Matsutomo

The Matsutomo clan were a samurai family in Wa and the leaders of Aru Province on and off through the 1600s and 1700s on the Wa Calendar.

History
In, the shogun Eiko officially recognized the settlement of Aru and decreed it the capital of the new Aru Province. Choosing the completely loyal Matsutomo clan to lead it, he appointed the clan head Arata Matsutomo as its first daimyo; the Matsutomos dutifully relocated to Aru. Arata served ably for two decades, until, when bandits aided by unidentified supernatural creatures (tengu being one possibility) massacred a large pilgrim train in one of the mountain passes. The shogun reprimanded Arata for this failure of security. The next year, Arata's samurai guarded the next pilgrim train, but they too were attacked and slaughtered to a man. The shogun removed Arata and the Matsutomos from power, passing the province to the Toda clan.

The shogun returned Aru to the Matsutomo clan in, now under Koji Matsutomo. A weak man, Koji was liked by peasants but hated by rival nobles who'd moved to Aru. He survived two attempted coups in and, and thereafter focused only on protecting himself and his clan. As a result, he neglected the province's administration and corruption got out of control. When in the annual shipment of tax payments at Uwaji was 30% less than reported on the manifest, Koji and the Matsutomos were removed, with the province passed to the Kubahachi clan.

The daimyate went back to the Matsutomos in. Vowing to do better, Masakito Matsutomo was efficient and enlightened, if strict, but too old to reign for long. He died in and was succeeded by his son, Hisao. Hisao lacked his father's wisdom and corruption flourished in Aru Province again. Many of his advisors established their own "business interests", most egregiously charging pilgrims a "visitation fee" to worship at the Shining Temple of Bishamon. When the shogun heard of his violation of tradition, the Matsutomos were removed again in.

In, shogun Matasuuri Nagahide returned the daimyate once again to the Matsutomos. Benju Matsutomo, a renowned samurai and one of Nagahide's generals, governed well but as he grew older he worried about his family's future. Deciding his ancestors' failures resulted from overambition, he resolved to be as quiet, safe, unobtrusive, and error-free as he could, hoping that if the Matsutomos could hold the daimyate for a few generations, they might achieve a better position. He remained in power through.

Reputation
Regularly removed from power for one failure or another, the Matsutomos had a history of bad luck and even shame with regards to the province. One rumor even claimed—falsely—that it was a curse, insisting that Aru would suffer whenever a Matsutomo became daimyo.

Home
When they were in power as daimyos of Aru Province, the Matsutomos lived in its capital, the town of Aru, at the daimyo's donjon in the Castle District. Some family members lived there, but the daimyo's wife and children lived in a yashiki in Wa's capital, Uwaji, as effective hostages of the shogun.

Possessions
A family heirloom was a katana of quality make. It had been in the family for ten generations by the time Benju wielded it.

Notable Members

 * Arata Matsutomo, clan leader and daimyo of Aru Province, Wa Years 1608–1628
 * Koji Matsutomo, clan leader and daimyo of Aru Province, Wa Years 1640–1652
 * Masakito Matsutomo, clan leader and daimyo of Aru Province, Wa Years 1717–1725
 * Hisao Matsutomo, clan leader and daimyo of Aru Province, Wa Years 1725–1730
 * Benju Matsutomo, clan leader and daimyo of Aru Province, Wa Years 1758–
 * Sumihiro Matsutomo, nephew of Benju
 * Takako Shimizu, niece of Benju