Mito Tokugawa family

The Mito Tokugawa family (水戸徳川家, Mito Tokugawa-ke) is a branch of the Tokugawa clan based in Mito, Ibaraki.

Tokugawa
徳川 (水戸)

Maruni-mitsubaaoi ("Circle Around Three Hollyhock Leaves"), the mon of the Mito branch of Tokugawa clan

Home province| Hitachi
Parent house| Tokugawa clan
Titles| Daimyō
Founder| Tokugawa Yorifusa
Current head| Tokugawa Narimasa
Founding year| 1608
Dissolution| still extant

## History

[edit]

Following the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603, Tokugawa Ieyasu appointed his eleventh son, Tokugawa Yorifusa, as daimyō in 1610.[1] With his appointment, Yorifusa became the founding member of the Mito branch of the Tokugawa clan. Along with the Tokugawa branches in Kii and Owari, the Mito branch represented one of three Tokugawa houses known as the Gosanke ("three honourable houses of the Tokugawa").[2]

Although the Mito branch held less land and wealth than either of the other two branches, they maintained considerable influence throughout the Edo period. Mito Domain's promiximity to the de facto capital in Edo was a contributing factor to this power as well as the fact that many people unofficially considered the Mito daimyō to be "vice-shōgun".[3] The Mito branch however, as the lowest of the gosanke, was not eligible for the shōgun rank.

Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa, became the second daimyō of Mito in 1661. Mitsukuni further established Mito's status as a respected han by sponsoring the Dai Nihonshi in 1657.[4] The endeavor would launch Mito's reputation as a center for intellectual thought.

The treasures of the Mito branch are kept in The Tokugawa Museum (彰考館徳川博物館) in Mito.

"If a war were to break out between the Tokugawa shogunate and the Imperial Court, do not hesitate to side with the Imperial Court." This has been the tradition of the Mito Tokugawa family since Lord Mitsukuni.[5]

The 15th head of the Mito House is Tokugawa Narimasa (徳川斉正) (born in 1958). From July 2009 he is also the director of Mito's Tokugawa Museum. He presently works for Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd. A Tokyo resident, he commutes to Mito during weekends.

## Heads

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1. Tokugawa Yorifusa (1603-1661)
2. Tokugawa Mitsukuni (1628-1701)
3. Tokugawa Tsunaeda (1656-1718)
4. Tokugawa Munetaka (1705-1730)
5. Tokugawa Munemoto (1728-1766)
6. Tokugawa Harumori (1751-1805)
7. Tokugawa Harutoshi (1773-1816)
8. Tokugawa Narinobu (1797-1829)
9. Tokugawa Nariaki (1800-1860)
10. Tokugawa Yoshiatsu (1832-1868)
11. Tokugawa Akitake (1853-1910)
12. Tokugawa Atsuyoshi (1855-1898)
13. Tokugawa Kuniyuki (1886-1969)
14. Tokugawa Kuninari (1912-1986)
15. Tokugawa Narimasa (b. 1958)

## Family tree

[edit]

| | | | |

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|
|
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| | | | | | | | | | adoption|
| | | | |
| | | | (1543–1616)
Ieyasu|
| | | | | | |
| | | | (1603-1661)
Yorifusa(1)|
| | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | |
| | | | (1622-1695)
Matsudaira Yorishige| | (1628-1701)
Mitsukuni(2)| | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | |
(1656-1718)
Tsunaeda [ja](3)| | (1661–1687)
Matsudaira
Yoritoshi [ja]| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |

(1685–1709)
Yoshizane [ja]| | | | | | | | | |

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

(1708–1746)
Miyohime [ja]| | (1705-1730)
Munetaka(4)| | | | | | | | |

| | | | |
| | (1728-1766)
Munemoto(5)| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
| | (1751-1805)
Harumori [ja](6)| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
| | (1773-1816)
Harutoshi(7)| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | |
(1797-1829)
Narinobu [ja](8)| | | | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | |
| | | | (1800-1860)
Nariaki(9)|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
(1832-1868)
Yoshiatsu [ja](10)| | (1837-1913)
Yoshinobu| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | (1853-1910)
Akitake(11)|
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | |
(1855-1898)
Atsuyoshi [ja](12)| | | | | | | (1888-1957)
Takesada [ja]
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
(1886-1969)
Kuniyuki(13)| | (1887-1924)
Kyoko| | Mastudo-Tokugawa family

| | | | | |
| | (1912-1986)
Kuninari [ja](14)
| | | | | |
| | (b. 1958)
Narimasa [ja](15)
| | | | | |
| | (b. 1990)
Nariyori

[6]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Annals of Mito, 水戸紀年
2. ^ History of Mito
3. ^ Koschmann, 2
4. ^ Koschmann, 2
5. ^ "朝廷と幕府とが弓矢に及ぶごときことがあれば、我らはたとえ幕府に背くとしても、朝廷に弓を引いてはならない。これは、光圀公以来の家訓であるから、ゆめゆめ忘れることのないように」". AGORA. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
6. ^ "徳川（德川）氏（御三家・水戸徳川家）". Archived from the original on 7 July 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2019.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

## External links

[edit]

Media related to Mito branch at Wikimedia Commons

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