Arima Toyouji (有馬豊氏)

Toyouji ARIMA (May 28, 1569 - October 23, 1642) was a busho (Japanese military commander) (and daimyo [Japanese feudal lord]) from Sengoku period (period of warring states) to the early part of the Edo period. He was the lord of Fukuchiyama Domain in Tanba Province and later became the first lord of Kurume Domain in Chikugo Province. Second generation of Arima family in the Kurume Domain.

He was the second son of Noriyori ARIMA, who served Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI. His mother was a daughter of Tadaharu BESSHO. His lawful wife was Renhime (蓮姫), a daughter of Matsudaira Yasunao NAGASAWA. He children were Tadayori ARIMA (the oldest son), Nobukata ARIMA (the second son), Yoritsugu ARIMA (the third son) and four daughters (Yoshishige KOIDE's lawful wife, a certain TSUCHIDA's wife, and Morinobu MIZUNO's lawful wife).

He was of a branch family of the Akamatsu clan in Harima Province and initially served Shigeaki WATARASE (a son-in-law of his father Noriyori and an older brother-in-law of Toyouji) as the chief retainer. However, Shigeaki suffered Kaieki (forfeit of the rank of Samurai and properties) and committed Seppuku (suicide by disembowelment) by implication of the incident of Hidetsugu TOYOTOMI in 1595; Toyouji took over all of the shoryo (territory) and servants and began to serve Hideyoshi. After Hideyoshi's death, he approached Ieyasu TOKUGAWA and took the side of the Eastern squad in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600. As the result of his achievements as the second reserve in an attack on Gifu-jo Castle in Mino Province and the final battle of Sekigahara, he was granted by Ieyasu a shift of the territory with additional properties from Yokosuka in Totomi Province of 30,000 goku of crop yield to Fukuchiyama Domain in Tango Province of 60,000 goku. In later years, he also took over the Sanda Domain in the Settsu Province of late father's property inheritance to gain the total of 80,000 koku.

Since then he worked as a vassal of the Tokugawa clan, making achievements in building Sunpu-jo Castle and Edo-jo Castle. In Osaka no Eki (The Siege of Osaka) since 1614, he joined the war as Tokugawa's side. As the result of his achievements there, he was granted the Kurume Domain in the Chikugo Province with 210,000 goku of crop yield and became kokushu (head of provincial governors). He also took part and made achievements in the Shimabara War that occurred in 1637. He died at the age of 74 in 1642. His oldest son, Tadayori, succeeded his position.

He was a man of culture that enjoyed Japanese tea ceremony, and is sometimes counted as the seven disciples of Rikyu.

[Original Japanese]