Otaki domainIt was once abolished

Otaki Domain was a domain that existed in Isumi District, Kazusa Province, with Otaki Castle as the domain office.
The first lord of the domain was Honda Tadakatsu, a senior vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
However, once the domain was abolished, it continued to exist as a domain with only 20,000 koku.
Let's unravel the history of the Otaki clan.

Rule of the Honda family

The Otaki clan was founded by Honda Tadakatsu, famous as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa. Honda Tadakatsu served Tokugawa Ieyasu from an early age, and after making his first appearance at the age of 13, he participated in most of the wars fought by Tokugawa Ieyasu. Many people may know him, as he has appeared in numerous TV dramas, movies, novels, etc. as a military commander whose bravery was recognized by Takeda Shingen and Oda Nobunaga, and was even said to be ``a man who surpasses Ieyasu.'' .

Honda Tadakatsu was given the province of Kazusa for 100,000 koku in 1590, and he built Otaki Castle by majorly renovating the original Odaki Castle. Honda Tadakatsu himself was given the new Kuwana domain in Ise Province due to his military exploits at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. Honda Tadakatsu moved to the Kuwana domain with his eldest son, and his second son, Honda Tadatomo, became the second lord of the domain.

Around this time, a man named Rodrigo de Vivero (Don Rodrigo), who was the provisional governor of the Philippines, was hit by a typhoon while sailing from Manila to Acapulco, and was washed ashore in the village of Iwada in the Otaki domain. happens. Rodrigo was rescued by the villagers, and Tadatomo Honda personally led his soldiers to meet him and ask his lord Ieyasu for leniency.
Rodrigo left Japan safely in 1610 on a ship built by William Adams (Anjin Miura), but the book containing his records during his stay in Japan is still known as the ``Japan Travelogue''. You can read it.

Tadatomo Honda was killed in battle during the Summer Siege in Osaka in 1615, and his nephew, Masatomo Honda, became the third lord of the domain because his eldest son was young. In 1617, just two years after becoming the lord of the domain, Masatomo Honda was given 50,000 koku of land to the Harima Tatsuno domain, ending the Honda family's rule.

From the first abolition of the domain to the rule of the Matsudaira family

After Masatomo Honda was transferred to Harima, Masatsugu Abe became the lord of the domain with 30,000 koku, but just two years later he was transferred to the Odawara domain in Sagami Province. As a result of this, the Otaki domain was temporarily abolished.

In 1623, Tadatoshi Aoyama was dismissed from the roju due to the suspicions of Iemitsu Tokugawa, and was transferred from the Iwatsuki domain in Musashi Province to the Otaki domain with a reduced estate of 20,000 koku. Tadatoshi Aoyama was a senior vassal of the shogunate who even served as roju (roju), but he was eventually dismissed from the roju (roju) position because of his frequent reprimands for the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu. However, he was soon transferred to Amido, Shimousa Province, and the Otaki domain was once again abolished.

Later, Abe Masanori (Masayoshi), the grandson of Abe Masatsugu, who had once been transferred to the Odawara domain in Sagami Province, was given 10,000 koku and reestablished the Otaki domain. At this time, Otaki Castle, which was the domain office, fell into disrepair, and it was so dilapidated that it was recorded as having "no single wall, no gates, no turrets, etc."

The shogunate frequently ordered the Abe family to renovate the castle, but there are no records of any major renovations being carried out. It's possible that they had their hands full because they were doing a small-scale collection. Furthermore, Abe Masayoshi rose through the ranks to serve as Rojyu of the Edo Shogunate. After that, the lord of the Otaki domain passed to a man named Masaharu Abe. Masaharu was the second son of Masatsugu Abe, a child of Masashige Abe, and a cousin of Masahiro Abe. Abe Masashige was a vassal who died as a martyr after the death of the third shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu. Many people may be familiar with it, as it is sometimes depicted in dramas.

Abe Masaharu served as the lord of the domain until 1702, when he was transferred to the Mikawa Kariya domain.
In addition, during this period, the entire territory of the Otaki domain was replaced except for the castle. This is because, in addition to the Odawara domain in Sagami province, the Abe family owned a number of enclaves, including the Otaki domain, which they divided and ruled among their children and grandchildren. This situation occurred because when a son or grandchild became the lord of a domain, the territory they had previously ruled became part of the Otaki domain, and another bloodline ruled the territory.
happened. This is a rare case nationwide.

Later, Shigetomi Inagaki, the lord of the Mikawa-Kariya domain, was transferred to the Otaki domain, but it is said that just 21 days after his arrival, he moved to the Shimono-karasuyama domain because the castle area was too small.
The reason was that he was too selfish, but he was a high-ranking man who served as the young man's advisor to the fifth shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa for about 10 years, so he was probably forgiven.

Rule of the Okochi Matsudaira family

After the Honda family was transferred to the Otaki domain, the feudal domain remained unstable, with several families ruling over it. However, the Okochi Matsudaira family ruled the domain with 20,000 koku until the end of the Edo period, starting with Masahisa Matsudaira, the ninth lord of the domain counting from Tadakatsu Honda. There are almost no records left of Masahisa Matsudaira, but after he was dismissed from the Wakayori position for being unsuitable, he was transferred to the Otaki domain.
The Okochi Matsudaira clan was founded by Matsudaira Masatsuna, the second son of Okochi Hidetsuna, a vassal of the Tokugawa clan.

During the era of the third shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa, the family was from a prestigious family that even served as rojū (roju), and even after becoming the lord of the Okita domain, he held the important post of Osaka Castle Kaban for generations.
To that extent, none of the feudal lords left any notable achievements.

The seventh lord of the Matsudaira family, Masayoshi Matsudaira, founded an academic school called Bo'an-do in the Sannomaru of Otaki Castle. This school later became the domain school, Meizendo.

However, during the era of Masakazu Matsudaira, the 8th feudal lord who succeeded him, hardships continued, including Okita Castle being burnt down and fields damaged by floods.
The last lord of the domain, Matsudaira (Okochi) Masatoshi, commanded the former shogunate army as the governor-general at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in 1868, but was defeated. However, after the defeat, they quickly surrendered Okita Castle and surrendered the domain to the new government forces, allowing the domain to continue.

In the Meiji period, Masatoshi Matsudaira changed his surname to ``Okochi'' and served as a politician in the House of Peers.
By the way, his eldest son is Masatoshi Okochi, who complemented Kakuei Tanaka when he was unknown.

Summary of Otaki Domain

The Otaki domain was founded by Honda Tadakatsu, a senior vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu, but the ruling family was not stable until the mid-Edo period, and many of the Okochi Matsudaira clan's lords held important positions in the shogunate, so it is thought that there were few opportunities to return to the domain. I will.
Although there are few anecdotes about the feudal lord's actions, some of you may be familiar with the last lord, Masatoshi Okochi, who has appeared in dramas set at the end of the Edo period.