Tokugawa Akitake - Tokugawa Akitake

Japanese: 徳川昭武 - とくがわ・あきたけ

Year of death: July 3, 1910 (Meiji 43)
Year of birth: September 24, 1853 (October 26, 1853)
The last feudal lord of the Mito Domain at the end of the Edo period. The 18th son of Tokugawa Nariaki. His mother was Manri-koji Mutsuko. He was Yoshinobu's younger brother. In 1864, following the sudden death of his elder brother Akinobu, he was appointed to guard the Imperial Palace, and during the Kinmon Incident in July, he guarded the area around the east floor of the Tsunegoten Palace. In November, he was awarded the position of Junior Fifth Rank and Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs for his service in guarding Kyoto. At the end of the same year, he marched along the eastern Omi route as the vanguard of the army pursuing the Tengu Party, ordered by Yoshinobu, commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guard, to the west. However, on the day of the planned general attack, Takeda Kounsai and others surrendered to the Kaga Domain, and he returned to Kyoto. In November 1866, he inherited the title of the Shimizu family. He lived in Yoshinobu's camp. He was a Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade, Left Guard Major General. In the following year, he participated in the Paris World's Fair as a representative of Shogun Yoshinobu, leading 28 men including Mukaiyama Koson. After visiting allied countries, he studied in France, where he received a thorough education in French. In 1868, after the Meiji Restoration, he learned that Yoshinobu was under house arrest in Mito, so he gave up studying abroad and returned to Japan and assumed the Mito domain. In 1869, he went to Esashi to pursue the former Shogunate forces. In the same year, the domain was returned to the Emperor and he became the domain's governor. In the following year, he settled in five Teshio counties with former domain samurai with the aim of developing Hokkaido, and later returned to the domain. In 1870, the domains were abolished and prefectures were established, and he was dismissed from his position as domain governor. In 1871, he traveled to France to visit the Philadelphia World's Fair, and then studied in France again. In 1882, he returned to Japan and retired to Matsudo. <References> "Ishinshi" Vols. 4 and 5

(Yoshimitsu Iwabe)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：明治43.7.3(1910)
生年：嘉永6.9.24(1853.10.26)
幕末の水戸藩最後の藩主。徳川斉昭の第18男。母は万里小路睦子。慶喜の実弟。元治1(1864)年兄昭訓の急死により御所守衛に任じられ,7月の禁門の変時に常御殿東階付近を警衛,11月京都警衛の功を賞されて従五位下,民部大輔となる。同年末天狗党の西上に対し禁裏守衛総督慶喜の命で追討軍先鋒として東近江路を進軍,しかし総攻撃予定日に武田耕雲斎らが加賀藩に降伏したため帰京。慶応2(1866)年11月清水家襲封。慶喜の営内に居住。従四位下左近衛権少将。翌3年パリ万博に向山黄村以下28名を率い将軍慶喜の名代として参加。締盟各国訪問後フランス留学,徹底したフランス語教育を受ける。明治1(1868)年明治維新により慶喜が水戸で謹慎中と知り留学を断念,帰国後水戸藩襲封。同2年旧幕軍追討のため江差へ。同年版籍奉還,藩知事となる。翌3年北海道開拓を志し旧藩士と天塩5郡に入植,のち帰藩。同4年廃藩置県により藩知事免官。同9年フィラデルフィア万博見学のため渡航後,フランスに再留学。同14年帰国し松戸に隠居。<参考文献>『維新史』4,5巻

(岩壁義光)

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