Wakisaka Yasumasa (脇坂安政)
Yasumasa WAKISAKA (March 28, 1633 - May 13, 1694) was a tozama daimyo (nonhereditary feudal lord) in the early Edo period. He later became a fudai daimyo (a daimyo in hereditary vassal to the Tokugawa family) (a quasi fudai daimyo) in his origin (mentioned later). He was the person who laid the foundation for the Wakisaka clan to be respected as 'tono-sama (a person with higher rank) of Tatsuno City' until now. He was the third lord of the Iida Domain, Shinano Province and later became the first lord of the Tatsuno Domain, Harima Province. He was the third generation of the Wakisaka family, Tatsuno Domain.
Family Lineage
He was the second son of Masamori HOTTA, who was roju (member of shogun's council of elders) of the Iemitsu TOKUGAWA period. His mother was Aguri, who was the daughter of roju Tadakatsu SAKAI (the lord of Obama Domain, Wakasa Province). His foster father was Yasumoto WAKISAKA, the second lord of the Iida Domain, Shinano Province. His lawful wife was the daughter of Yasuteru MATSUDAIRA, the lord of the Kishiwada Domain (later became the lord of the Yamazaki Domain and Hamada Domain). His concubine was the daughter of the Imai clan. His children were Yasumura WAKISAKA (the eldest son), Yasuteru WAKISAKA (the fifth son), the eldest daughter (the second wife of Kiyozumi ARIMA, the lord of the Maruoka Domain), the second daughter (the lawful wife of Yasutsune KATO, the lord of the Ozu Domain). His official rank was Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) of Ministry of Central Affairs.
Brief Biography
He was born in 1633. He was adopted as a heir by Yasumoto WAKISAKA, who was the lord of the Iida Domain, Shinano Province at that time. He was deeply committed to the operation of the Iida Domain under his foster father Yasumoto, who was known as the wise ruler.
He succeeded to the family head due to his foster father's death in 1654. He took in his real older brother Masanobu HOTTA, who was under house arrest by the order of the bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun).
He changed the territory from the Iida Domain to the Tatsuno Domain in 1672. The Tatsuno Domain became the shogunal demesne after the Kyogoku clan changed the territory to the Marugame Domain in 1658, so the castle was knocked down and abandoned. Yasumasa immediately started the reconstruction of the castle once he got the permission from the bakufu. The castle built on this occasion was the foundation of the present Tatsuno-jo Castle.
(However, the buildings were knocked down again after the Meiji Restoration, so the ones we can currently see were reconstructed sequentially in 1979.)
He proceeded the maintenance of the castle town and built the fundamental patterns of present Tatsuno City. Other than that, he dedicated himself to develop the Tatsuno Domain by encouraging the production of 'light-colored soy sauce,' which is still one of the special local products in Tatsuno City.
In 1683, Yasumasa requested the bakufu to change his treatment from tozama to fudai because his family home was the Hotta clan, fudai daimyo, then he became 'a quasi fudai daimyo.'
He was retired in 1684, and his fifth son Yasuteru succeeded to the family head.