The Mysterious Connection Between Kagurazaka and Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site
The Mysterious Connection Between Kagurazaka and Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site I have written several times in my blog that Kagurazaka was built by the 3rd Shogun of the Edo Shogunate, Tokugawa Iemitsu, as a path (Onari-dori) from Ushigome Gate of Edo Castle to the residence of Senior Minister (Tairō) Tadakatsu Sakai. Today, I would like to write about the connection between Kagurazaka and Himeji Castle, a World Heritage Site. Kagurazaka and Himeji Connected by the Sakai Family The Senior Minister (Tairō) was a top position temporarily placed above the Senior Councillor (Rōjū) to assist the Shogun. In other words, it was the No. 2 position in the Edo Shogunate. Only four families were eligible for the position of Senior Minister, who were close retainers of the first Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu: the Ii, Sakai (main branch of the Uemon-no-kami family), Doi, and Hotta families. However, the Sakai family was further divided into the main branch of the Himeji Domain (now Hyogo Prefecture) and the separate branch of the Obama Domain (now Fukui Prefecture), both of which had Senior Ministers, making it effectively five families. The first lord of the Obama Domain was Tadakatsu Sakai, the fourth lord to hold the