was a Japanese ''

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 the late

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 ...

who ruled the

Tsuyama Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Mimasaka Province in modern-day Okayama Prefecture.Mimasaka Province or was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today northeastern Okayama Prefecture. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū, Bizen, Harima, Hōki, and Inaba Provinces. Mimasaka was landlocked, and was often ruled by the ''daimyō'' in Bizen. ...

. Born Tokugawa Ginnosuke (銀之助), the 16th son of the ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

Tokugawa Ienari Tokugawa Ienari ( ja, 徳川家斉, November 18, 1773 – March 22, 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern J ...

, Naritami was adopted by Matsudaira Naritaka of Tsuyama. Naritami succeeded him in late 1831, continuing as daimyo of Tsuyama until 1855. Naritami was the lesser-known third candidate in the shogunal succession dispute of 1858 (the other two being

Tokugawa Iemochi (July 17, 1846 – August 29, 1866) was the 14th ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1858 to 1866. During his reign there was much internal turmoil as a result of the "re-opening" of Japan to western nations. ...

and Yoshinobu). In a rather curious turn of events, following his retirement, Naritami received a stupendously large pension of 10,000 ''hyō'' (俵; bales of rice) directly from the Bakufu; this is believed to have been because of his status as Ienari's son. Following the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, Naritami became the guardian of the young

Tokugawa Iesato Prince was the first head of the Tokugawa clan after the overthrow of the Tokugawa bakufu, and a significant figure in Japanese politics and diplomacy during the Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa period Japan. When Prince Tokugawa travelled to ...

, overseeing his education. As he oversaw most of the principal affairs of the family (particularly during Iesato's time studying abroad), he was secretly known by some as ''dai jūrokudai'' (第十六代 "16th generation ord of the clan). Naritami was deeply trusted by Yoshinobu, even with affairs as important as finding good matches for his children. A letter left by Yoshinobu attests to this fact: ''Before any marriage proposal, be sure to consult with Naritami''. During the Meiji era, Naritami was made a ''shishaku'' (viscount) in the new nobility system. Naritami, also known as Matsudaira Kakudō, was an acquaintance of

Clara Whitney Clara may refer to: Organizations * CLARA, Latin American academic computer network organization * Clara.Net, a European ISP * Consolidated Land and Rail Australia, a property development consortium People * Clara (given name), a feminine give ...

, and is often mentioned in Whitney's early Meiji-era diary. Naritami's court rank was the rather high senior third rank (''shōsanmi'' 正三位); at different times over the course of his life, he also held the honorary titles of ''Echigo no Kami'' 越後守 and ''Mikawa no Kami'' 三河守. Naritami died on March 23, 1891 at age 78.

Family

* Father:

* Mother: Oyae no Kata (d. 1843) later Kaishun'in * Wives: ** Daughter of Matsudaira Naritaka ** Daughter of Matsudaira Tsunataka * Children: ** Matsudaira Yasutomo, Adopted By Matsudaira Yoshitomo ** Matsudaira Yasutami (1861–1921) ** Hitoshimaru

References

*"Tokugawa Shōgun-ke to Matsudaira Ichizoku". ''Rekishi Dokuhon'', Jan. 2006, p. 231. *Whitney, Clara A. ''Clara's Diary: An American Girl in Meiji Japan''. Edited by M. William Steele and Tamiko Ichimata. Tokyo/New York: Kodansha International, 1979.

External links

Biographical data
1814 births 1891 deaths Daimyo Kazoku Meiji Restoration Tokugawa clan Tsuyama-Matsudaira clan {{daimyo-stub