Tōdō clan

Tōdō clan 藤堂
Family crest mon of the Tōdō clan
Home province	Ōmi Province
Titles	daimyō of Tsu Domain
Founder	Tōdō Takatora
Final ruler	Tōdō Takakiyo
Founding year	1585
Ruled until	1871 (abolishment of the han system)

The Tōdō clan (Japanese: 藤堂氏, Hepburn: Tōdō-shi) was a Japanese samurai clan of humble origins from the Inukami District of Ōmi Province. Under Hideyoshi, Tōdō ruled Uwajima at Iyo province. During the Edo period, the Tōdō ruled most of Ise Province and all of Iga Province as daimyō (feudal lords) of Tsu Domain (320,000 koku) under the Tokugawa shogunate.

History

The clan initially rose to prominence under Tōdō Takatora (1556–1630), who was a highly trusted commander under Hashiba Hidenaga, later Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, as well as an architect of numerous Japanese castles.

During the Bakumatsu period, the defection of the Tōdō clan to the Satchō Alliance in 1868 was a major factor in the defeat of the Tokugawa forces at the Battle of Toba–Fushimi. The head of the clan was later awarded with the kazoku title of Count (hakushaku) by the Meiji government.

A junior branch of the clan, which ruled Hisai Domain in Ise Province (53,000 koku), was awarded the title of viscount (shishaku) in the Meiji period. Another junior branch of the clan, which ruled Nabari in Iga Province (15,000 koku), was not styled as a daimyo, but was awarded the title of baron (danshaku) in the Meiji period.

References

• Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906) Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie du japon. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha...Click link for digitized 1906 Nobiliaire du japon (2003)
• Turnbull, Stephen. (1998). The Samurai Sourcebook. London: Arms & Armour. [reprinted Cassell & Company, London, 2002. ISBN 978-1-85409-523-7

External links

• Genealogy of the Todo clan