Fukushima Tadakatsu (福島忠勝)
Tadakatsu FUKUSHIMA (1598-October 9, 1620) was a tozama daimyo (nonhereditary feudal lord) in the Edo period. He was the second lord of the Takaino Domain. He was the third son of Masanori FUKUSHIMA. His mother was a daughter of Nagayoshi TSUDA. He became the heir after Masayuki FUKUSHIMA, his brother-in-law (originally his cousin), died. He was first named Masakatsu. His childhood name was Ichimatsu. He was Bungo no kami (governor of Bungo Province).
He was born in Kiyosu-jo Castle in Owari. Although his original name was Masakatsu, he identified himself as Tadakatsu, receiving a letter of the name of the second shogun Hidetada TOKUGAWA. His father Masanori had to stay in Edo as rusui-yaku (a person representing the master during his absence) in Edo-jo Castle, but he participated in the Winter Siege of Osaka in 1614. Since he was late for the Summer Siege of Osaka in the following year, he engaged in repair of roads and dikes which were destroyed.
In 1619, when his father Masanori was punished by being deprived of his fief by order of the shogunate, he was attending Shogun Hidetada TOKUGAWA in Kyoto, but he moved to Takaino Domain with his father. On that occasion, he was transferred the reigns of the family from Masanori.
In the following year, however, he died before his father. At that time, Masanori returned 25 thousand koku (crop yield) in Uonuma County in Echigo Province, because of his grief. His grave is at Daijo-ji Temple in Ogawara, Suzaka City. His tombstone name is Masakatsu. His grave is also at Kaifuku-in Temple (built by Masanori FUKUSHIMA), a subtemple of Myoshin-ji in Kyoto City. His posthumous Buddhist name is Syoko inden sakino Tadakatsu taishi keko seitetsu daizenjomon jingi (性光院殿前忠勝太子華香清徹大禅定門神儀).
Although his brother Masatoshi FUKUSHIMA revived the Fukushima clan as a hatamoto (direct retainer of the shogun) with about 3,000 koku, they later ended due to no heir. Later, however, Tadakatsu's grandson Masakatsu FUKUSHIMA, the oldest son of his son Masanaga FUKUSHIMA, who lived in Kyoto, was called, and he served as koshogumi oban (guard of page corps), and the Fukushima clan continued to exist as a hatamoto with 2,000 koku since then.