Matsudaira Yorinori (Shishido)

Matsudaira Yorinori (松平 頼徳, 1831–1864) was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period. He was the ninth feudal lord of the Shishido han (Hitachi Province) and the Daimyo of 10,000 koku. His father, Matsudaira Yoritaka, was the eighth feudal lord of the Shishido han.

Career

Yorinori succeeded Yoritaka, who retired in 1846. Yorinori acted as an assistant to Tokugawa Yoshiatsu (徳川 慶篤), the elder brother of Tokugawa Yoshinobu. Yoritaka, who retired as the lord, helped his son be appointed as a sub-assistant. Tokugawa Yoshiatsu was the tenth feudal lord of the Mito Domain, which was the Shishido han's head family.

In 1864, Yorinori was ordered by the Shogunate to proceed to Mito, in order to deal with an uprising of the Tengu Party, whose members had proposed the policy with the motto of "Revere the emperor, expel the barbarians". The Tengu Party was dissatisfied with the foreign policy of the Shogunate. However, Yorinori failed to deal with the Tengu Party's threat due to his sympathy for their cause, Yorinori was a believer of Tokugawa Nariaki (徳川 斉昭), a proponent of radical imperialism.

In spite of his initial unwillingness, Yorinori opposed the Ichikawa Party, the aristocratic family group in the Mito Domain, and the enemy of the Tengu Party. He was subsequently blamed by the Shogunate for his opposition to the Ichikawa Party. Yorinori intended to appeal to the Shogunate by providing a reasoned defense for his actions, but—without being afforded the opportunity to defend himself—he was instead commanded to commit seppuku for disgracefully serving as "the enemy leader". This series of events were orchestrated by Ichikawa Sanzaemon (市川 三左衛門), who held the majority of power in Mito. Yorinori died by Seppuku at the age of 35 on October 5, (Japanese calendar date) 1864, and most of his vassals were executed. In addition, Yorinori's father, Yoritaka, was deprived of feudal tenure, made to forfeit his residence in Edo, and was placed in custody of the Uzen Shinjo han, thereafter tainting the Shishido han.

In 1868, the new government of Meiji Emperor (明治天皇) ordered the restoration of the Shishido han, and Yorinori's father, Yoritaka (who had since retired), was restored as the feudal lord (10th feudal lord) of the Shishido han, and the following year being named han Chiji (domainal governor) by Imperial order.

In July 1880, Yorinori's younger brother, Matsudaira Yoriyasu (松平 頼安, 1856–1940) was handed down the birthright from his father, and Yoriyasu was awarded the title of viscount on July 8, 1884.

Family

Yorinori's younger sister was Matsudaira Kō (松平 高, 1858–1923). She married Nagai Iwanojō (永井 岩之丞, 1845–1907) who was the supreme court judge, and was the adopted son of Nagai Naoyuki (永井 尚志).^[1][2][3]

In popular fiction

Yorinori's younger brother, Matsudaira Yoriyasu, has been the model of the main characters in the several short stories of Yukio Mishima. These stories' titles are Shinkan (神官) "Shinto priesthood"; Koushoku (好色) "Lust" and Kaibutsu (怪物) "Monster".^[3]

See also

• Mitogaku
• Shinto
• Tokugawa Nariaki

References

• "Tokugawa Shōgun-ke to Matsudaira Ichizoku". Rekishi Dokuhon, January 2006, p. 239.
• Etsugu, Tomoko (1983). 三島由紀夫 文学の軌跡 [Yukio Mishima-The locus of his literature] (in Japanese). Koōronsha. 
• Inose, Naoki (1999). ペルソナ 三島由紀夫伝 [Persona - A Biography of Yukio Mishima] (in Japanese) (paperback ed.). Bungeishunjū. 
• Yamauchi, Yukito (2011). 三島由紀夫vs.司馬遼太郎 戦後精神と近代 [Yukio Mishima vs. Ryōtarō Shiba - Postwar mind and modern times] (in Japanese). Kawadeshobo shinsha. 
• Takahashi, Hiroofumi (2005). 幕末水戸藩と民衆運動 [Late MitoTokugawa period and People movement] (in Japanese). Seishi shuppan. 
• "水戸支流松平氏（宍戸藩・御連枝） － Reichsarchiv ～世界帝王事典～" [Mito branch Matsudaira (Shishido feudal clan, noble brothers) - Reichsarchiv - World emperor encyclopedia]. 
• "水戸学・水戸幕末争乱（天狗党の乱）" [Mitogaku・Late MitoTokugawa period social confusion (Revolt of Tengu Party)]. 

Notes