Tadatsugu Ina

A vassal of Tokugawa Ieyasu and head of the Kanto magistrate. Born in Ojima, Hazu County, Mikawa Province (Nishio City, Aichi Prefecture). He was originally called Kumazo Ietsugu, but later changed his name to Tadatsugu. In 1582 (Tensho 10), he moved from Sakai, Senshu (Osaka Prefecture) to Mikawa as a yoriki (deputy) for Ieyasu's page, Oguri Yoshitada. In 1586, he was appointed as one of Ieyasu's attendants, and was responsible for issuing village and village documents, donations of temple lands, and assignment of fiefs to Ieyasu's retainers in Suruga, Totomi, Kai, and other areas. In 1690, during Toyotomi Hideyoshi's attack on Odawara, he was in charge of the construction of roads and pontoon bridges, and was in charge of transporting military supplies. In August of the same year, he was appointed governor of Komuro and Konosu in Musashi Province, 10,000 koku of land, and as the head of the Kanto magistrate, he controlled 1 million koku of land from Ieyasu's treasury. He made great contributions to the civil and agricultural administration of the Kanto region, such as conducting land surveys, developing new fields, repairing rivers, developing irrigation channels, and creating early modern administrative villages. He also donated land for temples and shrines, transferred the fiefs of Ieyasu's vassals, improved transportation, and supervised checkpoints. In 1699 (Keicho 4), he was appointed as Bizen no Kami, Junior Fifth Rank, and served as Konida magistrate in the Battle of Sekigahara the following year, 1600. He also served as chief magistrate during the implementation of the Five Highway Post Stations System from 1601 to 1602, and built the foundations of the Tenma system. In 1605, he was ordered to serve in Sunpu as an aide to Ieyasu, but he continued to play an active role in river repairs, civil administration, and agricultural policy in the Kanto region, as well as in Totomi and Mikawa. He died of illness on June 13, 1612, and is buried at Konosu Shoganji Temple.

Tadatsugu's achievements can be evaluated as that of a leading local expert who dismantled the medieval ruling system of the Hojo clan, which was based on a class of local lords who privately owned land and people, and changed it to a modern ruling system in which the Tokugawa clan directly controlled the land and people. He can be said to be a man of great merit who built the foundation for the Edo Shogunate's local rule.

[Kiyotoshi Homma]

"Kanto Gundai" by Homma Kiyotoshi (1977, Saitama Shimbun)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

徳川家康の家臣、関東代官頭(がしら)。三河国幡豆(はず)郡小島(おじま)（愛知県西尾市）に生まれる。初め熊蔵家次(くまぞういえつぐ)と称したが、のち忠次と改める。1582年（天正10）家康の小姓衆(こしょうしゅう)小栗吉忠(おぐりよしただ)の与力(よりき)として泉州（大阪府）堺(さかい)から三河に移る。86年家康の近習衆に登用され、駿河(するが)、遠江(とおとうみ)、甲斐(かい)などの地に発せられた郷村定書や寺領の寄進、家康御家人(ごけにん)の知行宛行(ちぎょうあてがい)などを奉行(ぶぎょう)する。90年豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の小田原攻めにあたっては、道路や舟橋の普請を奉行し兵粮(ひょうろう)輸送の任にあたった。同年8月武蔵(むさし)国小室(こむろ)、鴻巣(こうのす)1万石を領知、関東代官頭として家康蔵入地(くらいりち)のうち100万石の地を支配、検地の施行、新田の開発、河川の修治、用水路の開発、近世行政村落の造成など、関東の民政、農政に多大な功績を残した。このほか寺社領の寄進、家康御家人の知行宛行、交通の整備、関所の取締りなども奉行した。99年（慶長4）従(じゅ)五位下備前守(びぜんのかみ)に叙任、翌1600年の関ヶ原の戦いには小荷駄(こにだ)奉行を務めた。また、01年から02年にかけての五街道宿駅制度の施行には筆頭奉行を務め、伝馬(てんま)制度の基礎を築いた。05年家康の側近として駿府(すんぷ)勤番を命ぜられたが、その後も関東諸地域をはじめ遠江、三河などの地の河川修治や民政、農政に活躍した。慶長(けいちょう)15年6月13日病没、鴻巣勝願寺(しょうがんじ)に葬られる。

　忠次の業績は、土地と人民を私有する土豪層を基盤とした北条氏の中世的な支配形態を解体し、徳川氏が土地、人民を直接掌握する近世的支配形態に変えた地方巧者(じかたこうしゃ)の第一人者として評価できる。江戸幕府地方支配の基礎を築いた功労者といえよう。

［本間清利］

『本間清利著『関東郡代』（1977・埼玉新聞社）』

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