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.
After Nobuyasu’s forced seppuku at Oda Nobunaga’s command, Ogimaru became next in line to inherit the Tokugawa clan. However, as part of peace negotiations following the Battle of Komaki-Nagakute in 1584, he was given in adoption (effectively as a hostage) to Hashiba Hideyoshi. While under Hideyoshi’s care, Ogimaru came of age and was renamed Hashiba Hideyasu, a name that honored both his adoptive and biological fathers. He also received the title of Mikawa-no-kami and the Court rank of Senior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, which was later elevated.
Hideyasu’s military career began with distinction, as he led the assault on Buzen-Iwaishi Castle during the Kyushu Campaign of 1587 and contributed to the pacification of Hyuga Province. He also participated in the Siege of Odawara in 1590 and the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598), earning a reputation as a skilled and promising commander. However, in 1589, the birth of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s natural son, Toyotomi Hideyori, altered Hideyasu’s trajectory. To avoid succession conflicts, Hideyasu was adopted by Yuki Harutomo of Shimōsa Province in 1590, marrying Harutomo’s niece and becoming the head of the Yuki clan, with a domain of 101,000 koku.
Despite his military achievements, Hideyasu’s loyalty to the Toyotomi clan raised concerns. During the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered Hideyasu to remain in Shimōsa, possibly due to doubts about his allegiance or to avoid overshadowing Ieyasu’s chosen successor, Tokugawa Hidetada. Following the Tokugawa victory, Hideyasu was rewarded with Echizen Province, a vast domain of 670,000 koku. In 1604, he was permitted to adopt the Matsudaira surname, and by 1605, his court rank was elevated to Senior Third Rank, along with the courtesy title Gon-Chunagon.
Hideyasu passed away in 1607 at the age of 34, possibly due to complications from syphilis. His death occurred shortly before the Siege of Osaka, where the Toyotomi clan was ultimately destroyed. In his will, Hideyasu urged his son and heir, Matsudaira Tadanao, to support Toyotomi Hideyori if the Tokugawa attacked. However, Tadanao ignored his father’s wishes, ensuring the survival of the Echizen-Matsudaira clan, which endured until the Meiji Restoration in 1868.
See also
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Takeda Nobuyoshi
Takeda Nobuyoshi (1128–1186 or later) was a prominent Japanese samurai lord of the late Heian and early Kamakura periods and the founder of the Takeda clan.
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Tokugawa Iemochi
Tokugawa Iemochi (1846–1866) was the fourteenth shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1858 until his death. His reign came during the turbulent final years of the shogunate, when Japan faced growing Western pressure and serious internal political conflict.
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Tokugawa Ienari
Tokugawa Ienari (1773–1841) was the eleventh shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate and ruled from 1787 to 1837, making him the longest-serving Tokugawa shōgun. He was a great-grandson of the eighth shōgun, Tokugawa Yoshimune.
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Matsudaira Nobuyasu
Matsudaira Nobuyasu was only twenty years old when his father ordered him to commit seppuku. The reason was not a defeat in battle, but a crisis inside the Tokugawa family that had become too dangerous to ignore.
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Yamagata Masakage
Masakage was one of Takeda Shingen’s most loyal and capable commanders. He was included in the famous list of the “Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen” and also belonged to the inner circle of four especially trusted warlords known as the Shitennō.
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Yagyu Munenori
Yagyū Munenori began his service under Tokugawa Ieyasu while his father, Yagyū Muneyoshi, was still at his side. In 1600, Munenori took part in the decisive Battle of Sekigahara. As early as 1601, he was appointed a kenjutsu instructor to Tokugawa Hidetada, Ieyasu’s son, who later became the second shogun of the Tokugawa clan.
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Yagyu Muneyoshi
A samurai from Yamato Province, he was born into a family that had been defeated in its struggle against the Tsutsui clan. Muneyoshi first took part in battle at the age of sixteen. Due to circumstances beyond his control, he was forced to enter the service of the Tsutsui house and later served Miyoshi Tōkei. He subsequently came under the command of Matsunaga Hisahide and in time became a vassal first of Oda and later of Toyotomi.
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Endo Naozune
Naozune served under Azai Nagamasa and was one of the clan’s leading vassals, renowned for his bravery and determination. He accompanied Nagamasa during his first meeting with Oda Nobunaga and at that time asked for permission to kill Nobunaga, fearing him as an extremely dangerous man; however, Nagamasa did not grant this request.
