Fudai daimyo

The Fudai daimyō ( Japanese 譜 代 大名 ) were a class of feudal lords ( daimyō ) during the Edo period in Japan . These included those who became vassals of the Tokugawa even before the decisive battle of Sekigahara .

The Fudai daimyo, since they had already voluntarily joined the Tokugawa before the battle, were more reliable and loyal than the Tozama daimyo, who were added later . Only the Shimpan daimyo were closer to the Tokugawa as direct relatives.

As a hereditary vassal of the Tokugawa , in contrast to the Tozama daimyō, she often ruled only small fiefs , but often in a strategically important location along the main roads or in the Kantō region near the headquarters of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo .

High positions in the shogunate , such as Rōjū and Wakadoshiyori , were usually bestowed on Fudai . Important examples of such families are the clans of the Ii and Doi .