Inaba Masamichi (稲葉正往)
Masamichi INABA was a daimyo (Japanese feudal lord) and roju (member of shogun's council of elders) who lived in the Edo period. The third lord of the Odawara Domain in Sagami Province, the lord of the Takada Domain in the Echigo Province, and the first lord of the Sakura Domain in the Shimosa Province. The fourth Soke (head family, originator) of the Inaba family with ties to Masanari.
The first son of Masanori INABA. His father, Masanori, was a close associate with tairo (chief minister) Tadakiyo SAKAI, and remained long in office as a roju. Masamichi himself, too, held posts in the shogunate office as sojaban (an official in charge of the ceremonies) and jisha-bugyo (magistrate of temples and shrines), and Kyoto shoshidai (The Kyoto deputy).
In 1680, when Ietsuna TOKUGAWA fell in critical illness, Tadakiyo supported Imperial Prince Arisugawanomiya Yukihito to be the 15th shogun, and Masanori also kept in pace with it, but because it ended in failure, Masanori was forced to retire, and Masamichi officially succeeded the head of the family at the age of 44. Due to the aftermath of this incident, he was ordered to change territory to Takada Echigo from Odawara which was close to Edo, and was dismissed from the position of shoshidai (representative of shoshi).
Fifteen years later, after taking the position as rusuiyaku (a person representing the master during his absence) of the Edo-jo Castle, he came back to the shogunate government as a roju, and he also had his territory moved to Shimosa Sakura. On the day of the raid on Kira-tei Residence by the Ako Roshi (lordless samurai of Ako Domain), Masamichi, who happened to be the tsukiban roju (monthly shift or duty of shogun's council of elders), quickly began dealing with the aftermath before Yoshiyasu YANAGISAWA came to the castle, and shown his shrewdness by making arrangements to not have the lordless samurai be executed immediately.
Besides taking position as a roju, he enjoyed tea ceremony of Sekishu school. He retired in 1707, and handed over the head of the family to his second son, Masatomo.
During the Yoshimune government, along with Tadataka SAKAI and Nagashige OGASAWARA, he was regarded as an iro (old retainer) and a character of great intelligence of the previous shogun, and received treatment like roju, and was often invited to the Edo-jo Castle.
He died in 1716.
Chronological list of main events
He was born in 1640. May 26, 1681: He became a sojaban and jisha-bugyo; December 24: He took the position as Kyoto shoshidai. 1683: He succeeded the head of the family with 102,000 koku. January 5, 1686: He was excepted from the position of Kyoto shoshidai, and was ordered transference to the Takada Domain. 1700: He took the position as orusuiyaku (a person representing the master during his absence). February 18, 1701: He became a roju, and was ordered transference to Sakura in July. August 28 1707: He resigned from roju, and retired. 1716: He died at the age of 77.
Official court rank
1654: Jugoinoge Tango no kami (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade, the governor of Tango Province)
1681: Jushiinoge jiju (Junior Forth Rank, Lower Grade Chamberlain)
1707: Takumi no kami (the head of Bureau of Skilled Artisans)
Grave: Yogen-ji Temple (Sendagi 5-chome, Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo)