Honda Masazumi

Honda Masazumi (本多 正純) (1566 – April 5, 1637) was a Japanese samurai of the Azuchi–Momoyama period through early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan. He later became a daimyō, and one of the first rōjū of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Masazumi was born in 1565; he was the eldest son of Honda Masanobu. Father and son served Tokugawa Ieyasu together. Masazumi was in the main force at Sekigahara; after the battle, Masazumi was entrusted with the guardianship of the defeated Ishida Mitsunari. Masazumi was made a daimyo in 1608, with an income of 33,000 koku.

Ieyasu trusted Honda sufficiently to have relied on him as an intermediary for diplomatic initiatives with China.

In 1612 February, the Okamoto Daihachi incident occurred, when a vassal of Masazumi named Okamoto Daihachi received a large bribe from daimyo Arima Harunobu. However, this turned out to be a fraud, and Daihachi was burned at the stake, while Harunobu executed. As both Hatunobu and Daihachi were Catholics , this marked the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate's full-scale policy of Catholic persecution.

Later, Masazumi served at the siege of Osaka; in 1616, he became a toshiyori; this was the position that would soon after be renamed as rōjū. In this role, he worked closely with the now-retired second shōgun, Hidetada. During this period, his income was increased to 53,000 koku,

In October 1619 , after Fukushima Masanori was stripped from his domain , Masazumi was granted an increase in his stipend from 53,000 koku in the Oyama Domain in Shimotsuke Province to 155,000 koku in the Utsunomiya Domain, according to the will of the late Ieyasu. This further aroused resentment from those around him . However, Masazumi himself refused the increase, citing it as being excessive for someone who had not achieved any significant military feats, and also taking into consideration the resentment and anger of his political enemies.