Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

was the 8th and final ''

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 Okutono in

Mikawa Province was an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Mikawa''" in . Its abbreviated form name was . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces. Mik ...

, and 1st (and final) ''daimyō'' of Tanoguchi Domain in

Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture. Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...

. He served in 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 ...

in the positions of ''

Rōjū The , usually translated as '' Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a whole; under the first two ''sh� ...

'' and ''

Wakadoshiyori The ', or "Junior Elders", were high government officials in the Edo period Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). The position was established around 1633, but appointments were irregular until 1662. The four to six ''wakadoshiyori'' we ...

'', and became a leader in the

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...

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 ...

as a politician. He was one of the founders of the

Japanese Red Cross The is the Japanese affiliate of the International Red Cross. The Imperial Family of Japan traditionally has supported the society, with the Empress as Honorary President and other imperial family members as vice presidents. Its headquarters i ...

. He is also known as .

Biography

Matsudaira was born in Okudono as the eldest son and heir to Matsudaira Noritoshi. His father retired in March 1852. The following year, with the arrival of American Commodore

Matthew C. Perry Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was a commodore of the United States Navy who commanded ships in several wars, including the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War (1846–1848). He played a leading role in the o ...

and his fleet, the Shogunate increased military preparations against possible foreign invasion. Matsudaira was appointed Second Assistant Director to the Shogunal military, a largely ceremonial position, but one which enabled him to train the peasants of his domain into a rudimentary military force along western lines. In 1860, he was appointed master of ceremonies for the annual pilgrimage to the grave of

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 ...

Nikkō is a city located in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 80,239 in 36,531 households, and a population density of 55 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It is a popular destination for Japanese and ...

. In 1863, he became ''obangashira'', and rose to the ranks of the ''wakadoshiyori'' later that year. Towards the end of the year, he shifted the seat of his domain from Okudono to Tanoguchi. (Okudono domain was unusual in that it consisted of several small territories that were widely separated geographically). As Matsudaira was a proponent of western-style modernization of the military, he had his new castle built in the style of a western-style five-pointed

star fort A bastion fort or ''trace italienne'' (a phrase derived from non-standard French, literally meaning ''Italian outline'') is a fortification in a style that evolved during the early modern period of gunpowder when the cannon came to domin ...

; this became Tatsuoka Castle. The domain was also called "Tatsuoka-han", after the location of the castle. Along with the Goryōkaku in

Hakodate, Hokkaido is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

, it is one of only two star forts in Japan. Matsudaira disagreed with Matsudaira Yoshinaga with regards to the question of ending the ''

sakoku was the Isolationism, isolationist Foreign policy of Japan, foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate under which, for a period of 265 years during the Edo period (from 1603 to 1868), relations and trade between Japan and other countri ...

'' national isolation policy and was expelled from the ranks of the ''wakadoshiyori'', but was recalled for his military expertise the following year, and reinstated. He further rose to the ranks of the ''rōju'' in June 1866, which enabled him to participate in negotiations between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the Imperial Court later that year. He also encouraged the Shogunate to hire French military advisors to help modernize its forces, and to expand on his concept of a peasant conscript army to supplement the traditional forces of the ''

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 ...

'' warriors, along with taking steps to increase industrialization to increase Japan’s economic strength. However, before any of the steps to could take effect, the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a clique seeking to seize political power in the name of the Imperi ...

of the Meiji Restoration began. Despite his nominal rank as a general of the Tokugawa armies, Matsudaira refused to take up arms against the Imperial armies and retired to his domain in Shinano to await the outcome. Arrested as a central figure in the Tokugawa government by

Satchō Alliance The , or was a powerful military alliance between the feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū formed in 1866 to combine their efforts to restore Imperial rule and overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. History The name ''Satchō'' () is an ...

leaders, Matsudaira was given a chance to prove his loyalty by leading a military force against the

Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei The was a Japanese military-political coalition established and disestablished over the course of several months in early to mid-1868 during the Boshin War. Its flag was either a white interwoven five-pointed star on a black field, or a black i ...

northern Japan Japan is an archipelagic country comprising a stratovolcanic archipelago over along the Pacific coast of East Asia. It consists of 6,852 islands. The five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and Okinawa. There are 6,847 remote ...

. After having accomplished this task, he was allowed to retain his position as ''daimyō'' of Tanoguchi. Matsudaira changed his name officially in July 1869, dropping the Matsudaira name due to its associations with the

Tokugawa clan The is a Japanese dynasty that was formerly a powerful ''daimyō'' family. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa (850–880) and were a branch of the Minamoto clan (Seiwa Genji) through the Matsudaira clan. The early history of this clan r ...

and reverting to his family’s former name of Ogyu. In 1871, with the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

, Ogyu was confirmed as appointed governor of Tanoguchi, until it was merged into the new

Nagano Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Nagano Prefecture has a population of 2,052,493 () and has a geographic area of . Nagano Prefecture borders Niigata Prefecture to the north, Gunma Prefecture to the ...

. In 1873, he entered the Meiji government, and was assigned the task of researching the medals and decorations issued by foreign governments, and developing an award system which would be suitable for Japan. In 1884, under the new ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ' ...

'' peerage system, he was elevated to the rank of

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

(''shishaku''). The title was further raised to that of

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

(''hakushaku'') in 1907. He was also active with Sano Tsunetani in the founding of the ''Hakuaisha'', the predecessor of the

.Nishikawa, ''Japan's Changing Role in Humanitarian Crises''. page 50 In 1909, he was asked to become a member of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

. Ogyu died the following year, and was awarded the

Order of the Rising Sun The is a Japanese order, established in 1875 by Emperor Meiji. The Order was the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government, created on 10 April 1875 by decree of the Council of State. The badge features rays of sunlight ...

with Paulownia clusters posthumously.

References

*Nishikawa, Yukiko. ''Japan's Changing Role in Humanitarian Crises''. Routledge (2005). . pg50

External links

Matsudaira genealogy

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Matsudaira, Norikata 1839 births 1910 deaths Tokugawa clan Daimyo Wakadoshiyori Rōjū People of Meiji-period Japan Kazoku Japanese politicians People from Aichi Prefecture