Tokugawa Yoshiatsu was the tenth feudal lord of the Mito Domain, which was the Shishido han's head family.
Yorinori intended to appeal to the Shogunate by providing a reasoned defense for his actions, but—without being afforded the opportunity to defend himself—he was instead commanded to commit seppuku for disgracefully serving as "the enemy leader".
This series of events were orchestrated by Ichikawa Sanzaemon (市川 三左衛門), who held the majority of power in Mito.
[1][2][3] Yorinori's younger brother, Matsudaira Yoriyasu, has been the model of the main characters in the several short stories of Yukio Mishima.
These stories' titles are Shinkan (神官) "Shinto priesthood"; Koushoku (好色) "Lust" and Kaibutsu (怪物) "Monster".