kamakura period. The clan later moved to Mutsu...

  • Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei
    Ouetsu Reppan Domei
    -External links:**...

  • 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....

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