Kutsuki Taneharu (朽木稙治)
Taneharu KUTSUKI is the fourth lord of the Fukuchiyama Domain in Tanba Province. The fifth head of the Kutsuki family in the Fukuchiyama Domain.
He was born on December 13, 1665, as the second son of the first lord Tanemasa KUTSUKI (at that time the second lord of the Tsuchiura Domain in Hitachi Province). Because he had an older brother Tanemoto, he had no right to succession, but in 1694 he was assigned to Nakaoku kosho (a page who works for shogun in his castle) of Tsunayoshi TOKUGAWA, the fifth shogun of the Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), and was later promoted to the chief of the bodyguard of the shogun. In 1708 he was given 3,000 koku by his older brother.
In 1717 he retired. However, in 1726 his nephew and the third lord of the Domain Uetsugu KUTSUKI (the lord of Fukuchiyama Domain) (Uemoto's son) died young, so he succeeded to the family estate of the head family and became the fourth lord. Because he enjoyed the friendship of Sorai OGYU, he devoted himself to the development of civilian government druing his administration of the Domain.
But he was already so old and had no biological sons, so Taneharu adopted his younger brothers, Masamitsu KUTSUKI (朽木昌充) and Michitsuna KUTSUKI. However, as the younger brothers died one after another, he adopted Tsunasada KUTSUKI, Michitsuna's son, but disinherited him not only because Tsunasada was in poor health but also he was on bad terms with Taneharu, then he adopted Totsuna KUTSUKI from the Iwamura Domain of Mino Province and retired on December 23, 1728, giving him the family estate.
Thereafter he lived in the daimyo (feudal lord)'s suburban residence in Okubo and took the tonsure, calling himself Eizan (英山). He died on September 7, 1741. He died at the age of 77.