Departures of note

Inaba Masayasu, a daimyo of Aono han in Mino Province, is remembered for a single, violent act: on October 7, 1684, he assassinated the Tairō Hotta Masatoshi inside Edo Castle. The motive for the killing remains unknown, but the lack of severe punishment for his family has led to speculation that the shogun himself may have been aware of the planned assassination.

Masayasu was born in 1640, the son of hatamoto Inaba Masakichi, from whom he inherited the 5,000 koku territory of Aono han in 1656. He served as a page and clerk before being summoned by the shogunate to oversee irrigation projects in the provinces of Kawachi and Settsu. For this work, he was awarded the post of wakadoshiyori (junior counselor) in 1682, and his lands were expanded to 12,000 koku. He visited Kyoto as part of a formal inspection in 1683.

Masayasu was part of a cadet branch of the Inaba clan, which claimed descent from Emperor Kammu through Kōno Michitaka. His cousin, Inaba Masamichi, held the powerful position of Kyoto shoshidai at the time of the assassination. The Inaba were a fudai clan, hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa, and Masayasu's relatives later held domains at Odawara, Takata, Sakura, and Yodo.