Kyogoku Takahisa (京極高久)
Takahisa KYOGOKU (May 21,1729 - May 15, 1808) was the sixth lord of Mineyama Domain, Tango Province.
He was the fourth son of 京極高庭 who had been a hatamoto (direct retainers of the bakufu, which was a form of Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun), and was bestowed 1,000 koku in a branch family of Mineyama Domain. His mother was a daughter of Takakata KYOGOKU. His lawful wife was a daughter of Toshikiyo KINOSHITA. His younger brothers were Magosuke SENA, Naoyuki OOKA, and Tomisato IKEDA. His sons were Takamasa KYOGOKU (first son) and, Takaari KYOGOKU (fifth son, lord of Toyooka Domain in Tajima Province). His official court rank was Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) and he was the Governor of Bizen Province.
On May 21, 1729, he was born in Edo. His childhood name was Sennosuke. In 1741, he was adopted by Takanaga KYOGOKU, the fifth lord of the domain, and after Takanaga's retirement on September 22, 1765, he succeeded to the position of lord of the Toyooka Domain. After he had worked as kaban (a person in charge of guard) at aoyaguchi gate of Osaka-jo Castle and Oban gashira (captains of the great guards), he was appointed as wakadoshiyori (a managerial position in the Edo bakufu) in 1788 to participate in the shogunate government in the period of Kansei Reforms. Accordingly, duties of Mineyama Domain were managed by his oldest son, Takamasa. In 1791, he asked for resignation from wakadoshiyori due to his illness, but it was not accepted.
He was known to have adopted out his fifth son to Kyogoku family of Toyooka Domain in Tajima Province, the Kyogoku family which was the same kin and a descendant of Takatomo KYOGOKU who had been the founder of the domain and governed the whole of Tango Province, as was the Kyogoku family of Mineyama Domain, Tango Province.
On May 15, 1808, Takahisa died in Edo and Takamasa succeeded to him. He died at the age of 80.
His posthumous Buddhist name: 謙徳院明誉高久道徴
His graveyard: in Joryu-ji Temple on Mt. Antai in Yoshiwara, Mineyama-cho, Tango City, Kyoto Prefecture.
Takahisa appeared in a series of period novels written by Shotaro IKENAMI titled " Onihei Hankacho" (Onihei's crimes note), by the name of " Bizen no kami (the governor of Bizen Province) of Kyogoku", and was described as a good understanding of Heizo HASEGAWA known by the name of Onihei.