Shimazu family
Encyclopedia
The were the daimyō
of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma
, Ōsumi
and Hyūga
provinces in Japan
.
The Shimazu were identified as one of the tozama
or outsider daimyō clans in contrast with the fudai
or insider clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan
,
The Shimazu were descendants of the Seiwa Genji
branch of the Minamoto clan
. The Shimazu would become one of the families of Edo period
daimyō to have held their territory continuously since the Kamakura period, and would also become, at their peak, the wealthiest and most powerful) tozama family with an income in excess of 700,000 koku
.
The founder, Shimazu Tadahisa
(d. 1227), was a son of Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo
(1147-1199) with the sister of Hiki Yoshikazu
. Tadahisa's wife was a daughter of Koremune Hironobu, descendant of the Hata clan, whose name Tadahisa took at first. He received the domain of Shioda in Shinano Province
in 1186 and was then named shugo
of Satsuma Province. He sent Honda Sadachika to take possession of the province in his name and accompanied Yoritomo in his expedition to Mutsu
in 1189. He went to Satsuma in 1196, subdued Hyūga and Ōsumi provinces, and built a castle in the domain of Shimazu (Hyuga) which name he also adopted.
The 19th head, Yoshihiro
(1535–1619), was the daimyō at the time of the Battle of Sekigahara
, the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate
, and the Siege of Osaka
. His nephew and successor was Shimazu Tadatsune
. He held significant power during the first two decades of the 17th century, and organized the Shimazu invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
(modern-day Okinawa Prefecture
) in 1609. Tokugawa allowed this because he wished to appease the Shimazu and prevent potential uprisings after their loss at Sekigahara. The trade benefits thus acquired, and the political prestige of being the only daimyō family to control an entire foreign country secured the family's position as one of the most powerful daimyō families in Japan at the time.
The Shimazu clan is renowned for the loyalty of its retainers and officers, especially during the Sengoku period
. Some retainer families, such as the Ijuin and Shirakawa, were determined to defeat any opposition to help expand the power of the Shimazu clan. The Shimazu are also famous for being the first to use firearms (arquebuses
) on the battlefield in Japan, and began domestic production of the weapons as well. Shimazu battle tactics are known to have been very successful in defeating larger enemy armies, particularly during their campaign to conquer Kyūshū
in the 1580s. Their tactics included the luring of the opposition into an ambush on both sides by arquebus troops, creating panic and disorder. Central forces would then be deployed to rout the enemy. In this way, the Shimazu were able to defeat much larger clans such as the Itō
, Ryūzōji
and Ōtomo
. Overall, the Shimazu was a very large and powerful clan due to their strong economy both from domestic production through trade, good organization of government and troops, strong loyalty of retainers and isolation from Honshū.
Hisamitsu
(1817–1887), regent of the Tadayoshi
, was the daimyō of Satsuma han at the time of the Boshin War
and the Meiji Restoration
, in which Satsuma played a major role.
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 Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma
Satsuma Province
was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation is Sasshū .During the Sengoku Period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyo, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city.In 1871, with the...
, Ōsumi
Osumi Province
was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Ōsumi bordered on Hyūga and Satsuma Provinces.Osumi's ancient capital was near modern Kokubu...
and Hyūga
Hyuga Province
was an old province of Japan on the east coast of Kyūshū, corresponding to the modern Miyazaki Prefecture. It was sometimes called or . Hyūga bordered on Bungo, Higo, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Province.The ancient capital was near Saito.-Historical record:...
provinces in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The Shimazu were identified as one of the tozama
Tozama
A ' was a daimyo who was considered an outsider by the rulers of Japan. The term came into use in the Kamakura period and continued until the end of the Edo period.-Edo period:...
or outsider daimyō clans in contrast with the fudai
Fudai
was a class of daimyo who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa in Edo period Japan. It was primarily the fudai who filled the ranks of the Tokugawa administration.-Origins:...
or insider clans which were hereditary vassals or allies of the Tokugawa clan
Tokugawa clan
The was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...
,
The Shimazu were descendants of the Seiwa Genji
Seiwa Genji
The ' were the most successful and powerful of the many branch families of the Japanese Minamoto clan. Many of the most famous Minamoto warriors, including Minamoto Yoshiie, also known as "Hachimantaro", or God of War, and Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura shogunate, were descended...
branch of the Minamoto clan
Minamoto clan
was one of the surnames bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the imperial family who were demoted into the ranks of the nobility. The practice was most prevalent during the Heian Period , although its last occurrence was during the Sengoku Era. The Taira were another such offshoot of...
. The Shimazu would become one of the families of 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....
daimyō to have held their territory continuously since the Kamakura period, and would also become, at their peak, the wealthiest and most powerful) tozama family with an income in excess of 700,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
.
The founder, Shimazu Tadahisa
Shimazu Tadahisa
was the founder of the Shimazu samurai clan.According to a record of his life, he was reportedly born in Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka. He was initially Koremune Tadayoshi but after being given the territory of Shimazu, Hyūga Province to rule from by Minamoto no Yoritomo, he took the name of...
(d. 1227), was a son of Shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo
Minamoto no Yoritomo
was the founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. He ruled from 1192 until 1199.-Early life and exile :Yoritomo was the third son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, heir of the Minamoto clan, and his official wife, a daughter of Fujiwara no Suenori, who was a member of the...
(1147-1199) with the sister of Hiki Yoshikazu
Hiki Yoshikazu
was a Japanese warrior-noble of the Kamakura period related to the ruling Minamoto clan through his daughter's marriage. He, and much of the Hiki clan, were killed for allegedly conspiring to have one of the Minamoto heirs killed, in order to gain power himself....
. Tadahisa's wife was a daughter of Koremune Hironobu, descendant of the Hata clan, whose name Tadahisa took at first. He received the domain of Shioda in Shinano Province
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces...
in 1186 and was then named shugo
Shugo
was a title, commonly translated as "Governor," given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan...
of Satsuma Province. He sent Honda Sadachika to take possession of the province in his name and accompanied Yoritomo in his expedition to Mutsu
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
in 1189. He went to Satsuma in 1196, subdued Hyūga and Ōsumi provinces, and built a castle in the domain of Shimazu (Hyuga) which name he also adopted.
The 19th head, Yoshihiro
Shimazu Yoshihiro
was the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. It had traditionally been believed that he became the seventeenth head of the Shimazu clan after Yoshihisa, but it is currently believed that he let Yoshihisa keep his position....
(1535–1619), was the daimyō at the time of the Battle of Sekigahara
Battle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, and the Siege of Osaka
Siege of Osaka
The was a series of battles undertaken by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages , and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege put an end to the last major armed opposition to the shogunate's establishment...
. His nephew and successor was Shimazu Tadatsune
Shimazu Tadatsune
was a tozama daimyo of Satsuma, the first to hold it as a formal fief under the Tokugawa shogunate, and the first Japanese to rule over the Ryūkyū Kingdom...
. He held significant power during the first two decades of the 17th century, and organized the Shimazu invasion of the Ryūkyū Kingdom
Ryukyu Kingdom
The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan...
(modern-day Okinawa Prefecture
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
) in 1609. Tokugawa allowed this because he wished to appease the Shimazu and prevent potential uprisings after their loss at Sekigahara. The trade benefits thus acquired, and the political prestige of being the only daimyō family to control an entire foreign country secured the family's position as one of the most powerful daimyō families in Japan at the time.
The Shimazu clan is renowned for the loyalty of its retainers and officers, especially during the Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
. Some retainer families, such as the Ijuin and Shirakawa, were determined to defeat any opposition to help expand the power of the Shimazu clan. The Shimazu are also famous for being the first to use firearms (arquebuses
Arquebus
The arquebus , or "hook tube", is an early muzzle-loaded firearm used in the 15th to 17th centuries. The word was originally modeled on the German hakenbüchse; this produced haquebute...
) on the battlefield in Japan, and began domestic production of the weapons as well. Shimazu battle tactics are known to have been very successful in defeating larger enemy armies, particularly during their campaign to conquer Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
in the 1580s. Their tactics included the luring of the opposition into an ambush on both sides by arquebus troops, creating panic and disorder. Central forces would then be deployed to rout the enemy. In this way, the Shimazu were able to defeat much larger clans such as the Itō
Ito clan
The ' were a Japanese clan that claimed descent from the medieval warrior Itō Suketoki , who was famous for his involvement in the incident involving the Soga brothers. The family became a moderate power both in influence and ability by the latter Sengoku Period of Feudal Japan...
, Ryūzōji
Ryuzoji clan
The was a Japanese clan which claimed descent from Fujiwara Hidesato. It came to prominence in the Sengoku period, in the fighting in northern Kyūshū. Their descendants became retainers of the Matsudaira clan of Aizu, and remained there until the Meiji Restoration...
and Ōtomo
Otomo clan
The Ōtomo clan was a Japanese clan whose power stretched from the Kamakura period through the Sengoku period, spanning over 400 years. The clan's hereditary lands lay in Kyūshū....
. Overall, the Shimazu was a very large and powerful clan due to their strong economy both from domestic production through trade, good organization of government and troops, strong loyalty of retainers and isolation from Honshū.
Hisamitsu
Shimazu Hisamitsu
Prince , also known as ', was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. The younger brother of Shimazu Nariakira, Hisamitsu served as regent for his underage son Tadayoshi , who became the 12th and last lord. Hisamitsu was instrumental in the efforts of the southern Satsuma, Chōshū, and Tosa clans...
(1817–1887), regent of the Tadayoshi
Shimazu Tadayoshi
was a daimyo of Satsuma Province during Japan's Sengoku period.He was born to a branch family of the Shimazu clan, the Mimasaka Shimazu family but after his father Shimazu Yoshihisa died, his mother married Shimazu Unkyu of another branch family, the Soshū...
, was the daimyō of Satsuma han at the time of the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
and the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, in which Satsuma played a major role.
Order of Succession
- Shimazu TadahisaShimazu Tadahisawas the founder of the Shimazu samurai clan.According to a record of his life, he was reportedly born in Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka. He was initially Koremune Tadayoshi but after being given the territory of Shimazu, Hyūga Province to rule from by Minamoto no Yoritomo, he took the name of...
- Shimazu Tadatoki
- Shimazu Hisatsune
- Shimazu Tadamune
- Shimazu Sadahisa
- Shimazu Morohisa
- Shimazu Ujihisa
- Shimazu Yuihisa
- Shimazu Motohisa
- Shimazu Hisatoyo
- Shimazu Tadakuni
- Shimazu Tachihisa
- Shimazu Tadamasa
- Shimazu Tadaosa
- Shimazu Tadataka
- Shimazu KatsuhisaShimazu Katsuhisawas the fourteenth head of the Shimazu clan and the third son of Shimazu Tadamasa following the Sengoku or Warring States period of 16th century Japan....
- Shimazu TakahisaShimazu Takahisa, the son of Shimazu Tadayoshi, was a daimyo during Japan's Sengoku period. He was the fifteenth head of the Shimazu clan.On 1526, Takahisa was adopted as the successor to Shimazu Katsuhisa and became head of the clan. He launched a series of campaigns to reclaim three provinces: Satsuma, Osumi,...
- Shimazu YoshihisaShimazu Yoshihisawas a daimyo of Satsuma Province and the eldest son of Shimazu Takahisa. His mother was a daughter of Nyurai'in Shigesato , Yukimado . Shimazu Yoshihiro and Shimazu Toshihisa are his brothers....
- Shimazu YoshihiroShimazu Yoshihirowas the second son of Shimazu Takahisa and younger brother of Shimazu Yoshihisa. It had traditionally been believed that he became the seventeenth head of the Shimazu clan after Yoshihisa, but it is currently believed that he let Yoshihisa keep his position....
- Shimazu TadatsuneShimazu Tadatsunewas a tozama daimyo of Satsuma, the first to hold it as a formal fief under the Tokugawa shogunate, and the first Japanese to rule over the Ryūkyū Kingdom...
- Shimazu Mitsuhisa
- Shimazu Tsunataka
- Shimazu Yoshitaka
- Shimazu Tsugutoyo
- Shimazu Munenobu
- Shimazu Shigetoshi
- Shimazu Shigehide
- Shimazu Narinobu
- Shimazu NariokiShimazu Nariokiwas a Japanese feudal lord of the Edo period, the 27th in the line of Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma Domain 1809-1851. He was the father of Shimazu Nariakira and Shimazu Hisamitsu....
- Shimazu NariakiraShimazu Nariakirawas a Japanese feudal lord of the Edo period, the 28th in the line of Shimazu clan lords of Satsuma Domain. He was renowned as an intelligent and wise lord, and was greatly interested in Western learning and technology...
- Shimazu Tadayoshi (with his father, Shimazu Hisamitsu, as regent)
- Shimazu Tadashige
- Shimazu ToyohisaShimazu Toyohisa, son of Shimazu Iehisa and nephew of Shimazu Yoshihiro, was a Japanese samurai who was a member of the Shimazu clan. He served in the Battle of Kyushu under his uncle, Shimazu Yoshihiro against the Toyotomi. He fought bravely but was ambushed off route when he charged forward. He was saved by his...
Important Retainers
The Shimazu shichi-tō comprised the seven most significant vassal families -- the Niiro, Hokugō, Ijuin, Machida, Kawakami, Ata and Kajiki.- Ijuin Tada'akiIjuin TadaakiIjuin Tada'aki a retainer of the Japanese clan of Shimazu following the Sengoku period of the 16th century of Japan. Under Tada'aki, Ijuin clan would rise to the prominence as one of the most important retainer in the Shimazu clan....
- Ijuin Tada'ao
- Ijuin Tadamune
- Ijuin Tadazane
- Niiro TadamotoNiiro Tadamotowas a retainer of Satsuma daimyo Shimazu Yoshihisa. Jiroshirō is one of his other names....
- Yamada ArinobuYamada Arinobuwas a retainer of the Shimazu clan during the Edo period.He served under Shimazu Takahisa and then under Shimazu Yoshihisa. On 1568, he became a karo for his services....
- Yamada ArinagaYamada Arinaga' was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi-Momoyama period through the early Edo period, who served the Shimazu clan of Satsuma. He was the eldest son of Yamada Arinobu....
- Saigō TakamoriSaigo Takamoriwas one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history, living during the late Edo Period and early Meiji Era. He has been dubbed the last true samurai.-Early life:...
- Shō NeiSho Nei' was king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom from 1587–1620. He reigned during the 1609 invasion of Ryūkyū and was the first king of Ryūkyū to be a vassal to the Shimazu clan of Satsuma, a Japanese feudal domain....
, King of Ryūkyū - Shō TaiSho Taiwas the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom . His reign saw greatly increased interactions with travelers from abroad, particularly from Europe and the United States, as well as the eventual end of the kingdom and its annexation by Japan as Okinawa Prefecture.In 1879, the deposed king was forced to...
, King of Ryūkyū