Masayuki Hoshina

A feudal lord in the early Edo period. Founder of the Aizu Matsudaira clan. Fourth son of Shogun Tokugawa Hidetada. Iemitsu's half-brother, childhood name Yuki Matsumaro. His mother was Hidetada's concubine, Kamio Oshizu, and at the age of seven, he was adopted by Hoshina Masamitsu, lord of Takato clan in Shinano province (Nagano prefecture), and in 1631 (Kan'ei 8), he inherited 30,000 koku of land left by his adoptive father Masamitsu. In 1636, he was granted 200,000 koku in the Dewa Yamagata clan, and in 1643, he was granted an additional 30,000 koku, making Aizu 230,000 koku. At the same time, he was given over 50,000 koku of land in Minamiyama, which was treated as his own land. After Iemitsu's death in 1651 (Keian 4), he participated in the shogunate administration as guardian of the young shogun Ietsuna, as per his will, and stabilized the shogunate administration, which had been shaken by events such as the Keian Incident (Yui Shosetsu Rebellion), and promoted civil government. He also worked hard on the construction of the Ryogoku Bridge after the Meireki Fire and the Tamagawa Aqueduct. Meanwhile, in the domain administration, when he joined the domain, he established a stipend system for the fiefs of his vassals, and revised and improved the systems for castle lords, elder retainers, magistrates, the kaban system, monthly rotation system, and military service. He also issued laws to punish villages, preventing the outflow of products from within the domain to other domains, reviving markets, and determining the delivery and purchasing methods of specialty products such as wax and lacquer, which were finalized by the Shoho era (1644-1648), and in 1648 (Keian 1) he carried out a general land survey of the domain. In 1654 (Shoo 3), he implemented the Shaso Law, which allowed farmers to lend rice and gold at low interest, and in 1658 (Manji 1) he stabilized the domain's financial income by implementing the Jomen system, making the domain's system of domain administration unshakable. He also banned suicide by junshi, regulated the customs of the domain's people, strictly prohibited human trafficking, commended filial children and virtuous women, and provided elderly people with old-age allowances. Masayuki was a believer in Neo-Confucianism and Shintoism, and studied Neo-Confucianism under Yamazaki Ansai and Shintoism under Yoshikawa Koretari. He compiled the "Fuyohen", "Gyokuzan Lectures Supplement", "Niteichikyo-roku", and "Iraku Sanshi Denshin-roku", as well as the "Aizu Shrine Journal" and "Aizu Fudoki". The "15 Family Precepts", which are said to have been drafted by Masayuki himself in 1668 (Kanbun 8), became the basis for the eternal Aizu domain government. He died in Edo on December 18, 12th year of Kanbun.

[Hiroshi Honda]

"Aizu-Wakamatsu History Publishing Committee (ed.) Aizu-Wakamatsu History 3" (1965, Aizu-Wakamatsu City)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸前期の大名。会津松平藩祖。将軍徳川秀忠(ひでただ)の第4子。家光(いえみつ)の異母弟、幼名幸松麿(ゆきまつまろ)。母は秀忠の側室神尾(かんお)氏お静、その出生をはばかり7歳のとき信濃(しなの)国（長野県）高遠(たかとお)藩主保科正光の養子となり、1631年（寛永8）養父正光の遺領3万石を継ぐ。1636年出羽(でわ)山形藩20万石、1643年3万石を加増され会津23万石となった。同時に幕領で南山(みなみやま)5万石余を私領同様の取扱いで預かった。1651年（慶安4）家光の死去後、遺言によって幼少の将軍家綱(いえつな)の後見として幕政に参与、慶安(けいあん)事件（由比正雪(ゆいしょうせつ)の乱）などで動揺した幕政を安定させ、文治政治を推進した。明暦(めいれき)大火後の両国橋架橋、玉川上水工事などにも尽力した。一方藩政では、入部と同時に家臣の知行(ちぎょう)を俸禄(ほうろく)制とし、城代、家老、奉行(ぶぎょう)、加判制と月番制、軍役などの制度を改正整備した。また郷村仕置の法令を布達し、領内産物の他領流出の防止、市場の再興、特産物の蝋(ろう)、漆(うるし)の納入および買い方の決定などを正保(しょうほう)年間（1644～1648）までに確定、1648年（慶安1）領内総検地を実施した。1654年（承応3）農民に低利で米金を貸与する社倉法を実施、さらに1658年（万治1）定免(じょうめん)制によって藩財政の収入を安定させるなど会津藩の藩体制を揺るぎないものとした。また殉死の禁止、領民の風俗匡正(きょうせい)、人身売買の厳禁、孝子節婦の表彰、高齢者の養老扶持(ふち)の支給なども行った。正之は朱子学と神道(しんとう)の信奉者で、朱子学は山崎闇斎(あんさい)に、神道は吉川惟足(これたり)に学び、『輔養編』『玉山(ぎょくざん)講義附録』『二程治教(にていちきょう)録』『伊洛(いらく)三子伝心録』を編纂(へんさん)し、『会津神社誌』『会津風土記(ふどき)』なども残している。1668年（寛文8）正之自ら起草したと伝えられる「家訓十五ヶ条」は、永代会津藩政の基本となった。寛文(かんぶん)12年12月18日、江戸で没した。

［誉田　宏］

『会津若松史出版委員会編『会津若松史 3』（1965・会津若松市）』

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