Tokudaiji Kinnobu (徳大寺公信)
Kinnobu TOKUDAIJI (August 18, 1606-August 31, 1684) was a high-rank Court noble in the early Edo period. He served five-generations of emperors from Emperor Gomizunoo (the 108th) to Emperor Reigen (the 112th), and his official court rank culminated at Juichii Sadaijin (Junior First Rank, the Minister of the Left). His father was Gon Chunagon (a provisional vice-councilor of state) Sanehisa TOKUDAIJI. His mother was a daughter of Udaijin (Minister of the Right) Nobunaga ODA. His lawful wife was an adopted daughter of Hidenari MORI, the lord of the Choshu Domain (a daughter of Hiromasa KIKKAWA, the lord of the Iwakuni Domain). Naidajin (Minister of the Center) Sanefusa TOKUDAIJI and Udaijin Kinnori IMADEGAWA (an adopted son of the Imadegawa family) were among his children.
He was conferred an official court rank in 1612. Afterwards, Kinnobu was on the express track of promotion as the head of seigake (the second highest family status for court nobles) and worked as jiju (a chamberlain) and Sakone no chujo (Middle Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards). In 1616, he was given Jusanmi (Junior Third Rank) and joined the realm of kugyo (high-rank Court nobles). After working as Gon Chunagon and Toka no sechie Geben (a Kugyo who supervised the event of toka [ceremonial mass singing and stomp dancing] called Toka no sechie held at the Imperial Court on around the fifteenth day of the first month of the year), he was assigned to Shonii (Senior Second Rank) Gon Dainagon (a provisional chief councilor of state) in 1639 and to Jingutenso (shrine messenger to Emperor) in 1640. He was appointed as Naidaijin in 1655 but stepped down in the following year. He was assigned to Udaijin in 1660 and conferred Juichii (Junior First Rank) in the following year. He was promoted to Sadaijin in 1668 but resigned from the post in the following year. He entered into priesthood at the age of 70 in 1675 and stopped serving the Imperial Court. In 1684, he passed away at the age of 79 after living a long life (some believe that he died in 1681).