Matsudaira Yorishige (松平頼重)
Yorishige MATSUDAIRA was a Japanese feudal lord in the early Edo period. He was the lord of the Shimodate Domain in Hitachi Province and the first lord of the Takamatsu Domain in Sanuki Province.
He was the first son of Yoshifusa TOKUGAWA, the first head of the Mito Tokugawa family.
(He was the grand son of the first Shogun Ieyasu TOKUGAWA, and the second Shogun Hidetada TOKUGAWA was his uncle.)
It is said that he could not succeed to the Mito Domain because he was treated as the eldest child out of wedlock by Yorifusa who had consideration about the feelings of his older brothers Yoshinao TOKUGAWA and Yorinobu TOKUGAWA who had no son. Mitsukuni TOKUGAWA, his younger brother became the second lord of the Mito Domain.
However, he received suitable treatment for the eldest son of Yorifusa such as receiving the fief of Takamatsu in Sanuki Province yielding 120,000-koku (a unit of volume of rice) which was an important place for the Shikoku region after receiving the fief of Shimodate in the Hitachi Province yielding 50,000-koku. His own sons, Tsunakata TOKUGAWA and Tsunaeda TOKUGAWA were later adopted to Mitsukuni and Tsunaeda succeeded to the Mito Domain. In contrast, he adopted Mitsukuni's son, Yoritsune MATSIDAIRA to succeed to the Takamatsu Domain. In 1673, he handed over the family headship to the adopted son Yoritsune for retirement. He died in 1695.
Career
1622: He was born. 1639: He had first audience with the shogun. 1639: He was allocated to the Shimodate Domain in the Hitachi Province yielding 50,000-koku. 1642: He was relocated to the Takamatsu Domain in Sanuki Province yielding 120,000-koku (on June 25). 1673: He was retired (on April 6) and entered into priesthood on April 15. He took the second name of Genei (源英).
1695: He died at the age of 74. Homyo (a posthumous Buddhist name): Ryuunin Yurensha Daiyo Koho Genei (龍雲院雄蓮社大誉孤峯源英).
Court rank and official post history
* Date according to old lunar calendar
On November 2, 1638, he received Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) and was appointed to Ukyo no daibu (Master of the Western Capital Offices). He took the family name of Matsudaira at that time.
He was promoted to Jushiinoge (Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade) and served concurrently as a jiju (Chamberlain) on March 4, 1640.
He was promoted to Jushiinojo (Junior Fourth Rank, Upper Grade) and was transferred to Kyoto to be Sakone gon no shosho (Provisional Minor Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards). He retained his position as Ukyo no daibu (Master of the Western Capital Office).
His position was changed to Sanuki no kami (the governor of Sanuki Province) from Ukyo no daibu (Master of the Western Capital Office) on January 27, 1662. He retained his position as Sakone gon no shosho (Provisional Minor Captain of the Left Division of Inner Palace Guards).
He was conferred the rank of Shosanmi (Senior Third Rank) posthumously (on November 15, 1918).
Episode
In 1644, nine years before Tamagawa Josui Water Supply was installed, he laid on the Japan's first full-scale water supplies with water measures and pipes which were installed by Heiroku YANO underground by the order from Yorishige in the castle town of the Takamatsu-jo Castle which has suffered from water shortage up to the present. Kameido was one of the water sources and the Sui-jinja Shrine remains on the water source site.