Itakura Shigemasa
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese daimyo
of the early Edo period
. The lord of Fukōzu han in Mikawa Province
, he was a personal aide to Tokugawa Ieyasu
. Son of the Kyoto Shoshidai
Itakura Katsushige
, and younger brother of Itakura Shigemune
(successor to Katsushige as Shoshidai).
Born in Mikawa, he was styled Naizen no Kami (内膳正), and together with Matsudaira Masatsuna and Akimoto Yasutomo, he served as Tokugawa Ieyasu's personal aide (kinju shuttōnin 近習出頭人). In the Osaka Winter Campaign, he acted as negotiator with the Toyotomi.
In the 11th month of Kan'ei 14 (1637), he was appointed chief commander of the expeditionary force that was sent to put down the Shimabara Rebellion
. Shigemasa failed to take Hara Castle, the rebels' headquarters, despite his use of ninja, tunnelling methods, and catapults. As a result, the shogun Iemitsu grew impatient with him, and sent Matsudaira Nobutsuna
as his replacement. In an effort to regain his credibility, Shigemasa led a sudden assault on the castle, but in the process, was shot dead by an arrow.
Shigemasa's death poem was:
Translated,
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of the early Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. The lord of Fukōzu han in Mikawa Province
Mikawa Province
is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces....
, he was a personal aide to Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
. Son of the Kyoto Shoshidai
Kyoto Shoshidai
The was an important administrative and political office in the early modern government of Japan. However, the significance and effectiveness of the office is credited to the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu, who developed these initial creations as bureaucratic elements in a consistent and...
Itakura Katsushige
Itakura Katsushige
was a Japanese daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama Period to early Edo period. He fought at the side of Ieyasu Tokugawa at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600.Katsuhige's daimyō family claimed descent from the Shibukawa branch of the Seiwa-Genji...
, and younger brother of Itakura Shigemune
Itakura Shigemune
was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. Shigemune's daimyō family claimed descent from the Shibukawa branch of the Seiwa-Genji. The Itakura identified its clan origins in Mikawa province. The descendants of Itakura Katsushige, including the descendants of his eldest son Shigemune, were...
(successor to Katsushige as Shoshidai).
Born in Mikawa, he was styled Naizen no Kami (内膳正), and together with Matsudaira Masatsuna and Akimoto Yasutomo, he served as Tokugawa Ieyasu's personal aide (kinju shuttōnin 近習出頭人). In the Osaka Winter Campaign, he acted as negotiator with the Toyotomi.
In the 11th month of Kan'ei 14 (1637), he was appointed chief commander of the expeditionary force that was sent to put down the Shimabara Rebellion
Shimabara Rebellion
The was an uprising largely involving Japanese peasants, most of them Catholic Christians, in 1637–1638 during the Edo period.It was one of only a handful of instances of serious unrest during the relatively peaceful period of the Tokugawa shogunate's rule...
. Shigemasa failed to take Hara Castle, the rebels' headquarters, despite his use of ninja, tunnelling methods, and catapults. As a result, the shogun Iemitsu grew impatient with him, and sent Matsudaira Nobutsuna
Matsudaira Nobutsuna
was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period, who ruled the Kawagoe Domain. First serving Tokugawa Iemitsu as a page, Nobutsuna was renowned for his sagacity. He was named a rōjū in 1633. Nobutsuna led the shogunal forces to their final victory over the rebellion at Shimabara...
as his replacement. In an effort to regain his credibility, Shigemasa led a sudden assault on the castle, but in the process, was shot dead by an arrow.
Shigemasa's death poem was:
- Aratama no/toshi no hajime ni/saku hana no/na nominokoraba/saki ga ketoshire
Translated,
- In a hail of bullets/at the start of the year/only the name/of blooming flowers/remains for the future