Edo period
The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
samurai
were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...
, and the 2nd ''
daimyō
were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...
'' of
Kaga Domain
The , also known as the , was a domain of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1583 to 1871.
in the
Hokuriku region
The was located in the northwestern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It lay along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region, which it is currently a part of. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern ...
of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the
Maeda clan
was a Japanese samurai clan who occupied most of the Hokuriku region of central Honshū from the end of the Sengoku period through the Meiji restoration of 1868. The Maeda claimed descent from the Sugawara clan of Sugawara no Kiyotomo and Suga ...
. Toshitsune was a brother of
Maeda Toshinaga
was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai and the second early-Edo period ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie. His childhood name was ...
and a son of
Maeda Toshiie
was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左 ...
. He was the wealthiest ''daimyō'' within the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
Noto
Noto ( scn, Notu; la, Netum) is a city and in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily, Italy. It is southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains. It lends its name to the surrounding area Val di Noto. In 2002 Noto and i ...
provinces. His childhood name was Saruchiyo (猿千代) later "Inuchiyo" (犬千代).
Toshitsune was the fourth son of Maeda Toshiie, and was born to a concubine when Toshiie was aged 54 and was on campaign with
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...
at
Nagoya Castle
is a Japanese castle located in Nagoya, Japan.
Nagoya Castle was constructed by the Owari Domain in 1612 during the Edo period on the site of an earlier castle of the Oda clan in the Sengoku period. Nagoya Castle was the heart of one of the ...
Maeda Nagatane
was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. He served the Maeda clan of Kaga as one of its senior retainers. He married Ko, daughter of Maeda Toshiie
was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga follo ...
and was initially called Toshimitsu (利光). In 1600 he married Tama-hime, a daughter of
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
in a political marriage intended to secure the position of the Maeda clan with the growing power of the Tokugawa. In 1605, his elder brother
Maeda Toshinaga
was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai and the second early-Edo period ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie. His childhood name was ...
officially retired, and appointed Toshitsune as his heir and ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain; however, Toshinaga continued to control the domain until his death. In 1614 and 1615, Toshitsune led the Maeda army at the
Siege of Osaka
The was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages (winter campaign and summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege ...
, forming one of the largest components of the Tokugawa forces. After the final defeat of the
Toyotomi clan
The was a Japanese clan that ruled over the Japanese before the Edo period.
Unity and conflict
The most influential figure within the Toyotomi was Toyotomi Hideyoshi, one of the three "unifiers of Japan". Oda Nobunaga was another primary un ...
,
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...
offered the
Maeda clan
was a Japanese samurai clan who occupied most of the Hokuriku region of central Honshū from the end of the Sengoku period through the Meiji restoration of 1868. The Maeda claimed descent from the Sugawara clan of Sugawara no Kiyotomo and Suga ...
the four provinces of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
island in exchange for their existing three provinces in the Hokuriku region, but Toshitsune declined.
In 1616, Toshitsune met with a diplomatic mission from
Ayutthaya Ayutthaya, Ayudhya, or Ayuthia may refer to:
* Ayutthaya Kingdom, a Thai kingdom that existed from 1350 to 1767
** Ayutthaya Historical Park, the ruins of the old capital city of the Ayutthaya Kingdom
* Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province (locally ...
in Kanazawa, which due to the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu was not allowed to continue on to
Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
.Cesare Polenghi, Samurai of Ayutthaya: Yamada Nagamasa, Japanese warrior and merchant in early seventeenth-century Siam. Bangkok: White Lotus Press (2009), page 41
He changed his name to Toshitsune in 1629. As Toshitsune, ''daimyō'' Toshitsune worked to allay fears by the Tokugawa shogunate of Kaga Domain's size and economic strength. He kept his son and heir
Maeda Mitsutaka
was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 3rd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan. He was the 4th hereditary chieftain of the Kanazawa Maeda clan. His courtesy titles were ''Chikuzen-no-kami'' and ''Sakonoe-shosho ...
in Edo as a potential hostage, and arranged a political marriage of his son to a daughter of
Tokugawa Yorinobu
was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the early Edo period.
Born under the name Nagatomimaru (長福丸), he was the 10th son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, by his concubine Kageyama-dono. On December 8, 1603, Yorinobu received the fief of Mito, then rated at 20 ...
of
Mito Domain
was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Hitachi Province in modern-day Ibaraki Prefecture.Komatsu and ordered that the domain be divided, with 100,000 ''
koku
The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...
'' going to his younger son
Maeda Toshitsugu
was a feudal domain in Edo period Japan, located in Etchū Province (modern-day Toyama Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Toyama Castle in what is now the city of Toyama. Throughout its history, it was ruled by a cadet branch of the Maeda cla ...
to form
Toyama Domain
was a feudal domain in Edo period Japan, located in Etchū Province (modern-day Toyama Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Toyama Castle in what is now the city of Toyama. Throughout its history, it was ruled by a cadet branch of the Maeda cl ...
, 70,000 ''koku'' going go his third son,
Maeda Toshiharu Maeda (前田 lit. "previous rice field") is a Japanese surname. An archaic romanization includes Mayeda. It can refer to:
People Maeda clan
One of the traditional Japanese clans and prominent family during the Sengoku period of Japanese history:
...
to form
Daishōji Domain
was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan It was located in Kaga Province, in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The domain was centered at Daishōji ''jin'ya'', located in the center of what is now the city of Kaga in Ishikawa Prefecture. ...
, and 200,000 ''koku'' to support his own retirement. He died in 1658 at the age of 64, and his grave is at the Maeda cemetery at Nodayama in Kanazawa.
Family
*Father:
Maeda Toshiie
was one of the leading generals of Oda Nobunaga following the Sengoku period of the 16th century extending to the Azuchi–Momoyama period. His preferred weapon was a yari and he was known as "Yari no Mataza" (槍の又左), Matazaemon (又左 ...
(1539–1599)
*Mother: Kinsein
*Adoptive father:
Maeda Toshinaga
was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai and the second early-Edo period ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan, and the 3rd hereditary chieftain of the Maeda clan. He was the eldest son of Maeda Toshiie. His childhood name was ...
*Wife: Tokugawa Tamahime (1599–1622), daughter of
Tokugawa Hidetada
was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early life (1579–1593)
Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...
and Azai Oeyo
** First daughter: Kametsuruhime (1613-1630) married Mori Tadahiro
** First son:
Maeda Mitsutaka
was an early-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 3rd ''daimyō'' of Kaga Domain in the Hokuriku region of Japan. He was the 4th hereditary chieftain of the Kanazawa Maeda clan. His courtesy titles were ''Chikuzen-no-kami'' and ''Sakonoe-shosho ...
(1616-1645)
** Second daughter: Kohime (1616-1617)
** Second son: Maeda Toshitsugu (1617–1674)
** Third son: Maeda Toshiharu (1618–1660)
** Third daughter: Manhime (1620-1700) married
Asano Mitsuakira
Asano Mitsuakira (September 11, 1617 – May 27, 1693) was a Japanese samurai of the early Edo period who served as ''daimyō'' of the Hiroshima Domain from 1632 to 1672. His childhood name was Ichimatsu () and later become Iwamatsu ().
Family
* ...
** Fourth daughter: Fuhime (1621-1662) married Prince Hachijō Toshitada
** Fifth daughter: Natsuhime (1622-1623)
*Concubine: Okowa no Kata
** Sixth daughter: Haruhime (1631-1650) married Honda Masanaga
*Concubine: Okuri no Kata,
Chō Tsuratatsu
was a Japanese samurai of the late Sengoku period to early Edo period, who served the Hatakeyama clan, Oda clan, and then the Maeda clan of the Kaga Domain. Biography
The son of Chō Tsugutsura, Tsuratatsu was originally from Noto Province. He b ...