Shimazu Tadatsune, a prominent figure of the early Edo Period, held significant wealth and power, boasting a stipend of 605,000 koku. Born in 1576, he was designated as the heir to the Shimazu clan shortly before the Battle of Sekigahara, where his father fought on the losing side. Despite his uncle Yoshihisa being the primary successor to the clan's leadership, his lack of heirs led to Tadatsune's appointment as successor due to his other uncle Hisakazu's passing in Korea. Assuming control in 1602, Tadatsune's father retained much of the authority until his demise in 1619.
The Shimazu clan's military prowess was renowned, and Tadatsune himself was celebrated for his valor. Notably, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Korean Campaign, he and his father led an army of 8,000 samurai, repelling a Chinese Ming army of 100,000 soldiers.
In 1602, following the Battle of Sekigahara, Tadatsune pledged allegiance to Tokugawa Ieyasu, symbolizing loyalty, and was honored with the name Matsudaira Iehisa. This was a significant gesture as Matsudaira was Ieyasu’s original family name, and Tadatsune also adopted the first part of Ieyasu’s name as his given name, signifying a deep honor.
Tadatsune diligently worked to ensure the Shimazu clan's prosperity, rooting out corruption and disloyalty among his retainers. He strategically annexed the Ryukyu (Okinawan) Islands in the mid-1609, allowing them semi-independence to facilitate trade with China, which believed the islands were under their control. This decision bolstered the Shimazu clan's economic strength and positioned Japan favorably in trade affairs.
Interestingly, the trade activities associated with the Ryukyu Islands are believed to have introduced cockroaches to Japan, as these insects stowed away among the traded items and subsequently spread across the nation. Shimazu Tadatsune passed away on April 7, 1638, at the age of 62.
See also
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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.
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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.
