Shimazu Tadayoshi

Bronze statue of Tadayoshi at the Tanshôen gardens in Kagoshima

This article is about the Bakumatsu/Meiji era daimyô. For others by the same name, see Shimazu Tadayoshi (disambig).

• Born: 1840
• Died: 1897
• Japanese: 島津忠義 (Shimazu Tadayoshi)

Shimazu Tadayoshi was the 12th and last Edo period daimyô of Satsuma han. He was the son of Shimazu Hisamitsu, adopted son of Shimazu Nariakira, and is counted as the 29th head of the Shimazu clan.

Upon Nariakira's death in 1858, Tadayoshi succeeded him as daimyô; his father Hisamitsu served initially as regent, wielding considerable power over domainal affairs in place of his son. Acting in his son's name, Hisamitsu reversed many of Nariakira's policies, especially those pertaining to Ryûkyû, and acted in strong support of the Tokugawa shogunate and of samurai privilege through the Bakumatsu and into the Meiji period.

Following the 1863 Bombardment of Kagoshima by the British Royal Navy, in which much of the city was destroyed, Tadayoshi successfully represented to the Imperial Court that he had acted in accordance with the edict issued two months earlier by Emperor Kômei to expel the barbarians, driving the British ships away from Kagoshima in the end.

Unlike many daimyô, who adopted Western/modern ways quite quickly into the Bakumatsu or Meiji periods, Tadayoshi is known for having maintained his topknot (chonmage), samurai dress, and other aspects of samurai lifestyle far into the Meiji period. His residence at Iso, similarly, is very much in the style of traditional Edo period elite samurai architecture and decor, albeit with some modern/Western-style accommodations for entertaining guests.

He married two daughters of Shimazu Nariakira, Teru-hime, and later Yasu-hime.

Tadayoshi moved to Tokyo in 1877, but had the Iso Palace renovated in 1884, and lived there from 1888 until his death in 1897.

Preceded by: Shimazu Nariakira

Lord of Satsuma han 1858-1871

Succeeded by: None