Hotta Masatoshi (堀田 正俊; December 31, 1634 – October 7, 1684) was adaimyō (feudal lord) inShimōsa Province, and top government advisor and official in theTokugawa shogunate of Japan. He served asrōjū (chief advisor) toshōgunTokugawa Ietsuna from 1679–80, and asTairō (head of therōjū council) underTokugawa Tsunayoshi from the 12th day of the 11th lunar month of 1681 until his death on 7 October 1684.
Masatoshi’s father wasHotta Masamori, advisor (Tairō) under the previousshōgun,Tokugawa Iemitsu, who committedseppuku upon Iemitsu's death in 1651. Masatoshi was then adopted by Iemitsu's nurse,Kasuga no Tsubone.
He served as personal secretary to the nextshōgun,Tokugawa Ietsuna, for a time, before being appointedwakadoshiyori (junior councillor) in 1670. Ietsuna was already quite ill when Masatoshi was appointedrōjū in 1679, and died the following summer. At this time, anotherrōjū,Sakai Tadakiyo, in a bid for personal power, proposed that the nextshōgun be selected from the princely houses. He sought to beregent to this newshōgun, who would be made a puppet ruler. However, Masatoshi, said to have been infuriated, voiced strong opposition to this scheme; Tadakiyo resigned his post shortly afterwards, and Ietsuna's brotherTokugawa Tsunayoshi was installed as the new shogun.
Masatoshi becameTairō soon afterwards, and was granted a domain worth 13,000koku by Tsunayoshi.
Masatoshi was killed several years later, on 7 October 1684. The motives of the culprit, Masatoshi's cousinInaba Masayasu, are unknown. Following Masatoshi's death, Tsunayoshi took the opportunity to reorganize the shogunate's offices so as to weaken therōjū and grant additional powers to theSoba-yōnin (Chamberlains). Masatoshi was not succeeded asTairō, and much of his power came to be wielded by theshōgun himself.
The reason for Hota Masatoshi's assassination is unknown. One theory is that Inaba Masatoshi was dismissed from the Yodogawa water control project in the third year of Tenwa (1683) and was dissatisfied with Masatoshi. Another theory is that he opposed Tokugawa Tsunayoshi's Human Mercy Order and was killed by Tsunayoshi. Another theory is that Yanagisawa Yoshiho , Makino Shigesada and other side servants ordered him to be killed in order to gain power.
| Preceded by | Daimyō of Annaka 1667–1681 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Daimyō of Koga 1681–1684 | Succeeded by |
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