Aoyama Tadanari (青山 忠成, September 6, 1551 – April 10, 1613) was aTokugawa general and chief retainer at the end of theSengoku and start of theEdo period. He was the father ofAoyama Tadatoshi, and theAoyama region ofShibuya is named after him.
TheAoyama clan were provincial lords of Dōdo village,Nukata District inMikawa Province (presentOkazaki,Aichi).Aoyama Tadakado, Tadanari's father, served bothMatsudaira Hirotada andTokugawa Ieyasu, and thus Tadanari served near Ieyasu since he was young. In 1572, his father died in battle withTakeda Shingen and Tadanari inherited the estate.
Tadanari was highly trusted by Ieyasu, and in 1585 he commanded him to guard his sonHidetada. In 1588, Tadanari accompanied Hidetada to thecapital where he was granted Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade ofHitachi Province byToyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1590 Ieyasu relocates toKantō and promotes Tadanari tomagistrate ofEdo with lands worth 5,000koku (increased by 2,000 koku in 1593).[1][2] His estates centered onHarajuku village and extended from part ofAkasaka toShibuya. Present dayAoyama is so named because one of Tadanari's mansions was located there.
In 1600, Tadanari joinedHidetada's army at theBattle of Sekigahara and obtained 15,000 koku of lands betweenKazusa Province andShimōsa Province. In addition to being the Edo magistrate, he also served as the general magistrate for the entire Kantō region. After the start of theEdo shogunate, he was heavily involved in shogunate policy along withHonda Masanobu andNaitō Kiyonari. Along with Naitō in 1606, he is temporarily sentenced to house arrest but is soon pardoned.