Honda Tadatoki

Honda Tadatoki (1596-1626) was the eldest son of Honda Tadamasa and a daimyō who ruled the Himeji-Shinden Domain in Harima during the early Edo period. His common name was Heihachirō. Born into a family that inherited the reputation of his grandfather, Honda Tadakatsu, he took part in the Battle of Dōmyōji during the Summer Siege of Osaka in Keichō 20 (1615) and gained combat experience.

In Genna 2 (1616), he married Senhime, the eldest daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada. Senhime had been the chief wife of Toyotomi Hideyori, but she was rescued when Osaka Castle fell and married into the Honda family, bringing with her a dowry estate (keshōryō) worth 100,000 koku. Tadatoki and Senhime had a daughter, Katsuhime (born 1618), and a son, Kōchiyo (1619-1621).

He had a strong interest in swordsmanship. Records show that he invited Miyamoto Musashi to the castle town of Himeji and ordered him to instruct himself and his retainers. He also made Musashi's adopted son, Mikinosuke, a page and close attendant, and Mikinosuke committed junshi upon Tadatoki's death.

In Kan'ei 3 (1626), he died of tuberculosis at the young age of 31. Senhime later became a nun under the name Tenjuin and continued religious activities, including donations to Tōkei-ji, a temple known throughout the Edo period as an enkiri-dera (divorce temple).