Letter from Tachibana Toshimasa (Muneshige)/ Private collection

With the death of the Lord Kato Kiyomasa of the Kumamoto domain as start, some of his vassals who came from the Yanagawa domain were most likely hoping to serve their former Lord Muneshige, again. One of the vassals, Totoki Shigenari, requested Muneshige, who was a feudal lord of the Tanagura domain at that time, to rehire him.
This letter was sent from Muneshige to Totoki Shigenari in 1612. In this letter, Muneshige told him to refrain from requesting reemployment for the present at a sensitive juncture of succession in the Kato family. In addition, Muneshige warned if Shigenari came to the Tanagura domain without announcement, he would not hire him.