Mr. Honda

A Fudai Daimyo (feudal lord) who served the Tokugawa clan during the Edo period. The clan prospered, splitting into over 50 daimyo and hatamoto families. According to family tradition, the ancestor was Akimitsu, the son of the Grand Minister of State Fujiwara Kanemichi, and the 11th generation Sukehide took the surname Honda because he lived in Honda in Bungo Province (Oita Prefecture), and the 12th generation Sukesada followed Ashikaga Takauji and was given land in Owari Province (Aichi Prefecture) as a reward. It is said that the clan then split into two lineages from Sadamichi and Sadamasa, the sons of the 13th generation Sukemasa, but the genealogy is unclear. The Honda clan, descended from Sadamichi, served the Matsudaira clan from the time of the second Matsudaira Yasuchika. Heihachiro Tadakatsu, who played an active role during the time of Ieyasu and was counted among the four great Tokugawa generals, was from this main family. The family held 150,000 koku of land, and moved to Kuwana in Ise (Mie Prefecture), Himeji in Harima (Hyogo Prefecture), and other areas, eventually becoming 50,000 koku, and was abolished in Okazaki, Mikawa (Aichi Prefecture). There were other daimyo families such as Izumi in Mutsu (Fukushima Prefecture), and Tadakazu of the Izumi Honda family was famous as an ally of Matsudaira Sadanobu. The Honda clans of Zeze in Omi (Shiga Prefecture) and Kobe in Ise are also considered to be of this lineage. This includes Shigetsugu, who served Ieyasu and was said to be one of the three Mikawa magistrates. The Honda clan of Sadamasa's lineage is further divided into two branches, one of which is the line of Bungo no Kami Hirotaka, who served Ieyasu and was active in his career, and his descendants lived in Iiyama, Shinano (Nagano Prefecture), until the abolition of the domain. The other is the line of Sado no Kami Masanobu, who was a close attendant to Ieyasu, and served the Matsudaira clan since Ieyasu's grandfather Kiyoyasu, and it is said that the relationship between Ieyasu and Masanobu was like that of fish and water. His son Masazumi also held power as a close aide to Ieyasu, but was stripped of his title during the reign of Hidetada. This lineage includes Masanaga (Lord of Numata Domain in Kozuke), who was appointed as a senior councilor during the reign of the 5th shogun, Tsunayoshi.

[Ryosho Hayashi]

"Ieyasu's Retainers: Military Commanders" by Takaya Nakamura (1968, Jinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、徳川氏に仕えた譜代大名(ふだいだいみょう)。一族は大名、旗本50余家に分かれ繁栄した。家伝によれば、先祖は太政大臣(だいじょうだいじん)藤原兼通(ふじわらのかねみち)の子顕光(あきみつ)とし、11代助秀(すけひで)が豊後国(ぶんごのくに)（大分県）本多に住したので本多を名字とし、12代助定(すけさだ)は足利尊氏(あしかがたかうじ)に従い、恩賞として尾張国(おわりのくに)（愛知県）に所領を与えられた。そして13代助政(すけまさ)の子定通(さだみち)、定正(さだまさ)から2系統に分かれた、としているが、系譜は明確ではない。定通系本多氏は松平氏二祖泰親(やすちか)代から松平氏に歴任した。家康代に活躍し徳川四天王の一人に数えられる平八郎忠勝(ただかつ)はこの宗家の出である。この家は15万石を領し、伊勢(いせ)（三重県）桑名(くわな)、播磨(はりま)（兵庫県）姫路などを転じ、5万石となり、三河（愛知県）岡崎で廃藩を迎えた。別家には陸奥(むつ)（福島県）泉(いずみ)などの大名家があり、泉本多家の忠籌(ただかず)は松平定信(さだのぶ)の協力者として著名である。近江(おうみ)（滋賀県）膳所(ぜぜ)、伊勢(いせ)神戸(かんべ)の本多氏もこの系統とみられている。ここには家康に仕え三河三奉行(さんぶぎょう)の一人と称される重次(しげつぐ)が出ている。定正系本多氏はさらに2系統に分かれ、その一つは家康に仕えて活躍した豊後守広孝(ぶんごのかみひろたか)の系統であり、その子孫は信濃(しなの)（長野県）飯山(いいやま)で廃藩を迎えている。他の一つは家康に近侍した佐渡守(さどのかみ)正信(まさのぶ)の系統で、家康の祖父清康(きよやす)以来松平氏に仕え、家康と正信との関係は水魚のごときだったと称されている。その子正純(まさずみ)も家康側近として権力があったが、秀忠(ひでただ)代に改易となった。この系統には、5代綱吉(つなよし)代に老中に登用された正永(まさなが)（上野(こうずけ)沼田藩主）が出ている。

［林　亮勝］

『中村孝也著『家康の臣僚　武将編』（1968・人物往来社）』

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例