Takatori DomainRuled by veteran vassals who had served the Tokugawa family for generations

Takatori Domain is a domain that governed the area of Takatori Town, Takaichi County, Nara Prefecture. It was founded by Honda Toshimasa, who was known for his achievements in the Battle of Sekigahara, and in 1640, the hatamoto Uemura family was promoted to daimyo with a stipend of 25,000 koku and ruled the domain until the end of the Edo period.

The Uemura family is one of the oldest families that have served the Matsudaira (Tokugawa) family since the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu's grandfather. However, due to bad luck, they were not even able to become a daimyo until the time of Tokugawa Hidetada, and have a history of being treated poorly.
Let's take a look at the history of Takatori Domain, which was ruled by the Uemura family.

A veteran retainer who had a very bad luck

The Uemura family is a veteran vassal of the Matsudaira clan that has served since the time of Ieyasu's grandfather, Matsudaira Kiyoyasu. Matsudaira Kiyoyasu was known as a merciful ruler, and records show that he had strong ties with his vassals. His eldest son, Matsudaira Hirotada (Tokugawa Ieyasu's father), also built strong ties with his vassals like his grandfather, and legend has it that Tokugawa Ieyasu inherited that spirit.

However, the Uemura family was present at both the assassinations of Matsudaira Kiyoyasu and Matsudaira Hirotada, and as such was shunned as "unlucky vassals." The Uemura family was said to have been in the position of close attendant and should have been trusted by their lord, but due to bad luck they were treated poorly. Nevertheless, the Uemura family also served Tokugawa Ieyasu. However, here too, bad luck saw them being incorporated into the vassals of Tokugawa Ieyasu's eldest son, Matsudaira Nobuyasu. When Matsudaira Nobuyasu committed suicide after being suspected of colluding with the Takeda clan, the vassals were banished from Mikawa and the Uemura family was forced to wander from country to country.

Later, the Uemura family was able to return to Mikawa through the intercession of Yasumasa Sakakibara, but was only given 500 koku because they had been present at the death of their head of the family. It must have been humiliating for the family, as their long-time retainers were given tens of thousands of koku and became daimyo. Nevertheless, the Uemura family continued to serve the Tokugawa family without running away or betraying them.

The Uemura family's hard work finally paid off during the reign of Tokugawa Hidetada and Iemitsu. He distinguished himself in the Siege of Osaka, and during the reign of Tokugawa Iemitsu, he rose to the position of chief clerk, leading the 12 guard units that were responsible for guarding Edo Castle and the city of Edo. Then, in 1640 (the 17th year of the Kan'ei era), Uemura Iemasa, who was the chief clerk at the time, received an increase of 25,000 koku, was promoted from hatamoto to daimyo, and was given the Takatori Domain. It was the fifth generation since Matsudaira Kiyoyasu that his achievements were finally recognized.
From then on, the Uemura family ruled Takatori Domain for 14 generations until the Meiji Restoration.

Takatori Domain was also highly trusted by the shogunate.

After the Uemura family came to rule the Takatori Domain, they were frequently entrusted with the management of the Shogunate's direct territories in Yamato. This was the result of scandals (disturbances) within the feudal lord's family, but it shows that the Uemura family was trusted by the Shogunate.
However, the 8th lord, Uemura Ietoshi, committed suicide by drowning with a prostitute, and his brother, Uemura Ienaga, quickly became the 9th lord. Uemura Ienaga also played an active role in the center of the shogunate, serving as a wakadoshiyori (young councilor) for many years and becoming a senior councilor at the age of 72.

At the end of the Edo period, during the reign of the 13th feudal lord, Uemura Ieyasu, the clan supported the shogunate by joining the army to suppress the Tenchu-gumi Incident, but during the Boshin War they sided with the new government forces and served as guards in Kyoto.
The last feudal lord, Uemura Ietsubo, was appointed Viscount after the Meiji Restoration, and his eldest son, Uemura Ieharu, served as a member of the House of Peers until its abolition.

Summary of Takatori Domain

The Uemura family, who ruled the Takatori Domain from the beginning of the Edo period, were long-time retainers of the Tokugawa clan, but due to bad luck, they were treated poorly for many years. However, their achievements were finally properly recognized during the time of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, and they continued to support the Edo Shogunate as lords of the Takatori Domain and senior vassals of the shogunate until the end of the Edo period.

The Takatori family still exists today, and Shonan no Kaze's member, "SHOCK EYE" is one of them. SHOCK EYE's real name is Uemura Iehiro, and his name is also on the Uemura family tree. He is said to be a very lucky man, and is also known as the "walking power spot."