Kishu Domain (2/2)Ruled by the Kii Tokugawa family, one of the three Tokugawa families.

The 9th lord, Harusada Tokugawa, was the second son of the 6th lord, Munenao Tokugawa, and inherited the lordship as an adopted son of Shigemichi. He was an extremely intelligent person, and was praised as the ``Kirin of Kishu, the Phoenix of Higo'' along with Shigekata Hosokawa, the 8th lord of the Kumamoto domain, and was called ``Kirinko'' (a play on the word ``Kirin'').

It is said that, following the example of Yoshimune Tokugawa, he lived frugally, hoping for cotton clothes and simple food, and not only restructured his finances, but also built up savings of 100,000 ryo before his death.

The 10th lord, Harutaka Tokugawa, is the son of the 8th lord, Shigetori Tokugawa. His father, Shigetori Tokugawa, retired when he was still young, so he succeeded his great-uncle, Harusada Tokugawa, as lord of the domain. He was known as a feudal lord who loved learning, and he established a medical school in Wakayama Castle, a Meikyokan in the Edo Akasaka Kishu domain residence, and an academic institute in Matsuzaka Castle, making education compulsory for the children of Kishu feudal retainers. The books collected at these clan schools at this time are still stored in the Kishu clan library.

He had great achievements in the cultural and artistic fields, such as appointing Yoshifuru Niida and Ohira Motoori to compile history books, and ordering the new compilation of the ``Kii Zoku Fudoki'', so much so that he was given the nickname ``Lord of Suki''. .
He also actively supported the Omotesenke and Raku families.

However, in 1823, a large-scale peasant uprising called the ``Kobuchi Riot'' broke out in the Kino River basin. I am retiring to take responsibility for this.

The 11th lord of the domain, Seijun Tokugawa, was the seventh son of Ienari Tokugawa, the 11th shogun of the Edo shogunate, and was adopted as the lord of the Kishu domain. He is the half-brother of the 12th shogun, Ieyoshi Tokugawa, the uncle of the 13th shogun, Ieyoshi Tokugawa, and the biological father of the 14th shogun, Ieyoshi Tokugawa.
However, he died before Iemochi was born, so the father and son never knew each other.

At the time he became the lord of the Kishu domain, the two former lords of the Kishu domain, Shigemichi and Haruho, were living in retirement, and their living expenses alone were a huge expense.
There are also records that serious conflicts arose among the vassals because the previous lord, Harutaka Tokugawa, did not relinquish real political power.
Furthermore, his reign lasted for 21 years.

The 12th lord of the domain, Nariaki Tokugawa, was the 21st son of Ienari Tokugawa. Haruto Tokugawa, the 10th lord of the domain, wanted Yoritaka Matsudaira, the lord of the Saijo domain, to become the 12th lord, but after many twists and turns, Tokugawa Nariaki became the lord of the domain.
He passed away at the young age of 30 after suffering many hardships, including the destruction of the castle tower of Wakayama Castle by lightning.

The 13th lord, Yoshifuku Tokugawa, was also the 14th shogun, Iemochi Tokugawa.
Although he was the lord of the domain for nine years and two months, he was only four years old when he took over as head of the family, so he had little involvement in the domain's politics.
He became a general at the age of 13. He married Princess Kazunomiya, and in 1866, during the second Choshu conquest, he fell ill at Osaka Castle and died.
Tokugawa Iemochi and Yoshinobu often appear in dramas, novels, movies, and manga set during the end of the Edo period, so
Many of you probably know about his life story.

Shigesuke Tokugawa, the 14th and last lord of the domain, was the younger brother of Shigenori Tokugawa, the 8th lord of the domain.
After Iemochi Tokugawa's death, there was a move to promote Shigesho to the position of shogun, but he refused and recommended Yoshinobu Tokugawa as shogun, and he himself became the head of the Kii Tokugawa family.

During the Choshu War, he was appointed as the vanguard governor of the second expeditionary force and dispatched troops, and in the domain administration, he had Tsuda Izuru, who was appointed as a government agent, reform the domain administration.

When the Boshin War broke out in 1868, Tokugawa Shigesuke was in bed due to illness, but many of the Shogunate soldiers who had been defeated in the battles of Toba and Fushimi had taken refuge within the domain. Since the Kishu domain was one of the three clans, the Meiji government was trying to subjugate them.

However, Shigesuke Tokugawa proved that he had no intention of rebelling against the new government by providing 1,500 domain soldiers to the new government's army and 150,000 ryo of military funds, so the subjugation was called off. Ta.
At the same time, the Kishu domain was also responsible for guarding Kyoto by imperial order.

In 1869, he became the governor of the Wakayama domain due to the restoration of land ownership, and two years later, in 1871, he was relieved of his position as domain governor due to the abolition of domains and establishment of prefectures, and moved to Tokyo. I moved it.

Furthermore, seeing that the samurai class was becoming impoverished due to new policies such as the conscription ordinance and Chitsuroku disposition, he established Tokugi-sha as a common capital for the samurai class of the former Kishu domain, believing that ``the samurai should become independent.'' Furthermore, he established Tokugi Junior High School and worked hard to help and educate the poor samurai class.
Afterwards, Shigesuke Tokugawa served as a member of the House of Peers as a Marquis until his death at the age of 63.

Kishu domain summary

The Kishu Tokugawa family is a prestigious family that produced two shoguns, the 8th shogun and the 14th shogun.
The family line continues to this day, and the current head of the family is the 19th generation.