Hello and welcome to the history of Japan podcast, episode 596, Colme's World, Part 3.

Up until now, we've been focused on the daily life of Kauai Colme and her family in Wakayama,

but in the sixth year of the Kaye era, or as you might know it, 1853,

we'd see our dear diarist start to write a bit less about family

drama, and more about the unusual happenings around her.

The first of these happenings came very early in the year in the 16th day of the first lunar month,

when the domain government announced that Tokugawa Harutomi, who had,

it had been reported, been ill for several months, had finally died.

Except, actually, Harutomi had been dead for a while before the 16th day of the first

lunar month, but a faction of the domain government had been, for lack of a better term, weekend at Berneseing him.

Let me back up.

So Harutomi had once been the daimyo, the feudal lord, of Colme's home domain of Kishu, when she was born.

However, a peasant rebellion triggered by some of his more heavy-handed financial tactics in 1823

had led to Harutomi's abdication, with the Daimyo saying that he was going to give up power

to take responsibility for the rebellion.

That was a fiction, more than anything else.

Harutomi's children were all some variation of incompetent,

uninterested, and or extremely young, and none really had a talent for leadership.

Harutomi remained in charge and continued to call the shots. Everyone in Kishu and in the

castle town of Wakayama from which the domain was governed, was well aware of this fact.

Really, it'd have to be kind of an idiot to miss it.

Harutomi retained control of the domain's revenue-generating offices even after he retired,

...