Shigetoki SUZUKI (Amakusa daikan [local governor of Amakusa]) (鈴木重辰 (天草代官))
Shigetoki SUZUKI (鈴木 重辰, 1607 - November 14, 1670) was a bakushin (Shogun's retainer) in the early Edo period. The son of Shosan SUZUKI. The adopted son of Shigenari SUZUKI. Ihei. His homyo (a Buddhist name given to a person who has died or has entered the priesthood) was Shoken (紹賢). He had the son named Shigemasa.
Although Shigetoki was the oldest son of Shosan SUZUKI, his father Shosan became a priest and adopted his nephew Shigenaga to make him succeed to the family, and therefore, Shigetoki was adopted by his uncle Shigenari, and later set up a branch family to establish his own family line.
In 1632, he was appointed as Obanyaku (a job to guard Kyoto). Then he served as Okura-bugyo (a job to maintain the warehouses), and later as Kyoto Gosho Zoeiyaku (a job to build Kyoto Imperial Palace). In 1637, he went to war to suppress the Shimabara Rebellion with Shigenari. Then his adoptive father Shigenari stayed in Amakusa, and later he was appointed as the first Amakusa daikan (local governor).
In 1653, Shigenari died (there is an opinion that the demand he made for the reduction of nengu (land tax) on the ruined Amakusa region was not accepted by the central government, so he suicided himself to protest the decision.)
In the next year, Shigetoki was appointed as the second-generation Amakusa daikan in place of his adoptive father. He was active in his duties including the restoration of Amakusa, and in July or August, 1659, still in his term of service, he succeeded in having kokudaka (a system for determining land value for tribute in the Edo period) of Amakusa reduced in half, which his adoptive father had not been able to realize.
In 1664, he assumed the post of Kyoto daikan (Prefectural Governor of Kyoto, and he also did an odd job for an emperor). Besides, he was granted the enfeoffment of 500 koku in total in Yamashiro Province and Kazusa Province. In 1670, he died in Kyoto. He was 63 years old when he died. The family estate was succeeded by his son Shigemasa.
Later in 1787, Shigetoki, as well as his real father Shosan, was enshrined together in Suzuki-jinja Shrine where Shigenari had been worshiped, and still now Shigetoki is worshiped in Amakusa for having made every effort to restore Amakusa.