Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu
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Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu (柳沢吉保, 1658 – 1714) was a member of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan. He served Tokugawa Tsunayoshi from an early age, becoming his wakashu and eventually rising to the position of soba yōnin. He was the daimyo of the Kawagoe han, and later of the Kofu han; he retired in 1709. Having previously been named Yasuakira, he received a kanji from the name of the shogun, and came to call himself Yoshiyasu.
Yanagisawa played a pivotal role in the matter of the 47 Ronin.
[edit] Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu in popular culture
Yanagisawa appears as a character in nine of eleven (as of 2006) novels by American mystery writer Laura Joh Rowland set in Genroku-era Japan as the antagonist to the books' main character Sano Ichiro. Rowland's chronology differs from history by having Yanagisawa exiled in disgrace in 1694 and being replaced by Sano as Tsunayoshi's chief advisor. Other details of Yanagisawa's life, however, are portrayed fairly accurately, including his relationship to the shogun.
[edit] See also
Categories: 1658 births | 1714 deaths | Shudo | Samurai
