Hotta Masamori
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Hotta Masamori (堀田正盛 January 16, 1606-June 8, 1651), Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period who was a key figure in the early decades of the Tokugawa shogunate.
[edit] Origins
The rise of Hotta Masamori through the ranks of the Tokugawa shogunate is a rather miraculous one; his family had a very short history with the Tokugawa family prior to his father Masayoshi's generation. Masayoshi was granted a 700 koku stipend and his house instituted as a hatamoto family, following his and his ancestors' service with a variety of other clans, among them the Oda, Toyotomi, Maeda, and Kobayakawa. Thanks to his distinction at the Osaka Winter Campaign, Masayoshi was granted an increase in stipend to 1000 koku, and the family was at this level of income when Masamori succeeded his father as the family head.
[edit] Service in the Shogunate
The early period of Masamori's rise in the ranks can be ascribed to his relation to Kasuga no Tsubone, the shogun Iemitsu's wetnurse. Because of this connection, he was close to the shogun, and this was to open the doors wide for his future success. In Kan'ei 3, he received his first posting, as a captain of the page corps (koshōgumi-bangashira). His income subsequently rose to the range of 5000 koku, and an additional 5000 koku granted that year, he entered the ranks of the fudai daimyō with the income of 10,000 koku.
On the 23rd day of the 3rd month of Kan'ei 10 (1633), he was appointed a member of the rokunin-shu (what became the wakadoshiyori council) together with Matsudaira Nobutsuna, and was granted another 5000 koku, together with the ranking that came with being a castle lord.
Masamori was subsequently shown great favor by Iemitsu, who promoted him to Rōjū on the 1st day of the 3rd month of Kan'ei 12 (1635). His income rose to 1000,000 koku, and he was granted the fief of Matsumoto han, in Shinano Province. In 1642 he was moved to Sakura han in Shimotsuke Province, where his family remained enfeoffed at 110,000 koku for the remainder of the Edo period. Masamori committed junshi (suicide after the death of one's lord) in 1651, at the age of 44.
| Preceded by Sakai Tadakatsu |
Lord of Kawagoe 1635-1638 |
Succeeded by Matsudaira Nobutsuna |
| Preceded by Matsudaira Naomasa |
Lord of Matsumoto 1638-1642 |
Succeeded by Mizuno Tadakiyo |
| Preceded by Matsudaira Yasunobu |
Lord of Sakura 1642-1651 |
Succeeded by Hotta Masanobu |
