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Fudai Daimyo

The "fudai daimyo" were direct retainers of the Tokugawa house, men sworn to serve and obey their overlords. "Fudai daimyo" had responsibility for providing the military strength of the Tokugawa shogunate as well as the staffing for the "bakufu" or the Tokugawa house government. Most "fudai daimyo" had relatively small domains but wielded great power through their bureaucratic positions. In other words, they did not have the land and wealth to provide them with independence; they were dependent on the shogunate for power.