Shimazu Munenobu was the 23rd head of the Shimazu clan, and the sixth Edo period lord of Satsuma han.
Munenobu was the eldest son of Shimazu Tsugutoyo; his mother was a daughter of the Shibuya clan. He was raised as an adopted child of Tsugutoyo's wife Take-hime (an adopted daughter of Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi), and was as a result granted the privilege of using the Matsudaira name.
Upon his father's retirement in 1746, Munenobu became head of the clan, and of Satsuma domain. He struggled with a heavy household debt, and attempted to run the domain frugally. He retired in 1749 after only three years as the lord, journeying to Edo for his retirement[1] and passing on leadership of the domain to his younger brother Shimazu Shigetoshi. During that brief period, however, he escorted a Ryukyuan embassy to Edo in 1748, and was elevated to Upper Junior Fourth Rank.[2] Munenobu died less than a year into his retirement, at the young age of 21.
| Preceded by: Shimazu Tsugutoyo |
Lord of Satsuma han 1746-1749 |
Succeeded by: Shimazu Shigetoshi |
References
- "Shimazu Munenobu," Nihon jinmei daijiten, Kodansha 2009.
- "Shimazu Munenobu," Satsuma Shimazu-ke no rekishi, Shôkoshûseikan official website.