Collection
Black-Seal Letter by Tokugawa Ieyasu
| Black-Seal Letter by Tokugawa Ieyasu |
| Ink on paper; Momoyama period, dated 11th day, 9th month of Bunroku 1 (1592); Important Cultural Property; Gift of the Ii Family |
This letter was written by Tokugawa Ieyasu to Ii Naomasa (1561–1602), who would become first daimyo of Hikone domain. Ieyasu was serving in northern Kyushu at the headquarters of Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s first expedition to Korea at the time, and he had charged Naomasa with assisting his son Tokugawa Hidetada in the major project of expanding Edo Castle. The letter expresses Ieyasu’s gratitude after receiving a report from Hidetada on Naomasa’s contributions to the project.
