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.
Born as the fifth son of Matsudaira Yorihiro, daimyo of Takamatsu Domain in Sanuki Province, Tadanori was a nephew of Tokugawa Nariaki and thus a cousin of Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Following the death of Okubo Tadanao in 1859, he was adopted into the Okubo clan, becoming its 11th head and assuming the position of daimyo of Odawara Domain. He served in several important roles within the Tokugawa shogunate, including Soshaban (Master of Ceremonies) in November 1863. In 1864, he accompanied Shogun Tokugawa Iemochi on his visit to Kyoto. Briefly, from September to December 1867, he held the post of Kofu Jodai (Castellan of Kofu).
During the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, Tadanori initially allowed the pro-Imperial forces of the Satcho Alliance to cross the Hakone Pass unopposed. However, in May 1868, he met with Hayashi Tadataka and other pro-Tokugawa resistance leaders, signaling his willingness to support their cause. When Edo fell to the Imperial forces, he changed sides again and attempted to plead his case before the leaders of the Satcho Alliance. Perceived as a traitor, he was ordered to retire from public life, and his titles were transferred to Okubo Tadayoshi, daimyo of Ogino-Yamanaka Domain, a cadet branch of the Okubo clan.
Tadanori was later reinstated as head of the Okubo clan in July 1875, following Tadayoshi’s retirement. In 1884, with the establishment of the kazoku peerage system, he was granted the title of viscount (shishaku). He passed away on August 10, 1897, and was laid to rest at the clan’s temple, Saisho-ji, in Setagaya, Tokyo.
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 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.
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Matsudaira Hirotada
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.
