Ii Naotaka

Ii Naotaka (1590–1659) was the second son of Ii Naomasa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Tokugawa (later treated as the heir), and the second lord of the Hikone Domain in Ōmi Province (present-day Shiga Prefecture). After Naomasa's death, Naotaka took over the Ii family in place of his elder brother Naotsugu (Naokatsu), who had succeeded to the headship. He distinguished himself in the Ōsaka campaigns (1614–1615) and secured the domain's standing. He was praised as a wise ruler and also played an important role in the shogunal government of the early Edo period. As the wise lord who laid the foundations of the Hikone Domain, he is still honored in Hikone City today.

Naotaka was born in Tenshō 18 (1590) as the second son of Ii Naomasa. When Naomasa died in Keichō 7 (1602) from wounds sustained at the Battle of Sekigahara, his elder brother Naotsugu succeeded to the headship, and Naotaka served Tokugawa Hidetada in Edo as a personal attendant. Because Naotsugu was unable to unite the retainers, in Keichō 20 (1615), by Ieyasu's decision, Naotaka succeeded to the headship of the Ii family and inherited the Hikone Domain of 150,000 koku. Naotsugu was given 30,000 koku at Annaka in Kōzuke Province.

In the Winter Campaign of Ōsaka, Keichō 19 (1614), Ieyasu named Naotaka commander of the Ii forces. Leading the red-armored troops (akazonae), he attacked the Sanada-maru, but suffered heavy losses under fire from Sanada Nobushige and others. In the Summer Campaign of Ōsaka, Keichō 20 (1615), he defeated Kimura Shigenari and others in the Battles of Yao and Wakae, avenging the defeat of the winter campaign. He besieged Yodo-dono and Hideyori, mother and son, who had shut themselves in the Yamazato-kuruwa enclosure, and drove them to take their own lives. After repeated further land grants, the Hikone Domain eventually became a major domain of 300,000 koku (effectively 350,000 koku, including the lands held in trust).

Afterward, he carried considerable weight as a member of the shogunal council. In Kan'ei 9 (1632), at Hidetada's deathbed, he was appointed guardian of the third shogun, Iemitsu. The name of Naotaka also appears in the origin legends of the maneki-neko and of Gōtoku-ji, and he is beloved in folk tales and culture. He died in Manji 2 (1659) at the age of 70.

In relation to Japanese swords, Naotaka was a daimyō who embodied the cultural symbolism of swords and armor as the commander of the red-armored troops (akazonae). The red armor and equipment that had continued from the time of his father Naomasa was passed down as the pride of the Hikone Domain. The armor and equipment transmitted in the Ii family are still held today at the Hikone Castle Museum, and among them is the kusubegawa-odoshi dangae-dō gusoku (a suit of armor) worn by Naotaka.