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Among the sons of Tokugawa Hidetada, the second shogun of the Edo shogunate, the most famous is his second son, Tokugawa Iemitsu, the third shogun (his eldest son died young). Hidetada also had other sons, one of whom was Hoshina Masayuki. It is said that he was born as a result of his father Hidetada's infidelity
Although Masayuki Hoshina's existence was kept secret when he was born, he later grew into a figure who not only strongly assisted the fourth shogun Ietsuna in his political affairs, but also became a renowned ruler as the lord of the Aizu domain
The birth of Masayuki Hoshina
Hoshina Masayuki was born in 1611, the fourth son of Tokugawa Hidetada . His childhood name was Yukimatsumaru. His birth mother was not O-Go (who was Hidetada's wife and the mother of Iemitsu, and was a niece of Oda Nobunaga). Masayuki's mother's name was Shizu (also known as Shizu), and although there are various theories about her origins, it is certain that she was not a woman of high social standing.
Shizuka was a woman who served Lady Ōba, Hidetada's wet nurse. Shizuka caught Hidetada's eye and bore him a child, but she could not become his concubine and was entrusted to a woman named Kenshōin. Kenshōin was the second daughter of Takeda Shingen, a famous daimyo of the Sengoku period.
It is believed that Shizuka was unable to become Hidetada's concubine because Hidetada's principal wife, O-e, could not accept the existence of Shizuka and her child (it is also said that Hidetada and Shizuka's first child was aborted). Furthermore, the fact that only a few of Hidetada's close retainers knew of Masayuki's birth, and even his half-brother Iemitsu was unaware of it, supports the idea that Masayuki was someone who could not be made public. In short,Hidetada fathering a child with Shizukawas probably seen as "infidelity. Masayuki was then raised by Kenshoin.
Raised as Masamitsu Hoshina's child
In 1617, when Masayuki was seven years old, he was entrusted to Hoshina Masamitsu through his connection with Kenshōin Temple
Hoshina Masamitsu was a former retainer of the Takeda family and was appointed lord of the Takato Domain in Shinano Province (present-day Ina City, Nagano Prefecture). He was known for his honest character and continued to show concern for Kenshoin even after the fall of the Takeda family. For this reason, Kenshoin decided that she could entrust Masayuki to Masamitsu and confided in him the important matter of the existence of the shogun's illegitimate child. As a result, Masayuki became Masamitsu's adopted son and moved to Takato.
Thus, Masayuki lived in an environment where he could not make it public that he was the shogun's son, but it washis experience of living quietly in Takato that undoubtedly helped him grow into a person who governed with the people of his domain in mind.
Oeyo, Hidetada's principal wife, died in 1626. Perhaps feeling that he could now proudly call himself Hidetada's son, Masayuki met his older brother Iemitsu, who had already become the third shogun, for the first time in 1629 .
In 1631, his adoptive father Masamitsu died, and Masayuki became the lord of the Takato Domain with a 30,000 koku stipend at the age of 21. The following year, in 1632, his biological father Hidetada also died. After Hidetada's death, Iemitsu is said to have been especially fond of Masayuki, his half-brother, as a family member he could confide in.
However, Masayuki served Iemitsu not as a brother but as a retainer, and it is said that he gained even greater trust from Iemitsu and those around him . This was in stark contrast to Iemitsu's actual younger brother, Tadanaga, who sought preferential treatment as Iemitsu's brother, but was abandoned by Hidetada and Iemitsu, and ultimately driven to suicide.
To the lord of the Aizu domain
In 1636, Masayuki was granted the Yamagata Domain in Dewa Province (present-day Yamagata City) with a stipend of 200,000 koku. Then, in 1643, he was appointed lord of the Aizu Domain in Mutsu Province (present-day Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture) with a stipend of 230,000 koku . It is believed that the Tokugawa family expected him to play a role in keeping other domains, such as the Sendai Domain ruled by the Date family and the Yonezawa Domain ruled by the Uesugi family, in check. From then until the end of the Edo period, the Aizu Matsudaira family, descendants of Masayuki, served as lords of the Aizu Domain.
Tsuruga Castle (Wakamatsu Castle), the residence of the Aizu feudal lord
It is said that when Hoshina Masayuki relocated his territory, the people of his former domain, who admired him, followed him . This speaks to Masayuki's benevolent rule.
Takko's Last Will
In 1651, on his deathbed, Iemitsu summoned Masayuki and entrusted him with the care of his eldest son, Ietsuna, after his death. This last command from Iemitsu is known as the " Takko's Last Will and Testament ." Following Iemitsu's will, Masayuki strongly assisted Ietsuna , who became the fourth shogun. Since Ietsuna was only 11 years old when he became shogun, it can be said that Masayuki held the real political power.
Impressed by Iemitsu's dying wish, Masayuki later established the "Fifteen Articles of Aizu Family Precepts" in 1668, and the first article of these precepts states, " The Aizu domain is an entity that must protect the Shogunate , and if the lord of the domain were to betray him, his retainers must not follow him."
From then on, the lord and retainers of the Aizu domain faithfully adhered to this provision, and even at the end of the Edo period, they remained central figures in the pro-shogunate faction, resisting the new government forces, which were centered around Satsuma and Choshu, until the very end
Why is Hoshina Masayuki considered a wise ruler? It's because he implemented numerous good policies, both in the shogunate's administration and in the administration of the Aizu domain.
Major reform of the shogunate
The shogunate's rule up to the third shogun, Iemitsu, was a form of military rule, where the shogunate did not hesitate to impose harsh punishments on daimyo in order to solidify its power base. However, Masayuki promoted a shift to civilian rule, governed by legal systems. He relaxed the ban on last-ditch adoptions (which prohibited daimyo without heirs from hastily adopting an heir when they were dying) and prohibited martyrdom (where vassals would follow their lord in death). He also abolished the daimyo hostage system, which required daimyo families to live in Edo as hostages. These reforms are known as the three great virtues of the shogunate
Furthermore, the Tamagawa Aqueduct was constructed to cope with the rapid population growth in Edo . The upper reaches of this Tamagawa Aqueduct still support the lives of Tokyo residents today.
After the Great Fire of Meireki in 1657, relief efforts were made for the displaced commoners. Later, when rebuilding Edo, fire prevention measures were implemented, including widening roads, establishing Ueno Hirokoji (a large open street) for firebreaks, and widening the Kanda River. Regarding the Edo Castle keep, which had burned down in the fire, it was decided that it had "no practical use other than for viewing distant objects," and the funds that would have been spent on rebuilding it would have been used for other purposes, so it was not rebuilt.
Turning the Aizu Domain into a groundbreaking welfare state
In the Aizu domain, where he ruled, a system was established to purchase rice in years of abundant harvests and store it in a "community granary" to serve as a reserve to save the people during times of famine. Furthermore, a system was created to provide rice to all elderly people aged 90 and over, regardless of their social status. This is considered to be Japan's first pension system
In addition, he prohibited the evil practice of infanticide and established systems that would be equivalent to modern-day welfare, minimum wage, health insurance, and fire insurance. It is astonishing that such systems, which were created with the common people's best interests in mind, were established in the first half of the 17th century.
It should be noted that there are disagreements regarding the assessment of Hoshina Masayuki as a wise ruler, as he tended to favor only retainers and relatives who had followed him since his time in Takato. However , there should also be counterarguments questioning whether this was such a serious problem in terms of personnel management in that era, or whether it was a stain on his record that outweighed his political achievements.
The Yonezawa Domain was helped by Masayuki
In the Yonezawa Domain, located near the Aizu Domain, the third lord, Uesugi Tsunakatsu, died suddenly in 1645 without an heir. Normally, the Uesugi family would have become extinct and the family would have been dissolved. However , Masayuki, Tsunakatsu's father-in-law,to ensure the survival of the Uesugi familyand succeeded in having Tsunakatsu's two-year-old nephew recognized as Tsunakatsu's adopted son, who would then succeed the Uesugi family as Uesugi Tsunanori.
*This is completely off-topic, but Uesugi Tsunanori's real father was Kira Kozuke-no-suke (real name Yoshihisa). As told in "Chushingura," he is known for being killed by the Ako ronin, led by Oishi Kuranosuke (real name Yoshio/Yoshitaka).
At this time, the Uesugi family's territory was reduced from 300,000 koku to half, 150,000 koku, but this was a far better outcome than complete abolition. It is said that the Uesugi family and the samurai of the Yonezawa domain felt indebted to Masayuki and the Aizu domain until the end of the Edo period. This gratitude towards the Aizu domain would greatly influence the relationship between the Aizu and Yonezawa domains during the late Edo period.
Many people must have felt indebted to Hoshina Masayuki for his benevolent rule, but as explained earlier, Masayuki's birth was due to his father Hidetada's infidelity. Therefore, those who felt indebted to Masayuki may have thought, "Lord Hidetada was lucky to have an affair." I have heard such a common saying myself, but I could not find any confirmation that people at the time actually said that.
Masayuki, who made great contributions to both shogunate and domain administration, was advised by the shogunate to adopt the Matsudaira surname. However, out of gratitude to the Hoshina family who raised him, Masayukicontinued to use the Hoshina surname for the rest of his life. The Matsudaira surname was adopted during the time of Masayuki's sixth son, Masakata, who became the third lord of the Aizu domain.
Furthermore, in his later years, Masayukiburned documents related to his own achievements. It is said that he did this because he disliked the idea of the shogun's accomplishments being attributed to him in posterity (although they have indeed been preserved). He lived a life of selflessness until the very end.
In 1669, he retired after handing over the family headship to his eldest son, Masatsune, and died at his Edo residence on December 18, 1672, at the age of 63. His grave is located on Mineyama in what is now Inawashiro Town, Fukushima Prefecture. Born as the son of a shogun, Masayuki achieved numerous accomplishments, yet he remained humble as a vassal. Even more than 350 years after his death, his way of life continues to command the respect of many people, including those in the Aizu region and Ina City, Nagano Prefecture.
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