Oinomikado Iekoto (大炊御門家信)
Iekoto OINOMIKADO (July 10, 1818 - August 30, 1885) was a Kugyo (a Court Noble) who lived during the end of Edo period. He served for the three sovereigns who were the 120th Emperor Ninko, the 121st Emperor Komei and the 122nd Emperor Meiji; He was promoted up to Juichii Udaijin (Junior First Rank and Minister of the Right). His father was Udaijin Tsunehisa OINOMIKADO. He had some older brothers, Jiju (Imperial Household Agency staff) Tsunenaga OINOMIKADO and "Sakone gon no chujo"(Provisional Middle Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards) Tsunenao OINOMIKADO. His wife was a daughter of 松下威久. He had several children including 経宣 OINOMIKADO, 師前 OINOMIKADO, Ikumaro OINOMIKADO and Iemasa AYANOKOJI who was the child adopted by the Ayanokoji family).
He was born to be the third son of Tunenaga OINOMIKADO; Because his two older brothers died young, he became heir to the Oinomikado family and the Seiga family (the second highest family status for the court noble). After he was conferred a peerage in 1819, being the head of the Seiga family, he was successfully promoted in the Imperial Court in a short period; He held different positions such as Jiju, "Ukone no Gon no shosho" (Provisional Minor Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards), and "Sakone gon no chujo" (Provisional Middle Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards). In 1828, he did "genpuku" (celebrated his coming of age); He became Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) in 1831, which gave him the title Kugyo. After he took the positions which were "Toka no sechie Geben" (Kugyo who supervised many matters outside Jomei Gate at Toka no sechie [Imperial Court Ceremony]) and then "Gon Chunagon" (Provisional Vice-Councilor of State), he was given the title "Gon Dainagon" (Provisional Chief Councilor of State) in 1854. In 1858, he attended the demonstration that claimed to prevent the Imperial sanction to be issued for the Treaty of amity and commerce between the United States and Japan, as he was one of the members of "hachiju-hachi kyo" (the eighty-eight retainers of Imperial Court) which included Tadayasu NAKAYAMA and Tomomi IWAKURA who also attended the demonstration; This affair was called "Demo of eighty-eight retainers of Imperial Court." This caused him to be often arrested as a rebel under the political oppression which was called "Ansei no Taigoku" (the suppression of extremists by the Shogunate) led by Naosuke II in the same year. In 1863, he became "Ukone no daisho" (Major Captain of the Right Division of Inner Palace Guards) and "Umaryo gogen" (Inspector of the Right Division of Bureau of Horses). In 1867, he assumed the positions which were Naidaijin (Minister of the Center) and then Udaijin (Minister of the Right). In 1868, he resigned the positions. Since then, being away from politics, he spent his retirement in the north of 西殿町, Kyoto City. His son, Ikumaro was conferred a peerage.