Ikeda Shigetoshi (池田重利)
Shigetoshi IKEDA (1586 - February 10, 1631) is a Daimyo (Japanese feudal lord) in the early Edo period, and the first lord of Shingu-han Domain (Harima Province). At first he was the bokan (a residential retainer) of Hongan-ji Temple, and was known by the name, Raiko SHIMOTSUMA. His father is Rairyu SHIMOTSUMA. His mother is the adopted daughter of Tsuneoki IKEDA (actually, she is Nobunaga ODA's niece). His lawful wife is the daughter of Masahiro YAMAGUCHI.
In the beginning, he served for Kyonyo who founded Higashi Hongan-ji Temple together with his father. However, because he did not get along well with Kyonyo, in 1609 when his father passed away, he ran away to the mother-side uncle, Terumasa IKEDA's place. Raiko SHIMOTSUMA as Bokan of Hongan-ji Temple, that lead the Ikko sect's riot, was well schooled in both academic subjects as well as the military arts, so he was suggested to serve a master by his uncle and ordered to assist Terumasa's legitimate child, Toshitaka IKEDA, with 3,000 koku. Four years later, when Toshitaka succeeded Terumasa, Raiko received the Ikeda name, and changed his name to 'Shigetoshi IKEDA' and in the following year he was granted an audience by Ieyasu TOKUGAWA as a senior vassal of Ikeda clan.
In the Osaka no Jin (the Siege of Osaka), he protected Amagasaki-jo Castle and achieved a distinguished war service, and after the war, he was given ten thousand koku crop fields from Ieyasu and became Daimyo. In 1626 he establishes the jinya (regional government office) in Shingu, Itto District, Harima Province (present Shingu-cho, Tatsuno City, Hyogo Prefecture) and founded the Shingu-han Domain.
He dies at the age of 46 in the year 1631, and his son, Shigemasa IKEDA succeeded him.