Matsudaira Hirotada (June 9, 1526 – April 3, 1549) was a daimyo and lord of Okazaki Castle in Mikawa Province during Japan’s turbulent Sengoku Period. He is best known as the father of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate.
Early Life and Rise to Power
Hirotada was the son of Matsudaira Kiyoyasu, the seventh head of the Mikawa Matsudaira clan. In his early years, he was known by several childhood names, including Senshomaru, Senchiyo, and Jirozaburo. After his father was assassinated in 1535, Hirotada came under the protection of Abe Sadayoshi, a loyal retainer of the Matsudaira clan.
With the support of the Imagawa clan, Hirotada was established as the lord of Okazaki Castle. This alliance with the Imagawa strengthened his position but also brought him into direct conflict with the powerful Oda clan.
Conflicts with the Oda Clan
In 1540, Oda Nobuhide attacked and captured Anjo Castle, which was under Matsudaira control. Nobuhide installed his son, Oda Nobuhiro, as the castle’s new lord. Despite assistance from Mizuno Tadamasa, Hirotada could not reclaim the castle, cementing a bitter rivalry with the Oda clan.
Marriage and Family
In 1541, Hirotada married Okichi, the daughter of Mizuno Tadamasa. In 1542, they had a son, Matsudaira Takechiyo, who would later become Tokugawa Ieyasu. However, tensions between Hirotada and his father-in-law, Mizuno Tadamasa, led to Hirotada divorcing Okichi in 1544. He subsequently married Makihime, the daughter of Toda Yasumitsu.
Military Struggles
Hirotada aligned with Imagawa Yoshimoto to combat Oda Nobuhide at the First Battle of Azukizaka in 1542. The coalition suffered a defeat, further weakening Hirotada’s position. In 1543, his uncle, Matsudaira Nobutaka, betrayed the family and allied with the Oda clan, exacerbating the clan's challenges.
Assassination and Legacy
In 1549, when Hirotada's son Takechiyo was only six years old, Hirotada was betrayed and assassinated by his own retainers, who had been bribed by the Oda clan. Despite his untimely death, Hirotada’s legacy endured through his son, who rose to unify Japan and establish the Tokugawa shogunate.
In 1612, decades after his death, Hirotada was posthumously awarded the court rank of Dainagon by Tokugawa Ieyasu, honoring his father’s role in the clan’s history.
See also
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Torii Mototada
Torii Mototada (1539 – September 8, 1600) was a Japanese samurai and daimyo who lived through the Sengoku and late Azuchi–Momoyama periods. A loyal retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he is best remembered for his heroic last stand at the Siege of Fushimi, an event that played a crucial role in shaping Japanese history.
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Toyotomi Hideyori
Toyotomi Hideyori (August 28, 1593 – June 4, 1615) was the son and designated successor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the general who first unified Japan. His mother, Yodo-dono, was Oda Nobunaga's niece.
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Okubo Tadanori
Okubo Tadanori (January 13, 1842 – August 10, 1897) was the 9th daimyo of Odawara Domain in Sagami Province (modern-day Kanagawa Prefecture) during the late Edo period. Before the Meiji Restoration, he held the courtesy title of Kaga no Kami.
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Okubo Tadayo
Okubo Tadayo (1532 – October 28, 1594) was a samurai general who served Tokugawa Ieyasu during the Azuchi–Momoyama period and later became the daimyo of Odawara Domain in the early Edo period.
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Araki Murashige
Araki Murashige (1535 – June 20, 1586) was a samurai and retainer of Ikeda Katsumasa, the head of the powerful Settsu-Ikeda clan in Settsu Province. Initially serving under Katsumasa, he aligned himself with Oda Nobunaga after Nobunaga’s successful campaign to establish control over Kyoto.
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Yuki Hideyasu
Yuki Hideyasu (March 1, 1574 – June 2, 1607) was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods, serving as the daimyō of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province. Born Tokugawa Ogimaru, he was the second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Lady Oman (also known as Lady Kogō), a handmaiden to Ieyasu’s wife, Lady Tsukiyama. Due to Ieyasu’s fears of his wife’s reaction to Oman’s pregnancy, Ogimaru and his twin brother were born in secrecy at the home of Honda Shigetsugu, one of Ieyasu’s retainers. Oman’s other son eventually became a priest, while Ogimaru was raised apart from Ieyasu, whom he only met at the age of three, in a meeting arranged by his older half-brother, Matsudaira Nobuyasu.
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Tsutsui Sadatsugu
Tsutsui Sadatsugu (June 6, 1562 – April 2, 1615) was a prominent figure in the Sengoku and early Edo periods, known as the cousin and adopted heir of Tsutsui Junkei, the feudal lord of Yamato Province. Following Junkei's death in 1584, Toyotomi Hideyoshi relocated Sadatsugu to Iga Province, where he oversaw the construction of Iga Ueno Castle, marking the height of his prominence.
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Matsudaira Kiyoyasu
Matsudaira Kiyoyasu (September 28, 1511 – November 29, 1535) served as the 7th lord of the Matsudaira clan during Japan's tumultuous Sengoku period. Renowned as the paternal grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu, one of Japan's "great unifiers," Kiyoyasu expanded his clan’s influence, bringing all of northern Mikawa Province under his control after subduing the Saigo clan. His power was further symbolized by the construction of Okazaki Castle, a testament to the Matsudaira’s growing dominance.
