Matsumoto Domain (2/2)ruled by six houses

What's more, the Mizuno family's son, Tadanao, the third lord of the castle, and Tadachika, the fourth lord of the castle, worked hard to develop customs and culture, employing masters of various arts. As a result, Matsumoto developed culturally like Edo and Kyoto, but its finances were strained by frequent famines.
Finally, in 1686, a large-scale peasant uprising occurred. It was also called the Jokyo Riot, depending on the era, or the Kasuke Riot, after the name of the ringleader. The lord of the castle at that time was Tadanao, the third generation.

The ``Kasuke Riot'' is a little-known riot nationwide, but in the Matsumoto area, it is passed down as a gimin, and there is a Kasuke Shrine. There is also a legend that when Kasuke was executed, he stared at Matsumoto Castle, causing the castle tower to tilt.
Please note that Matsumoto Castle's tower tilted during the Meiji period and has nothing to do with Hodo.
When the fifth lord, Tadaki Mizuno, died of illness at the young age of 25, his younger brother Tadatsune Mizuno became the sixth lord of the castle.

However, he is said to have been brutal and hedonistically precise, and after having an audience with the eighth shogun Yoshimune in 1725, he passed Morinari Mori, the heir of the Chofu domain, in the Matsuno Grand Corridor of Edo Castle. At that time, he suddenly drew his sword and slashed him.
As a result, Tadatsune Mizuno's possessions were confiscated and his possessions changed as he was considered to be insane, and the rule of the Mizuno family came to an end.

Return to the rule of the Toda Matsudaira family

After the Mizuno family was annexed, the Matsumoto domain was temporarily under the direct control of the shogunate, but Koji Matsudaira, the lord of the Shima-Toba domain, became the lord of the Matsumoto domain castle in 1997. From then on, the Toda Matsudaira family ruled Matsumoto for 9 generations for 142 years until the end of the Edo period.

However, two years after Koji Matsudaira became the lord of the castle, the Honmaru Palace was destroyed by fire in 1727. It is said that the Toda Matsudaira family, which was already in financial trouble at this time, did not have the strength to rebuild the Honmaru Palace. From then on, the domain's administration was conducted at Ninomaru Palace.
During Mizuno Koji's time, the Matsumoto clan's debt had already swelled to 18,000 ryo. Successive castle lords tried to save money and rebuild their finances in order to manage their debts, but none of them worked.

At the end of the Edo period, the Tenguto Rebellion broke out in 1864. The Matsumoto clan cooperated with the Suwa clan in a battle at Wada Pass on Nakasendo, but was defeated. He also sent troops to the Choshu expedition, but it seems that he did not participate in the battle. These two wars put even more strain on the Matsumoto clan's finances.

During the Boshin War in 1868, the clan could not reach a consensus on whether to join the shogunate or the new Meiji government until the last minute, but at the last minute he chose to remain king and donated 30,000 ryo. I returned to Japan.
Mitsunori Matsudaira, the last lord of the domain, returned the land to the domain in 1869 and became governor the following year.

Matsumoto domain after the Meiji era

The Toda Matsudaira family, who continued to rule Matsumoto until the end of the Edo period, changed their surname to Toda after the Meiji Restoration. He was ranked as a member of the peerage, and his title was that of aristocrat.
Mitsunori Matsudaira's eldest son, Yasyasu Toda, was also involved in foreign affairs as a foreign secretary at the Austrian legation.
In addition, Yasuhide Toda, the grandson of Mitsunori Matsudaira, joined the Imperial Household Ministry and served as the Emperor's Chief of Staff, and later served as the Chief Chamberlain of the Crown Prince. He was a living witness to the Showa era, often accompanying Emperor Showa on his overseas trips, and standing by his side during the recording of Gyokuon Broadcasting.

In addition, Matsumoto Castle, which continued to function as the domain office of the Matsumoto clan, was not demolished even in the Meiji era, and has been repaired many times, and is designated as a national treasure as one of the 12 remaining castle towers.