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Ii Naosuke was a prominent [[Tairo|Tairô]] of the [[Bakumatsu period]], known for his support of ending the [[maritime restrictions]] of the [[Edo period]] and "opening" the country, and for his engineering of the [[Ansei Purges]] in which he purged from the government a great many shogunate officials belonging to rival factions.

Ii Naosuke was a prominent [[Tairo|Tairô]] of the [[Bakumatsu period]], known for his support of ending the [[maritime restrictions]] of the [[Edo period]] and "opening" the country, and for his engineering of the [[Ansei Purges]] in which he purged from the government a great many shogunate officials belonging to rival factions.

Born the fourteenth son of lord [[Ii Naonaka]] at the [[Keyaki]]goten, the lord's private residence within [[Hikone castle]], at the age of 17, Naosuke was given a separate residence, known as Umoreginoya, where he would then spend the next fifteen years of his life. During this period, he devoted himself to cultural study and practice, and towards the end of his time at the Umoreginoya, he established his own branch of the [[Katagiri Sekishu|Sekishû]] school of [[tea culture]], producing numerous writings on his philosophies on tea and the arts. These texts reveal an attitude of disappointment or sadness at the decline of ''daimyô'' styles of tea (in the vein of that supposedly practiced by warlords such as [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] and [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]]), and the decline of warrior spirit overall. Within tea practice, Naosuke emphasized the value of ''[[ichigo ichie]]'' (once-in-a-lifetime experiences), and of sitting alone in meditation.<ref>Rebecca Corbett, ''Cultivating Femininity: Women and Tea Culture in Edo and Meiji Japan'', University of Hawaii Press (2018), 133-134.</ref>  

Naosuke was born the fourteenth son of lord [[Ii Naonaka]], by a concubine known as [[Otomi no kata]]. Born at the [[Keyaki]]goten, the lord's private residence within [[Hikone castle]], at the age of 17, Naosuke was given a separate residence, known as Umoreginoya, where he would then spend the next fifteen years of his life. During this period, he devoted himself to cultural study and practice, including the study of [[tea culture|tea]] under [[Katagiri Soen|Katagiri Sôen]] ([[1774]]-[[1864]]). Towards the end of his time at the Umoreginoya, he established his own branch of the [[Katagiri Sekishu|Sekishû]] school of [[tea culture]], producing numerous writings on his philosophies on tea and the arts. These texts reveal an attitude of disappointment or sadness at the decline of ''daimyô'' styles of tea (in the vein of that supposedly practiced by warlords such as [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]] and [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]]), and the decline of warrior spirit overall. Within tea practice, Naosuke emphasized the value of ''[[ichigo ichie]]'' (once-in-a-lifetime experiences), and of sitting alone in meditation. Naosuke is said to have also valued the inclusion of women in tea culture more than most, and actively encouraged female members of his household to learn and practice tea. This encouragement included the production and distribution of manuscript copies of ''Toji no tamoto'' ([[1721]]), one of the earliest guidebooks to tea for women.<ref>Rebecca Corbett, ''Cultivating Femininity: Women and Tea Culture in Edo and Meiji Japan'', University of Hawaii Press (2018), 133-134.</ref>

 

Naosuke's adoptive mother was known as Yôkyô-in. His wife was named Masako.<ref>Corbett, 135.</ref>

In [[1846]], he was named heir apparent to the Ii household, and four years later, at the age of 36, Naosuke became head of the Ii family and lord of [[Hikone han]]. He was named Tairô in [[1858]], and was a strong supporter of [[Hotta Masayoshi|Hotta Masayoshi's]] having negotiated and agreed to the Treaty of Amity and Commerce ([[Harris Treaty]]).

In [[1846]], he was named heir apparent to the Ii household, and four years later, at the age of 36, Naosuke became head of the Ii family and lord of [[Hikone han]]. He was named Tairô in [[1858]], and was a strong supporter of [[Hotta Masayoshi|Hotta Masayoshi's]] having negotiated and agreed to the Treaty of Amity and Commerce ([[Harris Treaty]]).