Copy of a Letter of Enfeoffment

This document is an Edo-period copy of a letter given by Tokugawa Ietsuna, the fourth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate, to Matsudaira Yorishige, the first head of the Takamatsu Matsudaira family. It formally recognized Yorishige’s right to govern 120,000 koku of land centered on Takamatsu in Sanuki Province (present-day Kagawa Prefecture). The copy faithfully reproduces the original layout of the characters and line breaks and is written on paper similar to that used in the original document.

During the Edo period, a daimyo (region lord) could exercise authority over land and its inhabitants only with formal recognition from the shogun. This recognition took the form of a letter of enfeoffment (ryōchi ategaijō),which was given to each daimyo upon the succession of a new shogun. In the original document, the section marked “御判 （gohan）” beneath the date bore Tokugawa Ietsuna’s kaō （stylized signature）. Because the original letter of enfeoffment was submitted to the new government in the Meiji period, it is no longer held by the Takamatsu Matsudaira family, but a complete set of Edo-period copies has been preserved. Together, they constitute important documents symbolizing the Matsudaira family’s status as lords of the Takamatsu domain.