Fudai

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A fudai daimyo (譜代大名) was a daimyo who was a hereditary vassal of the Tokugawa in Edo period Japan. In contrast to the tozama, the fudai typically ruled small fiefs, many in strategic locations along the principal roads or in the Kantō region near the headquarters of the shogunate at Edo. High posts in the shogunate, such as Rōjū and wakadoshiyori, normally went to fudai. Major examples of fudai houses include the Ii, Itakura, Ogasawara, Mizuno, Honda, Sakakibara, and Doi.