Hotta Mokko Tie

The crest used by the legitimate descendant Masatoshi's family was initially 'a corner cut square with a vertical mokko.' It was changed to the present crest on July 22, 1679 (Enpo 7). The 'present crest' is the 'Hotta Mokko' with a 'stone-holding background,' nearly 20 years after the demise of the head family. Moreover, the fiefdom of the Masatoshi Hotta family was transferred to the Ou region, and then returned to the old land of Sakura in 1746 (Enkyo 3). During the tumultuous late Edo period, the last senior councilor of the Hotta family, Masayoshi Hotta, was produced. Masayoshi was in a difficult situation due to the conclusion of the provisional treaty with the American envoy Harris, and was replaced by Ii Naosuke, who was later assassinated at the Sakuradamon Gate. (Kenichi Takahashi, 'The Crests of Daimyo Families,' p.213). The Hotta Mokko differs from a simple stone-holding background with a vertical mokko.