Honda Toshitsugu (本多俊次)

Toshitsugu HONDA (本多 俊次) was the second lord of the Omi Zeze domain. He was a fudai daimyo (a Japanese feudal lord in hereditary vassal to the Tokugawa family) who would later be successively appointed as the lord of Mikawa-nishio Domain, the lord of Ise-kameyama Domain, and once again the lord of Omi-zeze Domain. He was the grandson of Tadatsugu SAKAI who was one of the Tokugawa-shitenno (four major generals serving Ieyasu TOKUGAWA). He was the second head of the Soke (head family) of the Yasutoshi-lineage Honda family.

In 1595, Toshitsugu was born in Shimousa-koshino domain as the first son of Yasutoshi HONDA who was a senior vassal of the Tokugawa clan (later the first lord of Zeze Domain). In 1610, he was appointed as Jugoinoge (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade), Shimousa no kami (Governor of Shimousa Province). In 1614, he took part in Osaka Fuyu no Jin (Winter Siege of Osaka) with his father for the Tokugawa side, and in 1615, he took part in Osaka Natsu no Jin (Summer Siege of Osaka) and made military exploits under command of Hidetada TOKUGAWA.

In March, 1621, Toshitsugu succeeded to the family headship and became the second lord of the Zeze Domain due to his father's death. But in August, he was forced relocation to the Mikawa Nishio Domain with 35,000 Goku crop yields including 5,000 Goku increase. Thanks to the contributions such as serving for the defense of Totomi Kakegawa-jo Castle on December 4, 1632, he was forced relocation to the Ise-kameyama Domain with 50,000 Goku crop yields including 15,000 Goku increase on July 25, 1636. And what is more, on May 23, 1651, he was appointed again as the lord of the Zeze domain with 70,000 Goku crop yields including 20,000 Goku increase.

On October 30, 1664, he transferred the headship of the family to his second son Yasumasa and retired. On September 17, 1668, he died in Zeze. He was 74 years old when he died.

[Original Japanese]