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Lot Essay
The Satake family descended from the Heian period Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, who was given land in Mutsu province and Satake village in Hitachi province during the Heiji disturbances of the eleventh century. The family continued through to the end of the Edo period through various changes in fortune, but always prominent in military and political activities. But although they did not take part in the battle of Sekigaraha (1600) the family had served Hideyoshi and were in close communication with Ishida Mitsunari whose forces were defeated by Tokugawa Ieyasu in that battle. In retribution for this Ieyasu sent the Satake to far-off Akita in Dewa province as Tozama, and reduced their income from 700,000 koku to around 200,000 koku.
Yoshitada (1695 - 1715) became the fourth generation daimyo of Kubota Han in Dewa, one of the four domains held by the Satake. He was introduced to the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi at the age of 8 years in 1703, and following his father's death in the same year, inherited the title. In 1711 the shogunate permitted him to leave the Satake mansion in Edo and take up residence in Kubota castle in the family domain in Dewa province (Akita). There he worked hard to revive the economy of the domain with tree plantation, attempts to re-open old copper mines, and various social reforms, but to little avail. His efforts were thwarted by his Edo mansion being burned to the ground. He died at the young age of just twenty, but is remebered for his nobility of character.
The highly decorative yet entirely functional armour is in keeping both with the gorgeous fashions of the Genroku era (1688 - 1704), and with the position of the Satake as one of the oldest and warlike samurai clans. It is most likely that he wore the armour in 1711 when he entered Kubota castle for the first time. The family mon of an open fan with the emblem of the moon was in use from the Heian period until the abolition of the samurai system in the Meiji period, and is recorded in the Azuma Kagami of 1189.
Yoshitada (1695 - 1715) became the fourth generation daimyo of Kubota Han in Dewa, one of the four domains held by the Satake. He was introduced to the shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi at the age of 8 years in 1703, and following his father's death in the same year, inherited the title. In 1711 the shogunate permitted him to leave the Satake mansion in Edo and take up residence in Kubota castle in the family domain in Dewa province (Akita). There he worked hard to revive the economy of the domain with tree plantation, attempts to re-open old copper mines, and various social reforms, but to little avail. His efforts were thwarted by his Edo mansion being burned to the ground. He died at the young age of just twenty, but is remebered for his nobility of character.
The highly decorative yet entirely functional armour is in keeping both with the gorgeous fashions of the Genroku era (1688 - 1704), and with the position of the Satake as one of the oldest and warlike samurai clans. It is most likely that he wore the armour in 1711 when he entered Kubota castle for the first time. The family mon of an open fan with the emblem of the moon was in use from the Heian period until the abolition of the samurai system in the Meiji period, and is recorded in the Azuma Kagami of 1189.