was a ''

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 ...

'' during

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

. He was the son of Saitō Sōen (斎藤宗円), ''

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'' of

Mino Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, and Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviat ...

, and the older brother of

Saitō Myōchin was a ''daimyō'' and a monk during the Sengoku periodUta de Megutta Shiro
. Gujo City. Access ...

, making him the uncle of the warlord

Saitō Dōsan , also known as Saitō Toshimasa (斎藤利政), was a Japanese samurai during the Sengoku period. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Saitō Dōsan"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 809. He was also known as the for his ruthless tactics. His hono ...

. By his first wife, he was the father of Saitō Toshifuji (斎藤利藤) and Saitō Noriaki (斎藤典明). His second wife, who was born into the

Akamatsu clan is a Japanese samurai family of direct descent from Minamoto no Morifusa of the Murakami-Genji. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Akamatsu" at ''Nobiliare du Japon' ...

, birthed

Saitō Myōjun Saitō, Saito, Saitou or Saitoh (written: or ) are the 20th and 21st most common Japanese surnames respectively. Less common variants are , , and . Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese sailor *, Japanese women's footballer *, Jap ...

(斎藤妙純),

Saitō Toshiyasu Saitō, Saito, Saitou or Saitoh (written: or ) are the 20th and 21st most common Japanese surnames respectively. Less common variants are , , and . Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese sailor *, Japanese women's footballer *, Jap ...

(斎藤利安),

Saitō Toshitsuna Saitō, Saito, Saitou or Saitoh (written: or ) are the 20th and 21st most common Japanese surnames respectively. Less common variants are , , and . Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese sailor *, Japanese women's footballer *, Jap ...

(斎藤利綱) and

Saitō Toshitaka Saitō, Saito, Saitou or Saitoh (written: or ) are the 20th and 21st most common Japanese surnames respectively. Less common variants are , , and . Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese sailor *, Japanese women's footballer *, Jap ...

(斎藤利隆).

History

In 1444, Sōen killed Mino Province's ''

shugodai were officials during feudal Japan. Shugodai were representatives of provincial shugo when the shugo could not exercise his power, being often away from his province. Unlike shugo, who were appointed from the central power, shugodai were locally ...

'' from the Tomishima clan (富島氏 ''Tomishima-shi'') and started a civil war within the province. To support his father, Toshinaga built Izumii CastleGifu City Sightseeing Guide: Castle History
. City of Gifu. Accessed June 12, 2008. to serve as the base for the

Saitō clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that ruled Mino province in the Sengoku period. The clan appropriated the name of a defunct samurai clan named "Saitō" that had previously hailed from Echizen province and claimed descent from Fujiwara Toshihit ...

. When Sōen was assassinated in 1450, Toshinaga assumed control of the clan and became the ''shugo'' of the province. When the son of Toki Mochimasa (土岐持益) died in 1456, there was a dispute over who would become Mochimasa's successor. Mochimasa's grandson, who was only three years old at the time, was nominated to be the successor, but Toshinaga objected.

Toki Shigeyori was a leading military commander during the Muromachi period in Mino Province (modern-day Gifu Prefecture), Japan. The characters for his name can also be read as Toki Nariyori. He became the eighth head of the Toki clan at the age of 15

was eventually selected as the successor. Toshinaga died a few years later in 1460 from complications related to paralysis. He was succeeded by his first son, Toshifuji.

References

1460 deaths Daimyo Toshinaga Year of birth unknown {{Samurai-stub