Draft:Naitō Masataka

Naitō Masataka (内藤政挙, May 10, 1852 - May 23, 1927), the final lord of the Nobeoka Domain in Hyuga Province, held the position as the 13th leader of the Naitō clan within the domain. As the eighth lord, he carried the responsibility of governing and overseeing the affairs of the Nobeoka Domain, ensuring its prosperity and well-being. Naito Masataka's leadership and dedication to his clan and domain left a lasting impact on the history and legacy of the Nobeoka Domain.

Biography
On May 10, 1852, in Edo, the sixth son of Ota Motohajime, the lord of Kakegawa Domain in Totomi Province, was born. In 1860, he became the adopted son of Naitō Masayoshi, the seventh lord of Nobeoka Domain, and succeeded to the clan headship on October 24, 1862, when Masayoshi retired. Amidst the turmoil of the late Edo period, Masataka, being a hereditary vassal of the Tokugawa family in both his birth family, the Ota clan, and his adoptive clan, the Naitō clan, acted as a pro-shogunate faction. He participated as a member of the shogunate forces in the First Chōshū expedition in 1864 and the Second Chōshū expedition in 1866. During the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in January 1868, Masataka was in his home domain, but since the domain's troops stationed in Osaka were under orders from the former shogunate, they were considered enemies by the new government. In his place, Kobayashi Yuzo, a senior retainer who was stationed in Kyoto, immediately made a defense and requested mediation from Satsuma and Kumamoto domains. Masataka also submitted a pledge of allegiance to the new government to the Satsuma Domain on February 7. Afterwards, he was ordered to go to Kyoto to make a defense and on April 5, he entered the capital and was questioned by the new government. On May 10, he received a punishment of more than 100 days of house arrest due to the misconduct of his subordinates (the domain's troops stationed in Osaka), but the two unit commanders who were held responsible were released, effectively granting him amnesty. During the Boshin War, he was only assigned to rear guard duties such as guarding Kofu Castle. In June 1869, he assumed the role of governor of the Nobeoka domain following the restoration of land ownership. However, his tenure was short-lived as in July 1871, he was relieved of his duties when the domain was dissolved and prefectures were established. Subsequently, he relocated to Tokyo with the intention of pursuing studies at Keio University, but had to abandon his academic pursuits due to an eye ailment. In 1890, the Naitō clan returned to Nobeoka to revive their former territory, which had declined due to the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877 and the Nobeoka Great Fire in 1884, and to promote education. They appointed Kanichiro Kobayashi as the family steward and reformed the family administration. In the same year, they began managing the Nihira Copper Mine. In the 1930s, by introducing Western refining methods through the recruitment of Washitaro Kasahara and establishing a hydroelectric power plant, the Naito clan's assets greatly increased. They became large landowners by purchasing mountains, forests, and tenant farms. Even when the copper mine had to be closed due to resource depletion in the Taishō era, they remained one of the wealthiest families in modern Miyazaki Prefecture. Some of their assets were allocated to charitable activities and educational initiatives. They established the Ryo Ten Sha, which traces its lineage back to the clan school, and developed it into a junior high school, which later became Nobeoka Prefectural Junior High School. In addition, they established a girls' school and developed it into Nobeoka Higher Girls' School, which was a pioneering example of secondary education for girls in rural areas, excluding the prefectural capital. Even after the transfer of Nobeoka Junior High School to the prefectural administration, the Naitō clan continued to manage the girls' school until the Shōwa era. In March 1896, they established the Nihira Elementary School within the copper mine to provide education for the children of employees. Furthermore, in September 1912, they established the Mitate Elementary School. In January 1910, the Nobeoka Electric Company was established. Along with the construction of the port, the electricity business became a catalyst for attracting the factory of Nippon Chisso, which eventually led to the establishment of today's Asahi Kasei Corporation, and laid the economic foundation of present-day Nobeoka City. In later years, a statue was erected in Nobeoka Castle to commemorate the great achievement of revitalizing the regional economy. On May 23, 1927, Naitō Masataka died at the age of 76.

Family Genealogy

 * Ota Sukeshi (father)
 * Naitō Masayoshi (adopted father)
 * Naitō Nobuko – Naitō Masafumi's daughter (legal wife)
 * Oda Suzuko – Oda Nagayoshi's second daughter (stepwife)
 * Horikawa Eiko – daughter of Horikawa Chika (successive wife)
 * Hikaru Yoshioka
 * Naitō Masatoshi (eldest son)
 * Naitō Masamichi (fourth son)
 * Naito Masatsune (fifth son)
 * Katano Masaaki
 * Naitō Tsuyako – Mrs. Kyōgoku Takayoshi (ex-wife)
 * Naitō Tamako (second daughter) – Mrs. Masaburo Muromachi
 * Naitō Fusako – Mrs. Kuriyama Shigeru
 * Naitō Masatake
 * Kuriyama Shoichi