Count was the 12th and final '' daimyō'' of Hirado Domain in Hizen Province,

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surround ...

, Japan. He was also the 37th hereditary head of the Matsura clan, and a noted tea master. His honorary title was. '' Hizen-no-Kami''.

Biography

Akira was born as the 3rd son of Matsura Hiromu, the 10th ''daimyō'' of Hirado. His elder brother, Matsura Terasu became 11th ''daimyō'' of Hirado in 1841; however by 1849, despite having a wife and three official concubines, Terasu was still childless. Therefore, in November 1849, Akira was officially adopted as his son and heir. Terasu died unexpectedly on August 5, 1858, and Akira became the 12th ''daimyō'' of Hirado. Akira was an active ruler, and attempted to continue the efforts started by his brother to strengthen the domain in face of the unsettled Bakumatsu period by continuing land reforms, sponsoring improved agricultural methods and military training. In 1859, he was visited by Katsu Kaishū and by the Dutch doctor

J. L. C. Pompe van Meerdervoort Johannes Lijdius Catharinus Pompe van Meerdervoort (5 May 1829, Bruges – 7 October 1908, Brussels) was a Dutch physician based at Nagasaki, in Bakumatsu period Japan. While in Japan, he briefly taught medicine, chemistry and photography at ...

. In 1860, he built coastal defenses as increasing numbers of foreign ships were seen near Hirado’s shores. Politically, he supported the moderate ''Kōbu Gattai'' policy of attempting to reconcile the Tokugawa Bakufu with the Imperial Court. During 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, he commanded his forces as part of the Satchō Alliance in support of

Emperor Meiji , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figur ...

, and fought at the

Battle of Toba–Fushimi The occurred between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle started on 27 January 1868 (or fourth year of Keiō, first month, 3rd day, according to the lunar calendar), when the forces of the shog ...

and against the Tokugawa remnants of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei in northern Japan, at Morioka and Akita. In June 1868, the revenues of Hirado domain were raised to 61,700 ''

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 ...

'' as a reward for his loyalty to the new government. However, 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) ...

later that year, he surrendered the title of ''daimyō'' to the central government and was appointed governor until Hirado domain was absorbed into Nagasaki Prefecture in July 1871. Awarded 4th Court rank, he moved to Tokyo and entered into service of the Imperial Household Ministry. In April 1884, he was made a count in the new '' kazoku'' peerage system. From 1890, he served in the House of Peers of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paralle ...

. He was later awarded 2nd Court rank. In addition to his political work, Matsura Akira was also heir to the school of the

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

begun by the 4th ''daimyō'' of Hirado, Matsura Shigenobu. His former house in Hirado still exists, and is preserved as the Matsura Historical Museum. The building is listed as a National Important Cultural Property. The collection holds household objects, paintings,

calligraphy Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

, and documents relating to the early foreign trade in the area. All items in the collection had once been the property of the Matsura clan of Hirado.

References

*''The content of this article was derived from that of the corresponding article on Japanese Wikipedia.'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Matsura, Akira 1840 births 1908 deaths Tozama daimyo Matsura clan People of the Boshin War People of Meiji-period Japan Kazoku Japanese tea masters