Tokugawa Hidetada, born on May 2, 1579, was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Following the execution of Ieyasu's first son and wife on accusations of plotting against Oda Nobunaga, Hidetada became the sole remaining heir.
Raised by one of Ieyasu's concubines after his mother's sudden death in 1589, Hidetada was sent as a hostage to Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590 during the Siege of Odawara. Held captive until 1593, he married Oda Nobukatsu's daughter, O-hime, but she passed away a year later. Upon his release, Hidetada married Oeyo, daughter of Azai Nagamasa, in 1595, with whom he had four children.
In 1600, Hidetada led an army to attack the Uesugi and later laid siege to Ueda Castle before arriving late to the Battle of Sekigahara, angering Ieyasu. Despite this, Hidetada became the second Tokugawa Shogun in 1605, although Ieyasu retained significant political influence until his death in 1616.
In 1612, Hidetada arranged the marriage of his daughter, Sen-Hime, to Toyotomi Hideyoshi's son, Hideyori, leading to tension with Ieyasu. After Hideyori's demise in the Osaka Castle siege, only Sen-hime was rescued, eventually marrying into the Tokugawa-loyal Honda clan. Hidetada's other daughter, Kazuko, married Emperor Go-Mizunoo's daughter, who later became Empress Meisho.
Hidetada retired as Shogun in 1623, passing the title to his son, Iemitsu. He passed away in 1632 and was buried at the Taitoku-in mausoleum in Zojo-ji Temple in Edo.
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.
