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But the daughter of his elder brother,the late Michitaka, already held that position. Finally, hacking his own face so that it became unrecognizable, hecommitted suicide. Imprisonment meant death orpermanent disablement for a man of means. Thelatter contrived to have an Imperial rescript sent to Yedo by thehands of the Satsuma feudatory, Shimazu Hisamitsu.

One ofhis first acts was to appoint Tanuma Okitsugu to be prime minister,bestowing on him a fief of fifty-seven thousand koku in the provinceof Totomi, and ordering him to construct a fortress there. Parity ofreasoning dictated acceptance of the sacrifice. ded, with the explicit reservation that no successobtained in Mikawa province should be followed up, an The power fell into the hands of servants, and althoughthey never actually assumed the title, they were sovereigns in fact,while the Mikado became an utter nullity.