Who was this person?
A daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods and a close aide of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hidetada. Born in Mikawa as the eldest son of Honda Masanobu, Ieyasu's strategist, he managed affairs at the side of the retired shōgun Ieyasu. He became lord of Utsunomiya with 155,000 koku, but was dispossessed in 1622 and ended his life at Yokote in Dewa.
| Name | Honda Masazumi (本多正純) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1565 – 1637 |
| Period | Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo |
| Birthplace | Mikawa Province |
| Main achievements |
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He was born in Mikawa as the eldest son of Honda Masanobu, a retainer of Tokugawa Ieyasu. His father had turned against Ieyasu in the Mikawa Ikkō-ikki uprising and left the province, and the young Masazumi is said to have been raised under the protection of Ieyasu's senior retainer Ōkubo Tadayo. His father was later pardoned and became Ieyasu's indispensable strategist.
He took part in the Battle of Sekigahara at Ieyasu's side. After the battle he was charged with holding the captured Ishida Mitsunari. Like his father he enjoyed Ieyasu's deep trust, and from this battle onward he was given important tasks as a young aide.
He was appointed to the junior fifth rank, lower grade, and named Kōzuke no Suke by the court. From then on he was called by that title and handled the practical work of government, relaying Ieyasu's orders to the daimyo and helping settle domain assignments. He was known as quick-witted and highly capable.
When Ieyasu handed the shogunate to his son Hidetada and became ōgosho, the retired shogun, Masazumi became his close aide at the heart of government. His father Masanobu served Hidetada in Edo, so father and son supported both the ōgosho and the shogun. Ieyasu later moved to Sunpu, where Masazumi also held great responsibility.
He was granted a domain of 33,000 koku at Oyama in Shimotsuke, now Oyama in Tochigi Prefecture, and became a daimyo. He relayed Ieyasu's orders to daimyo across the country and was involved in dealings with foreigners, serving as the linchpin of government at Sunpu. As Ieyasu's adviser alongside his father, he was respected by many daimyo.
It came to light that Masazumi's retainer Okamoto Daihachi had taken large sums from the Christian daimyo Arima Harunobu on the pretext of helping him recover lost lands: the Okamoto Daihachi Incident. Both Daihachi and Harunobu were punished, and the affair pushed the shogunate to begin banning Christianity.
After the winter campaign at Osaka, the moats of Osaka Castle were filled in as a condition of peace with the Toyotomi side. Masazumi is said to have been involved in the scheme to fill not only the outer moats but the inner ones as well. Robbed of its defenses, the castle fell in the summer campaign the following year, and the Toyotomi were destroyed.
The ōgosho Ieyasu died, and his father Masanobu passed away the same year. Masazumi moved to Edo and was given heavy responsibility as a toshiyori, later called rōjū, under the shogun Hidetada, his domain rising to 53,000 koku. But a rift gradually opened between him and Hidetada's longtime aides.
He was transferred to Utsunomiya in Shimotsuke with a domain of 155,000 koku. He is said to have declined at first, thinking it too large. His father Masanobu is also said to have warned him never to seek a large domain. His rapid rise also drew the envy of those around him.
While away to take over Yamagata Castle in Dewa, he was charged with offenses. A tale spread of the Utsunomiya Castle suspended-ceiling incident, claiming he had built a ceiling trap to harm the shogun, but it is considered a later invention. Masazumi refused a small substitute domain, and the Honda house was abolished.
He had been sent to Yokote in Dewa, now Yokote in Akita Prefecture, placed in the custody of the daimyo Satake Yoshinobu. He is said to have lived in a cramped house with only a few retainers. This year his son Masakatsu, who lived with him, died, leaving Masazumi in even deeper loneliness.
He died at Yokote without ever being pardoned. A clever adviser who had helped Ieyasu win the realm, he ended up defeated in political struggles and vanished from public life. His sudden fall is remembered as a sign of the harsh power struggles of the early Edo shogunate.
A. A daimyō of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods and a close aide of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Hidetada. Born in Mikawa as the eldest son of Honda Masanobu, Ieyasu's strategist, he managed affairs at the side of the retired shōgun Ieyasu. He became lord of Utsunomiya with 155,000 koku, but was dispossessed in 1622 and ended his life at Yokote in Dewa.
A. Period: Azuchi-Momoyama–Edo. Born in 1565, died in 1637.
A. Honda Masazumi was born in Mikawa Province.
A. The story that he planned to kill the shōgun Hidetada with a falling ceiling at Utsunomiya Castle is a later tale and is not considered fact. In reality, in 1622 the shogunate confiscated Masazumi's domain on grounds such as disobeying orders and moved him to Yokote in Dewa. Views differ on the true reasons for his dispossession.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Honda MasanobuTokugawa IeyasuIshida Mitsunari
Hon'ami KōetsuŌkubo Tadataka (Hikozaemon)Yagyū MunenoriTakuan SōhōTokugawa HidetadaKasuga no TsuboneKobori EnshūHayashi Razan
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.