I Kimitsune (13th)

I Kimitsune (in indigo), as depicted in an 1839 painting of his audience with Lord of Satsuma han Shimazu Narioki

• Other Names: 伊集院 喜美恒 (Ijuuin Kimitsune)
• Japanese: 伊　喜美恒 (I Kimitsune)

I Kimitsune was an Amami Islands official who served as yohito for at least two different areas on Amami Ôshima and made formal visits to Kagoshima castle on at least two occasions, in 1838 and 1839.

Adopted into the Ijûin clan of Shimazu clan karô (House Elders), he was originally known as Ijûin Kimitsune but was obliged to shorten his family name to I when he was assigned to Amami, in accordance with Satsuma han policy that the family names of island elites (shima shizoku) could only be one kanji in length. This policy helped construct or strengthen ideas of difference between islanders and "mainland" Japanese.

Genealogy

Kimitsune is considered the 13th successive head of his lineage. His son and grandson (14th and 15th family heads, respectively) were also known as Kimitsune. A cemetery that includes their graves and those of several close relatives, located in the Tekebu area of Kasari Town on Amami Ôshima, has been officially designated as a historical site by Amami City.

A painting depicting Kimitsune's 1839 audience with Shimazu Narioki at Kagoshima castle, as well as other materials related to the family's history, remain in the possession today of the 18th head of the family, Ijûin Kanehiro (b. 1930). A reproduction of the painting is on permanent display at the Amami Museum in the Naze area of Amami Ôshima.

Kimitsune was first cousins with Shimazu Bungo Hisataka, an influential karô of the 1830s-50s. Kimitsune's mother, the eldest daughter of a member of the "main" Shimazu family lineage, had married into the Ijûin clan, while her younger sister married into the Shimazu Bungo lineage; Hisataka was a son of this younger sister.