Daimyo Matsudaira Tadayori, a distinguished vassal of the Tokugawa clan, was born in 1582, the same year Oda Nobunaga was assassinated, and met his demise in a dispute following a tea ceremony in Edo in 1609.
During the pivotal Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tadayori was entrusted with safeguarding the Tokugawa and Matsudaira ancestral home, Okazaki Castle in Mikawa (Aichi Prefecture). Post-battle, he was granted the command of Inuyama Castle (Aichi Pref.) and Kaneyama Castle in Mino (Gifu Pref.). Subsequently, his uncle, Matsudaira Iehiro, passed away, and Tadayori inherited his uncle's estates and a stipend of 15,000 koku at Musashi-Matsuyama (northern Tokyo, Saitama Pref.) later that year.
At the age of 20, Tokugawa Ieyasu doubled Tadayori's income in 1602, and he was reassigned to the strategically important Hamamatsu Castle with a stipend of 50,000 koku. Tadayori's wife hailed from the Oda clan (Nagamasu Yuraku), a younger sibling of Oda Nobunaga, and the couple had six children.
While fulfilling his duties in Sankin Kotai, the mandatory alternate attendance at the Shogun's court, Tadayori attended a tea ceremony at the residence of Mizuno Tadatane, a cousin of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the head of the Mizuno clan in Mikawa (Aichi Pref.), on October 26, 1609. Other notable attendees included the feudal police chief Hatamoto, Kume Saheiji, and Hattori Hanhachiro.
Following the tea ceremony, the gathering transitioned to sake drinking and a game of Japanese chess known as Go. Amidst a dispute over a winning move between Mizuno and Hattori, tempers escalated, leading to drawn swords. In the attempt to quell the altercation, Matsudaira Tadayori lost his life at the age of 27. His final resting place is at Seigan-ji Temple in Fuchu, western Tokyo.
Subsequently, both Hattori and Mizuno were ordered to commit seppuku over the incident, which occurred a month later.
See also
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Matsudaira Nagachika
Matsudaira Nagachika (1473–1544?) was a daimyō of Japan’s Sengoku period and the third son of Matsudaira Chikatada. He was also the great-grandfather of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
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Oishi Yoshio
Oishi Yoshio (April 24, 1659 – March 20, 1703) served as the chamberlain of the Ako Domain in Harima Province, now part of modern-day Hyogo Prefecture, from 1679 to 1701. He is best known as the leader of the Forty-seven Rōnin in their 1703 vendetta and is honored as the central figure in the legendary tale of Chūshingura.
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Asano Nagaakira
Asano Nagaakira (March 18, 1586 – October 16, 1632) was a Japanese samurai and daimyō of the early Edo period. He initially ruled Wakayama Domain before being transferred to the Hiroshima Domain, where his family would remain until the Meiji Restoration.
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Takigawa Kazumasu
Takigawa Kazumasu (1525 – October 21, 1586), also known as Takikawa Sakon or Sakonshogen, was a prominent samurai and daimyō of the Sengoku period. He served as a loyal retainer and military commander under Oda Nobunaga and later Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His biological son, Toshimasu, was adopted by Maeda Toshihisa, the elder brother of Maeda Toshiie, and Kazumasu served alongside Toshiie in Nobunaga’s campaigns.
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Sanada Yukitaka
Sanada Yukitaka (c. 1512 – June 8, 1574) was a renowned samurai warrior of the Sengoku period, best known as one of the "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen." He was the father of Sanada Nobutsuna and Sanada Masayuki, as well as the grandfather of the legendary Sanada Yukimura, who later served the Toyotomi clan.
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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.
