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Tokugawa Mitsukuni (徳川光圀; July 11, 1628 - January 14, 1701) was a prominent daimyo who was known for his influence in the politics of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming the second daimyo of the Mito domain.

At age 27, he married a daughter of the kampaku Konoe Nobuhiro.

He compiled a huge collection of Japanese history, Dai Nihon shi. In it, he depicted Japan as a nation under the Emperor, analogous to that in Chinese dynasties. This helped the rise of nationalism in the late shogunate and in the Mito domain later.

In 1661, at age 34, he became the daimyo of the Mito han.

At age 63, he was awarded the court office of gon-chūnagon, or provisional middle counsellor. He posthumously received the court rank of junior first rank (1869) and first rank (1900).

In 1691, he retired to his villa, Seizanso. He died there a decade later.

He was also known as a gourmet of the Edo period. He is claimed to be one of the first Japanese to eat ramen as well as routinely enjoying such exotic food as wine and yogurt.

Mitsukuni had one son, who took the Matsudaira surname. Additionally, Mitsukuni adopted the son of an elder brother; this adopted son, Tokugawa Tsunaeda, became his heir.

During the latter half of the Edo period and the Meiji period, a kōdan (narrative tale) named "Mito Mitsukuni Man'yūki" fictionalized the travels of Tokugawa Mitsukuni. This tradition of dramatizing his life continued with a novel and, in 1951, the first television series to portray him as a wanderer, masquerading as a commoner, who castigated the evil powers in every corner of the nation. In 1969, the TBS series Mito Kōmon began, and today continues to attract audiences.

Each summer, the city of Mito hosts the Mito Komon festival, which prominently feature the Tokugawa seal as well as actors representing Tokugawa Mitsukuni and his assistants.

• Mito Komon TV drama series (Japanese)

• Mito Komon wiki page on DramaWiki (English)

Preceded by Tokugawa Yorifusa

Mito-Tokugawa family head 1671-1690

Succeeded by Tokugawa Tsunaeda