Takahiro Kuki

Takihiro Kuki was a daimyo in the late Edo period, serving as the 9th lord of the Tamba Province Ayabe Domain. His court titles included Lower Fourth Rank Jūgoi (Junior Fifth Class) Osumi no Kami and Shokubugon.

Based on information about his birth and family background, Takihiro Kuki was born as the second son of the 7th daimyo, Takahiro Kuki. Details about his childhood are unclear, but he became the adopted son of his predecessor and older brother, Takato Kuki. His birth year is not explicitly known but is inferred from his later activities.

Takihiro Kuki paid homage to the 11th Shogun Tokugawa Ienari on December 1, 1821 (Bunsei 4). In the following year, during the leap month of January 1822 (Bunsei 5), he succeeded to the family headship upon the retirement of his foster father, Takato, thereby formally assuming the position of domain lord.

Regarding his court ranks, he was initially appointed as Osumi no Kami (Lower Fifth Rank), then later promoted to Shokubugon. His governance was regarded as capable; he recruited talented individuals such as Nobuchika Sato and Kohei Okuyama, and promoted reforms centered on agriculture. Additionally, he invited Sosei Yamagata to reform military affairs.

Notably, in the 4th year of Kōka (1847), he established a cotton association and introduced a monopoly system to rebuild the domain’s finances, achieving significant success. His effective domain administration was highly valued by the shogunate; in 1855 (Ansei 2), he was appointed Superintendent of the Shogunate’s military training facility. The prominence of the Yamaga-ryu military philosophy within the shogunate's martial studies was partly due to his close relation with Sosei Yamagata, and his recommendation of Kiyone Kubota, a leading figure in Yamaga-ryu.

Takihiro Kuki retired on June 10, 1861 (Bunkyū 1), passing the family headship to his eldest son, Takaki Kuki. On July 27, 1868 (Keiō 4), he obtained permission to relocate from Edo to Ayabe. Later, in 1870 (Meiji 3), he moved to Tokyo and passed away in 1882 (Meiji 15).

Regarding his family, his father was Takahiro Kuki (1780–1808). The details of his mother are unknown. His adoptive father, Takato Kuki (1800–1853), inherited the family headship. His official wife was a daughter of Arima Kubo; his concubine was Sasaki. His children include his eldest son, Takaki Kuki (1834–1897); another son, Tomonari Otahara (1836–1862); and his third son, Takayoshi Kuki (1837–1891), among others.

Additional members of Takihiro Kuki’s lineage include his eldest daughter, Michibi Honjo, and adopted relatives such as Katsutaka Itakura and Sōkuni Ishikawa.