Matsudaira Katamori (松平容保), (February 15, 1836−December 5, 1893) was a samurai that lived in the last days of the Edo period and the early Meiji period. He was the 9th daimyo of the Aizu han and the Military Commissioner of Kyoto during the Bakumatsu period. During the Boshin War, Katamori and the Aizu han fought against the Meiji Government armies, but were severely defeated. Katamori's life was spared, and he later became the Chief of the Tōshōgū Shrine. He, along with his three brothers Sadaaki, Yoshikatsu, and Mochiharu, had highly influential roles during the Meiji Restoration and were called the four Takasu brothers. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (434x762, 61 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Matsudaira Katamori Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (434x762, 61 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Matsudaira Katamori Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... October 2, Charles Darwin returns from his voyage around the world. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Japanese samurai in armour, 1860s. ... The late Tokugawa shogunate or last shogun (幕末; Bakumatsu) is the period between 1853 and 1867 during which Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy called sakoku and modernized from a feudal shogunate to the Meiji government. ... The Meiji period ) denotes the 45-year reign of Emperor Meiji, running from 8 September 1868 (in the Gregorian calendar, 23 October 1868) to 30 July 1912. ... Daimyo Matsudaira Katamori visits the residence of a retainer. ... Monument to the Byakkotai Samurai Aizu ) is a former feudal domain (Han), part of the modern-day Japanese prefecture of Fukushima, formerly a part of Mutsu province. ... The Boshin War (戊辰戦争 Boshin Sensō, literally War of the Year of the Dragon) was fought in 1868-1869 between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the pro-Imperial forces in Japan. ... Yomeimon at Nikkō Tōshō-gÅ« Tōshō-gÅ« (東照宮) is any Shinto shrine in which Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the last shogunate of Japan, is enshrined with the name Tōshō Dai Gongen. ...

Biography

Matsudaira Katamori was born in Edo, on February 15, 1836, between Matsudaira Yoshitatsu, Daimyo of the Takasu han, and one of his concubines, who was a woman from the Komori han, known by her Buddhist name, Zenkyō-in.^[1] He was Yoshitatsu's seventh son, and his childhood name was Keinosuke (銈之丞). He was later adopted by Matsudaira Katataka, daimyo of the Aizu han in 1846, and married Katataka's daughter, Toshihime, in 1856.^[2] Katamori was also educated in the domain school, Nisshinkan. Early on, following his entry into the Aizu-Matsudaira house, he was also formally presented by his father to Ii Naosuke. Katamori became the 9th daimyo of the Aizu han in 1852, and also inherited the title "Higo no Kami" (governor of Higo), an honorific title that was traditionally inherited by the daimyos of the Aizu han.^[3] Ii Naosuke (井伊直弼, 1815 - March 3, 1860) was Tairo of Japan from April 23, 1858 until his death. ...

In 1862, senior political figures in the Tokugawa shogunate created the post of Kyoto Shugoshoku (Kyoto Military Commissioner), for the purpose of recovering public order in the city, which was under the influence of Sonnō Jōi militants.^[4] Despite his chronic illness, initial reluctance and attempts at refusal, Matsudaira Katamori was given the post. Following a few months of political difficulty, in early 1863 he led a force of 1000 Aizu men from Edo, entering Kyoto some days later, and setting up office in eastern Kyoto at Kinkaikomyoji Temple, in the Kurotani area. In order to achieve the objectives of his position, Katamori made use of city patrol units, some of them made up of his own retainers, but others consisting of hired, previously lordless men, such as the Shinsengumi. Another contemporary group, the Mimawarigumi, though closely allied in purpose, was actually under the control of Katamori's brother, Matsudaira Sadaaki of Kuwana. Katamori also played a large role in the Coup D'etat of September 30 (or the Coup D'etat of August 18), and the Forbidden Gates Incident (禁門の変, Kinmon no Hen), which both involved clashes between the Aizu han and the Chōshū han. These events lead to increased animosity towards Katamori and the Aizu han within the Chōshū han. Image File history File linksMetadata Katamori_Matsudaira. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Katamori_Matsudaira. ... Sonnō jōi (尊皇攘夷 Sonnō jōi) is a Japanese political philosophy and a social movement, which was derived from Neo-Confucianism; it was also a political slogan in 1850s-60s, meaning Revere the Emperor, Expel the Barbarians, or being commonly translated... The Shinsengumi (Japanese: 新選組 or 新撰組) were a special police force of the late shogunate period. ... Nagato (Japanese: 長門国, Nagato no kuni), often called Choshu (é•·å·ž, ChōshÅ«), was a province of Japan. ...

Katamori tried to achieve peaceful resolutions after the Battle of Toba Fushimi, apologizing to the Imperial court many times, and even formally presenting a letter of submission to Prince Rinnoji no Miya Yoshihisa, but the members of the new Meiji government refused to pay him any heed. This was because the new government was primarily composed of people from Chōshū and Satsuma, who resented Katamori for his activities as the Military Commissioner. Although the Ouetsu Reppan Doumei, comprised of most of the domains of northern Japan, supported the Aizu han and Katamori, they were eventually defeated in the Aizu War. His life was spared, and he later became the Chief Priest of the Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine. He died on December 5, 1893, and received the posthumous Shinto name of Masane-unjin 忠誠雲神, the "god of loyalty and sincerity." His heir, Matsudaira Nobunori, was adopted from the Mito Tokugawa family. However, Nobunori left the Aizu Matsudaira family soon after the Meiji Restoration, to let Matsudaira Kataharu become the heir of the family. Matsudaira Kataharu was Katamori's eldest biological son, born from one of Katamori's two concubines (Saku and Kiyo) after Nobunori was adopted. The family headship then passed to Kataharu's brother Morio, and subsequently to Morio's son Matsudaira Morisada, who is the present head of the Aizu-Matsudaira.^[5] Satsuma (薩摩国; -no Kuni) was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima prefecture on the island of Kyushu. ... Yomeimon at Nikkō Tōshō-gÅ« Tōshō-gÅ« (東照宮) is any Shinto shrine in which Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the last shogunate of Japan, is enshrined with the name Tōshō Dai Gongen. ... December 5 is the 339th day (340th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Matsudaira Saku ); (). Japanese figure of the mid-19th century. ... Matsudaira Kiyo (松平喜代), (fl. ...

See also: Matsudaira Teru Matsudaira Teru (松平照), or Teruhime (照姫, literally translated, Princess Teru), (December 13, 1832−February 28, 1884) was an aristocrat in Japan during the late Edo and early Meiji periods. ...

Notes

References

• Noguchi Shin'ichi, Aizu-han Tokyo: Gendai Shokan, 2005 (ISBN 4-7684-7102-1)
• Tsunabuchi Kenjo, ed. Matsudaira Katamori no Subete Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 1984 (ISBN 4-404-01245-4)
• Yamakawa Hiroshi, Kyoto Shugoshoku Shimatsu Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1965 (reprint of 1911 original)
• Nakamura Akihiko, Matsudaira Katamori wa Choteki ni Arazu Tokyo: Chuokoronsha, 2000. (ISBN 4-12-203604-6)
• Kobiyama Rokurō, Matsudaira Katamori no Shogai: Shashinshu Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Oraisha, 2003. (ISBN 4-404-03108-4)

External links

• http://www.shinsengumihq.com
• Genealogy of Aizu lords (in Japanese), including Katamori
• The Shinsengumi and Matsudaira Katamori