Hamamatsu Castle and its successive lords

After Ieyasu relocated from Hamamatsu to Sumpu Castle, Horio Yoshiharu, a senior vassal of the Toyotomi family, became the lord of Hamamatsu Castle.
Subsequently, the lord of Hamamatsu Castle changed with dizzying frequency throughout the Edo Period, totaling 10 families and 22 generations of lordship. Every one of them was a fudai daimyo (hereditary feudal lords whose ancestors supported Tokugawa Ieyasu prior to the Battle of Sekigahara), and many of them were from especially prestigious families, such as the lineage of Matsudaira Ichimon. While each family had only a short tenure of one to three generations of lordship, they came from and went to similar places before and after. Hamamatsu Castle is also known as “Shusse Castle” (Success Castle), because many lords of the castle took important positions such as the Roju (Elder) in the Shogunate, either during or following their tenure.

Lords of Hamamatsu Castle

Changes in Hamamatsu Castle and its castle town

Status under the rule of the Imagawa clan

Hikuma-shuku was a post station that developed along the Tokaido Road, and Hamamatsu Hachimangu Shrine is seen as its starting point in the north. Hikuma Castle was built on the hilly area just to the west of Hikuma-shuku. Nearby, there were also the well-known Tsubaki Manor and Hebi Manor. The precise location of the Tokaido Road can only be estimated.

Status under the rule of the Tokugawa clan

Tokugawa Ieyasu expanded the grounds of the castle to the west, starting from Hikuma Castle, and renamed it as Hamamatsu Castle. With the expansion of Hamamatsu, vassals were placed in various parts of the castle town, and merchants and craftsmen were gathered there as well. Residential properties were expanded to the south, and a new castle town unlike Hikuma-shuku emerged.

Status under the rule of the Horio clan

After Tokugawa Ieyasu, Horio Yoshiharu (a senior vassal of Toyotomi Hideyoshi) became the lord of Hamamatsu Castle. Horio Yoshiharu rebuilt Hamamatsu Castle with high stone walls and tile-roofed buildings. At that time, Hamamatsu Castle was built facing east, in order to take advantage of the steep terrain on the edge of the Mikatabara Plateau.

Status under the rule of various fudai daimyo

In the Edo Period, the third bailey of the castle was greatly expanded on the southeast side, and the Otemon (main gate) was built on the southern edge. Hamamatsu Castle had no main keep in the Edo Period, and facilities inside the castle were turned south. The path of the Tokaido Road was reset to start from the Otemon, and new townhouses were built along the road.