Daimyo Niwa Nagakuni & the Battle of Nihonmatsu Castle

The Fiercest Battle of the Boshin War

A descendant of Oda Nobunaga's chief retainer, Niwa Nagahide, Niwa Nagakuni (1834-1904) was the tenth Daimyo of Nihonmatsu Domain in Mutsu Province in modern day Fukushima Prefecture.

Nagakuni was born May 22, 1834, the sixth son of the ninth daimyo, Niwa Nagatomi.  Nagakuni was 24 years old when he inherited leadership of the Niwa clan and the 100,700 koku Nihonmatsu domain following his father's retirement on November 15, 1858. Together with the Aizu domain samurai, his troops were tasked by the Bakufu (government) with performing coastal defense missions, as well as security duties in the capital, Kyoto.