O-Ie Sōdō
Shigemichi was born in Kanazawa as Kenjiro (健次郎), the seventh son of Maeda Yoshinori. His mother was a concubine and he was initially destined to be adopted by Kaga clan retainer Moirai Nagakata; however, with so many of his brother dying untimely deaths during the "O-Ie Sōdō" known as the “Kaga Sōdō” these plans were cancelled. In 1753, he was named to succeed his brother Maeda Shigenobu and became "daimyō" the same year. He immediately prepared to depart for Edo, but came down with measles (the same disease which had killed his brother), and his departure was delayed by a year. He was received in formal audience by Shogun Tokugawa Ieshige in 1754 and his posthumous adoption and position as "daimyō" was confirmed.