Tokugawa Iemochi
Hotta was the 9th son of Iwaki Takahiro, the daimyo of Kameda Domain in Dewa Province. On the death of Hotta Masami, he was posthumously adopted to carry on the Hotta family name and became daimyo of the 13,000 "koku" Miyagawa Domain on 4 July 1863. He was received in formal audience by the "shōgun" Tokugawa Iemochi on 21 July, and was given the courtesy title of "Buzen-no-kami" and lower 5th court rank on 26 November. In July 1864, he was assigned the defense of Osaka.