Tsugaru Yukitsugu

• Died: 1865

Tsugaru Yukitsugu was the 11th lord of Hirosaki han. A member of the lineage of the branch domain of Kuroishi han, he was adopted by Lord of Hirosaki Tsugaru Nobuyuki, three months his junior, to be his heir in 1839. Yukitsugu succeeded Nobuyuki in the fifth month that same year, changing his name from Yukinori to Yukitsugu.

His administration is known for its austerity policies, something the previous two daimyô, Nobuyuki and Yasuchika, had failed to implement sufficiently. Beginning in 1839/10, Yukitsugu oversaw a thirty-point five-year plan, which began with dramatically reducing the expenditures of the lord's own household. Not only did this bring significant alleviation of financial difficulties on its own, but it also set an example, encouraging retainers to cut their spending in turn.

Yukitsugu, along with lord of Morioka han Nanbu Toshihisa, lord of Sendai han Date Yoshikuni, and lord of Matsumae han Matsumae Takahiro, was assigned by the shogunate in 1855 to take on guard duties in certain areas of Ezo.

Yukitsugu remained daimyô until his death in 1865, when he was succeeded by Tsugaru Tsuguakira.

Preceded by: Tsugaru Nobuyuki

Lord of Hirosaki 1839-1865

Succeeded by: Tsugaru Tsuguakira

References

• Mark Ravina, Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan, Stanford University Press (1999), 150.