Ogasawara Tadazane

Ogasawara Tadazane (1596-1667) was a hereditary daimyo who ruled Buzen Kokura with 150,000 koku following Hosokawa Tadatoshi's transfer to Kumamoto, and was also the successor to the Ogasawara school, renowned for its integrated system of etiquette, archery, and horsemanship. His father, Hidemasa, died in combat during the Summer Campaign of Osaka Castle, so Tadazane inherited the domain at a young age and established firm domain administration under the Tokugawa shogunate, with Kokura Castle as his base in northern Kyushu. During the Shimabara Rebellion (1637-1638), he participated as a member of the shogunal forces and earned merit in suppressing the uprising. The Ogasawara school of etiquette—a comprehensive system of samurai protocol, archery, and horsemanship—was adopted by the Tokugawa shogunal house, and Tadazane, as its authoritative successor, was honored in samurai and daimyo circles. Regarding swords, the protocols for tachi etiquette and the customs of wearing swords were systematized within the Ogasawara school of etiquette, and Tadazane was also an authority on ceremonial swords emphasizing formal beauty. He handled many ceremonial decorated tachi and renowned swords presented as gifts to the imperial court and shogunal house, and is said to have favored tachi by master craftsmen of the Bizen and Yamashiro traditions.