Tadakatsu Sakai

A fudai daimyo (feudal lord) of the early Edo period. He was a senior councilor during the time of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, and the fourth shogun, Tokugawa Ietsuna. He was born in Nishio, Mikawa (Aichi Prefecture) as the eldest son of Bingo no Kami Tadatoshi, a branch of the Sakai clan, known as Utanosuke. In 1620 (Genwa 6), he was given to Iemitsu, the heir of the second shogun, Hidetada, and in 1622, his fief was increased to 10,000 koku (later 50,000 koku) and he became the lord of Musashi Fukaya Castle (Saitama Prefecture). The year after Iemitsu became shogun, in 1624 (Kan'ei 1), he was appointed to the position of senior councilor. In 1627, he inherited his father's estate and became the lord of Musashi Kawagoe Castle (80,000 koku, later 100,000 koku). In 1801, he was transferred to Obama in Wakasa (Fukui Prefecture) and was granted an additional fief of over 113,000 koku. He also advanced to the rank of Junior Fourth Rank Upper and Shosho. From the latter half of the reign of Iemitsu to the first half of the reign of the fourth shogun, Ietsuna, he assisted the shogun as a central member of the senior councilors and worked hard to establish and develop shogunate politics. He also took great care in the administration of the domain. He was an honest man of character and well-educated. In his later years, he took the pen name Kuin.

[Ryosho Hayashi]

"Sakai Tadakatsu" by Nao Murakami (included in Daimyo Retsuden 6, 1967, Jinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸前期の譜代(ふだい)大名。3代将軍徳川家光(いえみつ)、4代将軍家綱(いえつな)時代の老中。雅楽助(うたのすけ)酒井氏の分家備後守(びんごのかみ)忠利(ただとし)の長子として三河(みかわ)（愛知県）西尾に生まれる。1620年（元和6）2代将軍秀忠(ひでただ)の世子(せいし)家光に付けられ、22年加増されて武蔵(むさし)深谷(ふかや)（埼玉県）1万石の城主となる（のち5万石）。家光が将軍となった翌年、24年（寛永1）には老中に登用された。27年父の遺領を相続し、武蔵川越(かわごえ)城主となった（8万石、のち10万石）。34年若狭(わかさ)（福井県）小浜(おばま)に転じ加増されて11万3000石余を領するに至った。官位も従(じゅ)四位上、少将に進む。家光時代後半から4代将軍家綱時代前半にかけて老中の中心としてよく将軍を補佐し、将軍政治の確立とその発展に努めた。藩政についてもよく心を用いている。性格は謹直で教養も豊かだった。晩年、空印(くういん)と号した。

［林　亮勝］

『村上直著「酒井忠勝」（『大名列伝 6』所収・1967・人物往来社）』

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