Background
Nagamichi was the eldest son of Ogasawara Nagamasa, the first Ogasawara daimyō of Karatsu Domain in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, Japan (modern-day Saga Prefecture). An infant at the time of his father’s death, he was bypassed in the succession by Ogasawara Nagayasu, originally the son of Sakai Tadaari of Shonai Domain.
Career
Before the Meiji Restoration, his courtesy title was Iki no Kami and lower 5th Court rank. Nagayasu died without heirs, and was replaced in turn by Ogasawara Nagao, and Ogasawara Nagakazu, each of whom was adopted into the Ogasawara clan as a successor, and each of whom died without heirs. Nagamichi was never chosen to be daimyo, but developed a political base within Karatsu Domain and was defacto ruler of the domain for much of his adult life.
Nagayuki became a prominent official in the Tokugawa shogunate, with the positions of wakadoshiyori in 1862.
Rōjū-kaku in 1862-1863 and in 1865. And rōjū in 1865-1866 and in 1866-1868.
During these periods, he was primarily involved with foreign affairs, and was one of the senior Japanese officials during negotiations with Great Britain over reparations following the Namamugi Incident. In 1868, with the start of the Boshin War, Karatsu Domain remained strongly in support of the Tokugawa bakufu.
Karatsu domain was a fudai domain, unlike the neighboring Nabashima domains, which were of tozama domain status.
The Ogasawara remained loyal to the Tokugawa to the end, with Nagamichi and many samurai accompanying the remnants of the Tokugawa army north to join the Northern Alliance and then the Republic of Ezo, fighting in the Battle of Hakodate. After the war, Nagamichi lived in retirement in Tokyo. In June 1869, the title of daimyō was abolished, and in 1871, Karatsu domain itself was abolished with the abolition of the han system, and became part of the new Saga Prefecture.
However, his lower 5th court rank was raised to 4th court rank in June 1880.
He died in Tokyo in 1891.