Shitennō (Tokugawa clan)
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The Four Heavenly Kings of the Tokugawa (徳川四天王, Tokugawa-shitennō) is a Japanese sobriquet describing four highly effective samurai generals who fought on behalf of Tokugawa Ieyasu in Sengoku period. They were famous during their lifetimes as the four most fiercely loyal vassals of the Tokugawa clan in the early Edo period.[1]
Each of those four generals was the founder of a cadet branch clan:
- Honda Tadakatsu[2] of the Honda clan[3]
- Ii Naomasa[4] of the Ii clan[5]
- Sakakibara Yasumasa[1] of the Sakakibara clan[6]
- Sakai Tadatsugu[1] of the Sakai clan[7]
Etymology[edit]
The sobriquet evolved from the "Four Heavenly Kings" of Buddhist iconography. These are said to be the guardians of the four horizons.[8]
Fudai leaders[edit]
In 1586, according to "Sakakibara clan historical records", Ieyasu sent Honda Tadakatsu, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Ii Naomasa as representatives to Kyoto, where three of them being regarded as "Tokugawa Sanketsu"(Three great nobles of Tokugawa).[9] Then in following month, the three of them joined by Tadatsugu Sakai to accompany Ieyasu in his personal trip to Kyoto, where the four of them "became famous".[9]
all of the Tokugawa Shitennō possessed more than 10,000 koku(rice unit) as Daimyo(provincial governor). Naomasa has already possess 120,000 koku, while Yasumasa and Tadakatsu respectively hold domains worth of 100,000 koku. However, Tadatsugu, who retired in 1588, had his successor Sakai Ietsugu only inherit of domains worth of only 37,000 koku. Shigeo Negishi, professor of history faculty in Kokugakuin University, viewed this clear disparities among them is due to several factors. the first reason of this disparity were a political strategy by Ieyasu to strengthen control over his vassals after he relocate to the Kantō region by promoting the younger generations of loyal vassals, as he viewed that Yasumasa, Tadakatsu, and Naomasa were great assets for the future. The second reason was due to Tadatsugu himself were content with his relatively low stipend, as he already held pivotal position as Fudai daimyō who has de facto control over the old loyalist clans of Tokugawa originated from Higashi-Mikawa.[10]
In 1894, Frederick Dickins also recorded in english language about the existence of "four Tokugawa guardians" during Sengoku period, although Dickins did not mentions those individuals name.[11]
Other version memberships[edit]
Stephen Turnbull stated that prior to the inclusion of Ii Naomasa, the Tokugawa-shitennō consisted of Ishikawa Kazumasa, Sakai Tadatsugu, Sakakibara Yasumasa, and Honda Tadakatsu, as they fought in the battle of Anegawa.[12]
Kawada Sadao opined that during the restructurization of Tokugawa clan management after retirement of Tadatsugu, the memberships of the "Shitennō" were actually consisted five peoples. Sadao stated that aside from Sakakibara, Tadakatsu, and Ii, the two other members which replacing Tadatsugu place was Ōkubo Tadayo and Torii Mototada.[10]
Another cultural depiction has the original Shitennō included in the more expanded version of collectives, named Tokugawa 16 divine generals(Tokugawa jūrokushinshō), which also includes the name of Hattori Hanzō,[13] Watanabe Moritsuna, Ōkubo Tadasuke, and others.[14][15]
Tokugawa Four Gallery[edit]
-
Ii Naomasa Armor at Hikone Castle (1561–1602) -
Honda Tadakatsu armor, at Mikawa Bushi Museum, Okazaki, Aichi prefecture (1548–1610) -
![Yasumasa Sakakibara's Gusoku armor with Nanban(european) style.[16] (1548–1606)](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2e/NanbanDo.jpg/61px-NanbanDo.jpg)
Yasumasa Sakakibara's Gusoku armor with Nanban(european) style.[16] (1548–1606) -
Sakai Tadatsugu Iroiro Dō-maru armor, Chidō Museum (1527–1596)
![Yasumasa Sakakibara's Gusoku armor with Nanban(european) style.[16] (1548–1606)](File:NanbanDo.jpg)
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ^ a b c Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric et al. (2005). "Sakakibara Yasumasa" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 811., p. 811, at Google Books; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File Archived 24 May 2012 at archive.today.
- ^ Nussbaum, "Honda Tadakatsu" at p. 347., p. 347, at Google Books
- ^ Appert, Georges. (1888). "Honda" in Ancien Japon, pp. 65., p. 65, at Google Books
- ^ Nussbaum, "Ii Naomasa" at p. 374., p. 374, at Google Books
- ^ Appert, "Ii" at Ancien Japon, p. 67., p. 67, at Google Books
- ^ Appert, "Sakakiwara" at Ancien Japon, p. 77., p. 77, at Google Books
- ^ Appert, "Sakai" at Ancien Japon, p. 76., p. 76, at Google Books
- ^ Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric et al. (2005). "Shi-tennō" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 875., p. 875, at Google Books; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File Archived 24 May 2012 at archive.today.
- ^ a b Tetsuo Nakamura; Kazuo Murayama (1991). 徳川四天王: 精強家康軍団奮闘譜 歴史群像シリーズ22号. 学研プラス. pp. 111, 125. ISBN 4051053679. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ a b 平野明夫; 岩田書院 (2007). "関東領有期徳川氏家臣と豊臣政権". In Sato, Hironobu (ed.). 中世東国の政治構造 中世東国論：上 [Political structure of medieval Eastern countries: Theory of medieval Eastern countries: Vol. 1] (in Japanese). Kamakura Prefecture: iwata-shoin. ISBN 978-4-87294-472-3. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ Dickins, Frederick Victor (1894), The Life of Sir Harry Parkes, vol. 2: Minister Plenipotentiary to Japan, London, Macmillian and co., p. 9
- ^ Stephen Turnbull (2013). The Samurai A Military History. Taylor & Francis. p. 140. ISBN 9781134243693. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Kacem Zoughari, Ph.D. (2013). Ninja Ancient Shadow Warriors of Japan (The Secret History of Ninjutsu). Tuttle Publishing. p. 58. ISBN 9781462902873. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
- ^ Harada Kazutoshi (2009, p. 300)
- ^ 奥出 賢治 (2002). 徳川十六将図再考 [Reconsideration of the Sixteen Tokugawa Generals] (in Japanese). Nagoya City Museum Research Bulletin. pp. 1–21. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Nanban (Western style) Armor". emuseum.nich.go. the Tokyo National Museum, Kyoto National Museum, Nara National Museum, Kyushu National Museum and the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
References[edit]
- Appert, Georges and H. Kinoshita. (1888). Ancien Japon. Tokyo: Imprimerie Kokubunsha. OCLC 4429674
- Harada Kazutoshi (2009). Art of the Samurai Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868. Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.). ISBN 9781588393456. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan Encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 48943301
Further reading[edit]
- Bolitho, Harold. (1974). Treasures Among Men: The Fudai Daimyo in Tokugawa Japan. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-01655-0; OCLC 185685588
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