Hoshina Masayuki

was a Japanese daimyō of the early Edo period, who was the founder of what became the Matsudaira house of Aizu. He was an important figure in the politics and philosophy of the early Tokugawa shogunate. Biography Hoshina Masayuki was born in Edo, the illegitimate 4th son of the 2nd shōgun, Tokugawa Hidetada. As Masayuki's mother, Oshizu no Kata (1584–1635, later called Jōkō-in) was a servant, Hidetada chose to hide the newborn, then named Komatsu (幸松). This was to protect him from potential infanticide at the hands of Oeyo, Hidetada's wife. Komatsu was later secretly given in adoption to Hoshina Masamitsu, a former Takeda retainer and daimyō of Takatō Domain. In 1629, Komatsu first met his elder brother, the third Shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu, father, the retired-Shōgun (Tokugawa Hidetada) and another older brother, Tokugawa Tadanaga, and was given some mementos of his grandfather, Tokugawa Ieyasu as recognition of his status as a member of the Tokugawa lineage. In 1631, Komatsu inherited the Hoshina clan chieftainship, as well as the Takatō fief, and changed his name to "Masayuki". He was also granted the courtesy titles of Higo-no-kami and Sakonoegonchūjō and court rank of Upper 4th, Junior grade. Following the death of Tokugawa Hidetada, Masayuki became one of the closest confidants and assistants to Tokugawa Iemitsu, and wielded political power considerably greater than his official status of a 30,000 koku daimyō would indicate. He was ordered to construct his Edo residence immediately outside the Sakurada Gate to Edo Castle, was entrusted with the construction of Hidetada's mausoleum at Zōjō-ji and with the 17th memorial services for Tokugawa Ieyasu at Nikkō Tōshō-gū. He was instrumental in writing the Buke shohatto regulations issued in 1635, which codified the laws and regulations governing the conduct of the daimyō and samurai under the shogunate. In 1636, Masayuki was transferred to Yamagata Domain, with a kokudaka of 200,000 koku. During the Shimabara rebellion of 1637, he was made general of reinforcements which the shogunate had prepared to send to Kyushu, but the rebellion was crushed before the army could be dispatched.