Matsudaira clan

The Matsudaira clan originated from Kamo District, Mikawa Province, Kuji District, Hitachi Province, and Tamura District, Mutsu Province, but here we will focus on the Matsudaira clan of Mikawa (Aichi Prefecture). The Mikawa Matsudaira clan is the ancestor of the Tokugawa clan, the shogun family of the Edo period, and its first leader was Chikauji, who lived in Matsudaira-go (Toyota City). In the mid-Muromachi period, the third head of the clan, Nobumitsu, advanced from the mountainous region to Anjo (Anjo City) in the Okazaki Plain, and also stationed his children in strategic locations. The seventh head of the clan, Kiyoyasu, moved to Okazaki Castle in 1524 (Taiei 4) and almost completely controlled the entire Mikawa province, but was assassinated in 1535 (Tenbun 4). Later, they lost their power due to pressure from the Oda and Imagawa clans and internal conflicts, but under the ninth shogun, Ieyasu, they regained their former territories, eventually changing their surname to Tokugawa and establishing the Edo Shogunate. There were three types of families that called themselves the Matsudaira during the Edo period. One was a branch of the Matsudaira clan from the Mikawa period, one was a family that was Ieyasu's descendant and was mainly a related feudal lord, and the other was a lord who was given the Matsudaira surname by the shogun.

(1) The branch of the Mikawa Matsudaira clan is called the 18th Matsudaira or the 14th Matsudaira. They were named after the land they were first given in Mikawa, and were called the Matsudaira clan such as Ogyu, Katahara, Fukozu, Nomi, Takiwaki, Sakurai, and Fujii. They became hereditary daimyo, hatamoto, or vassals of various daimyo.

(2) Among Ieyasu's descendants, the Shogun and the children of the Gosanke and Gosankyo families also used the Matsudaira family name when they were young, but many of his illegitimate children were made feudal lords and took the Matsudaira family name. Among the branches of the Gosanke family (Gorenshi), there are the Matsudaira families of Takasu, Saijo, Takamatsu, Moriyama, Ishioka, and Shishido, and among the descendants of Ieyasu's second son Hideyasu, there are the Matsudaira families of Fukui, Tsuyama, Matsue, Maebashi, and Akashi, as well as the Matsudaira families of Aizu and Oshi.

(3) The daimyo who were given the surname Matsudaira were mainly powerful outside daimyo (such as Shimazu, Mori, Maeda, Date, etc.), who were given the surname Matsudaira because it meant they were related to the shogun. At the end of the Edo period, there were 25 such surnames in total, including 16 outside daimyo, 8 fudai daimyo, and 1 related daimyo.

[Ueno Shuji]

"Tokugawa Ieyasu's Biography" by Takaya Nakamura (1965, Toshogu Shrine Office)" ▽ "Ieyasu's Family" by Takaya Nakamura (1965, Kodansha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

松平氏は三河国(みかわのくに)加茂郡(かもぐん)、常陸国(ひたちのくに)久慈郡(くじぐん)、陸奥国(むつのくに)田村郡などから出た各氏があるが、ここでは三河（愛知県）の松平氏に限る。三河松平氏は江戸時代の将軍家徳川氏の先祖にあたり、松平郷（豊田(とよた)市）に住した親氏(ちかうじ)を初代とする。室町中期の3代信光(のぶみつ)は山間部より岡崎平野の安祥(あんじょう)（安城市）に進出し、また子供を要衝の地に配置し、7代清康(きよやす)は1524年（大永4）岡崎城に移り、ほぼ三河一国を掌中に収めたが1535年（天文4）暗殺された。その後、織田氏・今川氏の圧力や一族の抗争などにより勢力を失ったが、9代家康(いえやす)のとき旧領を回復し、やがて徳川に改姓して江戸幕府を開く。江戸時代に松平氏を称した家には3種類ある。一つは三河時代の松平氏の分流、一つは家康の子孫でおもに親藩大名たる家、そして松平姓を将軍より与えられた大名である。

(1)三河松平氏の分流は、十八松平とも十四松平ともいい、最初に三河で与えられた所領の地名をつけ、大給(おぎゅう)、形原(かたのはら)、深溝(ふこうず)、能見(のうみ)、滝脇(たきわき)、桜井、藤井などの松平氏とよばれ、譜代大名(ふだいだいみょう)や旗本となったり、諸大名の家臣となったりした。

(2)家康の子孫では、将軍や御三家(ごさんけ)・御三卿(ごさんきょう)の子弟も幼少のとき松平姓を使用したりするが、庶子の多くは大名に取り立てられ松平姓を名のった。御三家の分家（御連枝(ごれんし)）では、高須(たかす)、西条、高松、守山(もりやま)、石岡、宍戸(ししど)の各松平氏があり、家康次男秀康(ひでやす)の子孫の福井、津山、松江、前橋、明石(あかし)などの各松平氏や、会津、忍(おし)の松平氏などがある。

(3)松平姓を与えられた大名はおもに有力外様大名(とざまだいみょう)（島津、毛利(もうり)、前田、伊達(だて)など）で、将軍と親戚(しんせき)になることを意味するが、幕末段階では外様大名16家、譜代大名8家、親藩大名1家、計25家が存在した。

［上野秀治］

『中村孝也著『徳川家康公伝』（1965・東照宮社務所）』▽『中村孝也著『家康の族葉』（1965・講談社）』

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