松平 定信
Sadanobu Matsudaira was born on the 15th of January, 1758 in Tokyo, Japan. He was the third son of Tayasu Munetake and a grandson of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune. His childhood name was Katamaru, and his literary names are Rakuo and Kagetsuo. Following the last failed attempt at adoption by the shogun, Sadanobu was adopted by Matsudaira Sadakuni, head of one of the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira houses, succeeding to headship in late 1783 following his stepfather's protracted illness.
In his youth, Sadanobu Matsudaira studied Confucianism and calligraphy under Otsuka Takayasu.
In 1783, Sadanobu Matsudaira succeeded his foster father as daimyo. He was immediately faced with his domain's economically disastrous position, of 110,000 koku that it was supposed to be able to produce, 108,600 had been reported as lost. Sadanobu worked ceaselessly to fix the economic situation in Shirakawa, finally saving it and bringing its finances and agriculture back to stability. These reforms, coupled with Sadanobu's continued political maneuvering, brought him fame, and he was named chief councilor of the Shogunate in the summer of 1787, and regent to the 11th shogun Tokugawa Ienari early the following year.
In 1787, when the rojii (councilor of state) Tanuma Okitsugu fell from power, Sadanobu replaced him and the following year began carrying out the governmental changes, which, because of the era name, are commonly referred to as the Kansei Reforms. In 1793 he retired from his duties in the shogunate and devoted all his attention to his own domain of Shirakawa, where he established an official school of Confucian studies called the Rikkyokan.
Though Sadanobu resigned from his position on the senior council, he continued to keep up with political affairs, especially keeping in close touch with Matsudaira Nobuaki, his successor in the senior council, as well as the rector of the Shogunate's college, Hayashi Jussai, whom he had personally installed in that position. During these last few years of his rule in Shirakawa, he was also involved in matters of national defense, taking up security duties on the Boso Peninsula in 1810 together with Matsudaira Katahiro of Aizu.
In domainal matters, Sadanobu continued to devote himself to the reforms he had established, as well as to education. He retired from the family headship in 1819, and was succeeded by his son Sadanaga.
Sadanobu Matsudaira worked to encourage devotion to learning and the military arts within the domain and promoted forestation and the improvement of agriculture. As a result of these enlightened measures, and of his attention to frugality and the efficient transportation of foodstuffs, not a single person within the domain died of starvation during the terrible Temmei famine in 1782-87, which elsewhere in the country claimed millions of lives.
Sadanobu initiated a policy of not assigning government office to any person who did not adhere to the officially sanctioned Chu Hsi School of Neo-Confucianism, the measure has come to be known as the Kansei prohibition of unorthdox learning.
Sadanobu Matsudaira distinguished himself not only as a statesman but as a poet, critic, and man of letters as well, and also took an interest in archeological matters.
