Hoshina Masasada (保科正貞)
Masasada HOSHINA was the first lord of the Iino Domain, Kazusa Province.
On June 14, 1588, Masasada was born as the third son of Masanao HOSHINA. He was the younger brother of Masamitsu HOSHINA. In 1594, he was adopted by Masamitsu by the order of Ieyasu TOKUGAWA since Masamitsu had no biological son. When he went into battle at the time of the Osaka Natsu no Jin (Summer Siege of Osaka) in 1615 on the side of Tadatomo HONDA, he got military exploits in spite of the fact that he was seriously injured having as many as four wounds with spears and guns.
In 1617, he was disinherited since Masamitsu adopted Masayuki HOSHINA, an illegitimate child of Hidetada TOKUGAWA. Probably because he was on bad terms with his older brother, he left the Hoshina clan in 1622 and, after wandering provinces, stayed with his maternal uncle Sadakatsu MATSUDAIRA, the third son of Toshikatsu HISAMATSU and the lord of the Kuwana Domain in Ise Province. In 1629, he became a Shogun's retainer to be provided 3,000 koku.
After serving as an officer of the Osaka-jo Castle and the Nijo-jo Castle, he became one of the Guards of Osaka-jo Castle on August 14, 1648 to be provided 10,000 koku, in addition to 7,000 koku which he already had, in Settsu Province such as in Arima County and Kawabe County (Hyogo Prefecture), and Nose County and Teshima County and, as a result of that, he became a daimyo (Japanese feudal lord) of 17,000 koku to be counted among lords and founded the Iino Domain. According to another view, it is said that, since Masayuki HOSHINA had been officially admitted to be Hidetada's son and was therefore possible to have the family name 'MATSUDAIRA' in the future (Masayuki himself declined to do so, but his descendants became the Aizu-Matsudaira family), Iemitsu TOKUGAWA, the third seii taishogun (literally, "great general who subdues the barbarians") and Masayuki's older paternal half-brother, coordinated the Masasada's promotion mentioned above to try to make Masasada inherit the Hoshina clan instead of Masayuki.
Died on December 22, 1661 in Edo. Died at the age of 74. His son Masakage HOSHINA succeeded to his position.