was the lord of

Okazaki Castle is a Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, ''daimyō'' of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu an ...

in Mikawa province, Japan during the

Sengoku Period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

of the 16th century. He is best known for being the father 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 fello ...

, founder of 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 ...

Biography

Hirotada was the son of

Matsudaira Kiyoyasu was the 7th lord over the Matsudaira clan during the Sengoku period (16th century) of Japan. Kiyoyasu was the grandfather of the third "great unifier of Japan", Tokugawa Ieyasu. Biography Kiyoyasu gained control of the whole of northern Mika ...

(seventh head of the Mikawa

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

). He was known in his childhood as Senshōmaru, Senchiyo, and Jirōzaburō. After his father's assassination in 1535, Hirotada was placed under the protection of a loyal retainer, Abe Sadayoshi. He allied with the

Imagawa was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Seiwa Genji by way of the Kawachi Genji. It was a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Ashikaga clan. Origins Ashikaga Kuniuji, grandson of Ashikaga Yoshiuji, established himself in t ...

, and with their help was installed at

Okazaki castle is a Japanese castle located in Okazaki, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of the Edo period, Okazaki Castle was home to the Honda clan, ''daimyō'' of Okazaki Domain, but the castle is better known for its association with Tokugawa Ieyasu an ...

. The alliance with them brought him into conflict with the Oda clan. In 1540,

Oda Nobuhide was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and magistrate of the Sengoku period known as "Tiger of Owari" and also the father of Oda Nobunaga the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. Nobuhide was a deputy ''shugo'' (Shugodai) of lower Owari Province and head of the ...

attacked and took Anjō castle, which was held by the Matsudaira family. Hirotada was assisted by

Mizuno Tadamasa (1493 – 22 August 1543) was a samurai lord of the Mizuno clan of feudal Japan. He was the father of Odai no Kata, the mother of ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1533 by Mizuno Tadamasa built and ruled Kariya Castle. Tadamasa was also the fat ...

. After took Anji castle, Oda Nobuhide's son,

Oda Nobuhiro was the eldest son of Oda Nobuhide. After Nobuhiro's father took Anjo Castle in Mikawa Province in 1540, the castle was given to Nobuhiro. During 1551, Nobuhiro was trapped by the Imagawa clan, but was saved when Oda Nobunaga handed over o ...

, was installed as the lord of the castle. In 1541, Hirotada married Mizuno Tadamasa's daughter, Okichi. A son, was born to them a year later, Matsudaira Takechiyo later known as

. Hirotada joined

Imagawa Yoshimoto was a pre-eminent ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) in the Sengoku period Japan. Based in Suruga Province, he was known as . he was one of the three ''daimyōs'' that dominated the Tōkaidō region. He died in 1560 while marching to Kyoto to become S ...

to fight Oda Nobuhide at the First Battle of Azukizaka in 1542, and were defeated. In 1543, his uncle, Matsudaira Nobutaka, rebelled and joined Oda Nobuhide. Hirotada had a serious disagreement with his father-in-law,

. Later in 1544, he divorced Tadamasa daughter, Okichi. He then married the daughter of Toda Yasumitsu, Makihime.

Death

In 1549, when his son Matsudaira Takechiyo (later known as

) was six years old, Hirotada was murdered by his own vassals, who had been bribed by the Oda clan. Grave of Matsudaira Hirotada

He was posthumously conferred the rank of

Dainagon was a counselor of the first rank in the Imperial court of Japan. The role dates from the 7th century. This advisory position remained a part of the Imperial court from the 8th century until the Meiji period in the 19th century.Nussbaum, "Dainag ...

Biography

Death

Family

Parents

Wives and concubines

Children

Ancestry

References