Ōkubo Toshitatsu

Toshitaku Okubo was a castle town samurai of Satsuma Domain during the late Edo period. He was the seventh head of the Okubo family and the uncle of the statesman Taro Okubo.

His date of birth and place of origin are traditionally considered to be Kagoshima Castle Town in Takuramachi, Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture. His specific birth year is unknown; however, on April 20, 1821 (Bunsei 4), he was appointed to serve as a government official at Itsuba Port on Amami Ōshima, one of the Amami Islands, accompanying the Oshima magistrate.

On July 25 of the same year, he fell ill, and despite treatment, he died on August 4, 1821, on Amami Ōshima. There are no records detailing his cause of death, but it is believed that he passed away while still in office.

After Toshitaku’s death, he did not return to Kagoshima Castle Town; since he had only a daughter as his direct descendant, his younger brother, Toshiye Okubo, adopted as his heir and succeeded the family estate. One of his brothers, Jiro Suke, had predeceased him.

Furthermore, after Toshitaku’s death, a person was appointed as a magistrate on Amami Ōshima who is believed to be his successor; however, he reportedly died during his tenure. As a result, a new successor was dispatched to replace him.

In addition, it is noted that "Okubo Taro Denjo" mentions Toshitaku’s place of death as Okinoerabu Island, but since the official dispatch area of the Oshima magistrate at that time was Amami Ōshima, this is considered to be an error.

The "Amami Materials Collection" records a person named Kanbei Okubo as serving as an official attached to the Oshima magistrate, which is presumed to be related to Toshitaku.

There are also records concerning Toshitaku’s wife. According to "Okubo Taro Denjo," when his brother-in-law, Toshiye, served as an attendant at the Ryukyu Hall, Toshitaku lived with him at the Kajiya-cho residence. While it was common for officials to live within their official residence grounds, he was kept in Kajiya-cho to receive local education (kyōjū) from his early childhood.

Relevant sources include Kazutani Magoya’s "Okubo Taro Denjo" (Rinsen Publishing) and the "Amami Materials Collection."