Wakadoshiyori
position

The Wakadoshiyori (若年寄), or "Junior Elders", were high government officials in the Edo period Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). The position was established around 1633, but appointments were irregular until 1662. The four to six wakadoshiyori were subordinates to the rōjū in status, but they ranked above the jisha-bugyō. The served for a month at a time on a rotating basis and were selected from the ranks of the fudai daimyō. There were periods when the number of wakadoshiyori rose to 6 or 7 at one time.
The wakadoshiyori were tasked with supervising the direct vassals of the shōgun, namely the hatamoto and gokenin using reports provided by the metsuke. They also oversaw the activities of artisans and physicians, organised and supervised public works projects and were in change of the shōgun's personal guards. In the event of war, the wakadoshiyori were theoretically to lead the hatamoto in battle.
List of Wakadoshiyori
Under Tokugawa Iemitsu (1623–1651)
Matsudaira Nobutsuna (1633–1635)
Abe Tadaaki (1633–1635)
Hotta Masamori (1633–1635)
Abe Shigetsugu (1633–1638)
Ōta Sukemune (1633–1638)
Miura Masatsugu (1633–1639)
Dōi Toshitaka (1635–1638)
Sakai Tadatomo (1635–1638)
Kutsuki Tanetsuna (1635–1649)
Under Tokugawa Ietsuna (1651–1680)
Kuze Hiroyuki (1662–1663)
Tsuchiya Kazunao (1662–1665)
Doi Toshifusa (1663–1679)
Nagai Naotsune (1665–1670)
Hotta Masatoshi (1670–1679)
Matsudaira Nobuoki (1679–1682)
Ishikawa Norimasa (1679–1682)
Under Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (1680–1709)
Hotta Masahide (1681–1685)
Inaba Masayasu (1682–1684)
Akimoto Takatomo (1682–1699)
Naitō Shigeyori (1684–1685)
Matsudaira Tadachika (1685)
Ōta Sukenao (1685–1686)
Inagaki Shigesada (1685–1689)
Ōkubo Tadamasu (1687–1688)
Miura Akihiro (1689)
Yamauchi Toyoakira (1689)
Matsudaira Nobutaka (1689–1690)
Naitō Masachika (1690–1694)
Katō Akihide (1690–1711)
Matsudaira Masahisa (1694–1696)
Yonekura Masatada (1696–1699)
Honda Masanaga (1696–1704)
Inoue Masamine (1699–1705)
Inagaki Shigetomi (1699–1709)
Nagai Naohiro (1704–1711)
Kuze Shigeyuki (1705–1713)
Ōkubo Norihiro (1706–1723)
Under Tokugawa Ienobu (1709–1712) and Tokugawa Ietsugu (1713–1716)
Torii Tadateru (1711–1716)
Mizuno Tadayuki (1711–1714)
Ōkubo Tsuneharu (1713–1728)
Morikawa Toshitane (1714–1717)
Under Tokugawa Yoshimune (1716–1745)
Ishikawa Fusashige (1717–1725)
Matsudaira Norikata (1723–1735)
Mizuno Tadasada (1723–1748)
Honda Tadamune (1725–1750)
Ōta Sukeharu (1728–1734)
Koide Hidesada (1732–1744)
Nishio Tadanao (1734–1745)
Itakura Katsukiyo (1735–1760)
Toda Ujifusa (1744–1758)
Under Tokugawa Ieshige (1745–1760)
Kanō Hisamichi (1745–1748)
Hori Naohisa (1745–1748)
Miura Yoshisato (1745–1749)
Hotta Masanobu (1745–1751)
Akimoto Suketomo (1747)
Kobori Masamine (1748–1751, 1756–1760)
Koide Fusayoshi (1748–1767)
Matsudaira Tadatsune (1748–1768)
Sakai Tadayoshi (1749–1761, 1761–1787)
Ōoka Tadamitsu (1754–1756)
Honda Tadahide (1758)
Mizuno Tadachika (1758–1775)
Under Tokugawa Ieharu (1760–1786)
Under Tokugawa Ienari (1787–1837)
Under Tokugawa Ieyoshi (1837–1853)
Under Tokugawa Iesada (1853–1858) and Tokugawa Iemochi (1858–1866)
Sakai Tadasuke (1853–1862, 1863, 1864–1866)
Andō Nobumasa (1858–1860)
Mizuno Tadakiyo (1861–1862)
Ogasawara Nagamichi (1862)
Under Tokugawa Yoshinobu (1867–1868)
Hoshina Masaari (1866–1867)
Ōkōchi Masatada (1866–1867)
Kyōgoku Takatomi (1866–1868)
Asano Ujisuke (1867)
Kawakatsu Kōun (1867)
Nagai Naoyuki (1867–1868)
Matsudaira Chikayoshi (1867–1868)
Takenaka Shigekata (1867–1868)
Hori Naotora (1867–1868)
Tsukahara Masayoshi (1867–1868)
Katsu Kaishū (1868)
Ōkubo Ichiō (1868)
Hattori Tsunezumi (1868)
Imagawa Norinobu (1868)
Atobe Yoshisuke (1868)
Kawatsu Sukekuni, also known as Kawazu Sukekune (1868).
Mukōyama Ippaku (1868)
Kondō Isami (1868)
Wakadoshiyori-kaku
The wakadoshiyori-kaku were bakufu officials ranking as wakadoshiyori, but not actually appointed as such.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Wakadoshiyori” is position. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Wakadoshiyori and position, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “position” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 24, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1036547. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1603, 1867, 1633 and 1662.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Wakadoshiyori”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Wakadoshiyori primary sources, Wakadoshiyori archive and Wakadoshiyori research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Wakadoshiyori”?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Wakadoshiyori” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.