Matsudaira Sadanobu
Late Edo period (19th century)
Tangible Cultural Property, designated by Sakata city
Donated by the Homma family
Matsudaira Sadanobu (1758–1829) was the seventh son of Tayasu Munetake (of the Tayasu branch of the Tokugawa family), and the grandson of the eighth shogun, Tokugawa Yoshimune. He published writings under the pen name “Rakuo.” He was adopted aged 17 by the Matsudaira family in Shirakawa Domain, Mutsu Province. In 1787, he became chief councilor of the Shogunate, and went on to restructure and strengthen the faltering shogunate by implementing the Kansei Reforms.
His body of work created after retiring from public life includes many calligraphic works, paintings, waka poems and writings. This particular piece is thought to have been acquired in 1828 by Kōki (1803–69), the fifth-generation head of the Homma family.