The Decline of the Kuki Family
Kuki Yoshitaka’s son, Moritaka, was able to maintain the family’s position of power in Ise-Shima by pledging fealty to Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616), who had successfully managed to unify the country. Unfortunately, the family’s control of Toba Castle proved to be relatively short-lived.
Moritaka’s firstborn son was disinherited, which meant there was no clear heir at the time of Moritaka’s death in 1632. This led to a dispute between his third son, Takasue (1608–1678), and his fifth son, Hisataka (1617–1649), which threatened to erupt into a civil war.
In the end, the Tokugawa government stepped in, and exiled both sons— Takasue to present-day Kyoto and Hisataka to present-day Hyogo. Though the family was renowned for their prowess at sea, both men were sent to landlocked areas, and control of Toba Castle was passed to the Naito family, hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa family.