Yonezawa Domain
Encyclopedia
Yonezawa Domain was a feudal domain (han) of Tokugawa Japan
, controlled by daimyō
of the Uesugi clan
. Covering the Okitama district of Dewa province
, in what is today southeastern Yamagata Prefecture
, the territory was ruled from Yonezawa castle in Yonezawa
city. The Uesugi were tozama
daimyō, with an initial income of 300,000 koku
, which later fell to 150,000-180,000.
The domain is perhaps most notable for its rapid shift from a poor, indebted, and corruptly led domain to a very prosperous one in only a few decades in the 1760s-80s. Yonezawa was declared in 1830 by the shogunate to be the paragon of a well-managed domain. Scholar Mark Ravina
uses Yonezawa as a case study, in analysing the political status and conceptions of statehood and identity in the feudal domains of the Tokugawa period (1603-1868).
, from 1548-1591, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi
came to power and declared the Date move to Iwadeyama
in Mutsu province
. The Gamō clan
were given Aizu
to govern under the Uesugi, and Tairō
Uesugi Kagekatsu
gave his karō
(advisor) Naoe Kanetsugu
a 300,000 koku income.
In 1600, however, the Uesugi opposed Tokugawa Ieyasu
in the Sekigahara Campaign, and lost, becoming tozama daimyō (outsider lords) under the new shogunate. Their income and territory worth 1,200,000 koku was shrunk to 300,000, and they were forced to move from Aizu to Yonezawa, recovering the castle from Naoe. They now possessed 180,000 koku worth of land in Dewa province, and 120,000 koku in the neighboring Mutsu province, the Honjō clan given nearby Fukushima Castle
by the shogunate in order to pressure the Uesugi and prevent them from expanding their territory. This 300,000 koku territory would represent the peak of the Uesugi clan's income in the Tokugawa period.
Like many han in the archipelago, Yonezawa was operated as a semi-independent state, directly under the daimyō. The Uesugi demanded respect for the shogunate from their retainers, and forbade public criticism, but only imposed and enforced those edicts and policies which they chose to. Retainers were ordered to obey shogunal laws while outside the domain, but within it, shogunal orders did not apply unless conveyed by the daimyō.
In 1664, the third daimyō of Yonezawa, Uesugi Tsunakatsu, died without producing an heir. The succession was determined at the advice of his father-in-law, Hoshina Masayuki, the younger brother to shogun
Tokugawa Iemitsu
. He suggested that the clan adopt as heir Uesugi Tsunanori, the son of Tsunakatsu's younger sister and Kira Yoshinaka
, though this would mean splitting the domain in half, down to only 150,000 koku within Dewa province.
This decision led to severe financial difficulties in the domain, for the Uesugi and their administration, and for the increasingly impoverished peasants. The problem became so severe that the eighth daimyō, Uesugi Shigetada, seriously considered turning over the domain to the shogunate. Instead, he resigned his position as daimyō in favor of Uesugi Harunori
, who then began to reform the domain's administration and to revive its economy. He introduced strict disciplinary measures, and ordered the execution of several karō (advisors) who opposed his plans. In order to finance castle repairs imposed upon his domain by the shogunate, Harunori asked his retainers to agree to a reduction of their stipends, for the good of the domain. As a result of various measures he took, Yonezawa became fairly prosperous, and did not suffer much from the famine which swept Japan in the Tenmei
era (1781-9). In 1830, the shogunate formally declared Yonezawa to be a choice example of a well-governed domain.
When the Boshin War
erupted in 1868, and the shogunate came to an end with the abdication of shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu
, the Uesugi joined the "Northern Alliance" (Ouetsu Reppan Domei
), voicing their support for the embattled Aizu
domain and opposing Satsuma and Chōshū domination of the new imperial government, while stating an intent to "reconquer Japan, that the Emperor may indeed reign over it." The Alliance members also acknowledged their debt to Hoshina Masayuki, the first Aizu lord, who was a respected figure in many domains. After several months of battle, the Alliance was defeated, and the Meiji period
began, under a new imperial government. The domain was cut down by 3000 koku, then combined with other territories to form "Yonezawa Shinden han" in 1869, and abolished along with the han system
as a whole two years later. It was renamed Yonezawa prefecture, but was combined very shortly afterwards with Okitama prefecture to form Yamagata prefecture.
The end of the shogunate and abolition of the han system brought with it an end of the samurai
class and of the daimyō. The Uesugi clan were incorporated into the kazoku
or noble peerage, as Count
s, or Hakushaku in Japanese.
) of the Yonezawa Domain through the course of the Edo period included Chisaka Takafusa
, Irobe Matashirō, and Chisaka Takamasa
.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, controlled by daimyō
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of the Uesugi clan
Uesugi clan
The was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
. Covering the Okitama district of Dewa province
Dewa Province
is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...
, in what is today southeastern Yamagata Prefecture
Yamagata Prefecture
-Fruit:Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.- Demographics :...
, the territory was ruled from Yonezawa castle in Yonezawa
Yonezawa, Yamagata
is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 91,704 and the population density of 167 persons per square kilometer...
city. The Uesugi were tozama
Tozama
A ' was a daimyo who was considered an outsider by the rulers of Japan. The term came into use in the Kamakura period and continued until the end of the Edo period.-Edo period:...
daimyō, with an initial income of 300,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
, which later fell to 150,000-180,000.
The domain is perhaps most notable for its rapid shift from a poor, indebted, and corruptly led domain to a very prosperous one in only a few decades in the 1760s-80s. Yonezawa was declared in 1830 by the shogunate to be the paragon of a well-managed domain. Scholar Mark Ravina
Mark Ravina
Mark Ravina is a scholar of early modern Japanese history, and Associate Professor of History at Emory University, where he has taught since 1991...
uses Yonezawa as a case study, in analysing the political status and conceptions of statehood and identity in the feudal domains of the Tokugawa period (1603-1868).
History
The region was held by the Date clan for much of the Sengoku periodSengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
, from 1548-1591, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
came to power and declared the Date move to Iwadeyama
Iwadeyama, Miyagi
was a town located in Tamatsukuri District, Miyagi, Japan.In 2003, the town had an estimated population of 13,476 and a population density of 95.78 persons per km²...
in Mutsu province
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
. The Gamō clan
Gamo clan
The was a Japanese clan which claimed descent from the Fujiwara clan.-References:*...
were given Aizu
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
to govern under the Uesugi, and Tairō
Council of Five Elders
The council of five elders, also known as the five Tairō , was formed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to rule Japan in the place of his son, Hideyori, until such time as he came of age. Hideyoshi chose his five most powerful daimyo: Ukita Hideie, Maeda Toshiie, Uesugi Kagekatsu, Mōri Terumoto, and the...
Uesugi Kagekatsu
Uesugi Kagekatsu
was a daimyo during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. The son of Nagao Masakage and husband of Uesugi Kenshin's elder sister, Aya-Gozen. After his father died, he was adopted by Kenshin....
gave his karō
KARO
KARO is a radio station licensed to serve Nyssa, Oregon, USA. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.It broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format as part of the Air 1 network.-History:...
(advisor) Naoe Kanetsugu
Naoe Kanetsugu
was a Japanese samurai of the 16th-17th centuries. The eldest son of Higuchi Kanetoyo, Kanetsugu was famed for his service to two generations of the Uesugi daimyo. He was also known by his court title, Yamashiro no Kami or his childhood/adolescent name, Higuchi Kanetsugu .Kanetsugu served first as...
a 300,000 koku income.
In 1600, however, the Uesugi opposed Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
in the Sekigahara Campaign, and lost, becoming tozama daimyō (outsider lords) under the new shogunate. Their income and territory worth 1,200,000 koku was shrunk to 300,000, and they were forced to move from Aizu to Yonezawa, recovering the castle from Naoe. They now possessed 180,000 koku worth of land in Dewa province, and 120,000 koku in the neighboring Mutsu province, the Honjō clan given nearby Fukushima Castle
Fukushima Castle
was a castle located in Kiso, Nagano, Japan. It was the site of the Siege of Kiso-Fukushima led by Takeda Shingen in 1554. The castle's commander, Kiso Yoshiyasu surrendered the garrison when the food supplies ran out. The castle no longer stands....
by the shogunate in order to pressure the Uesugi and prevent them from expanding their territory. This 300,000 koku territory would represent the peak of the Uesugi clan's income in the Tokugawa period.
Like many han in the archipelago, Yonezawa was operated as a semi-independent state, directly under the daimyō. The Uesugi demanded respect for the shogunate from their retainers, and forbade public criticism, but only imposed and enforced those edicts and policies which they chose to. Retainers were ordered to obey shogunal laws while outside the domain, but within it, shogunal orders did not apply unless conveyed by the daimyō.
In 1664, the third daimyō of Yonezawa, Uesugi Tsunakatsu, died without producing an heir. The succession was determined at the advice of his father-in-law, Hoshina Masayuki, the younger brother to shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...
. He suggested that the clan adopt as heir Uesugi Tsunanori, the son of Tsunakatsu's younger sister and Kira Yoshinaka
Kira Yoshinaka
was a kōke . His court title was Kōzuke no suke. He is famous as the adversary of Asano Naganori in the events of the Forty-seven Ronin...
, though this would mean splitting the domain in half, down to only 150,000 koku within Dewa province.
This decision led to severe financial difficulties in the domain, for the Uesugi and their administration, and for the increasingly impoverished peasants. The problem became so severe that the eighth daimyō, Uesugi Shigetada, seriously considered turning over the domain to the shogunate. Instead, he resigned his position as daimyō in favor of Uesugi Harunori
Uesugi Harunori
was a Japanese daimyo, the 9th head of the Yonezawa domain , and a descendant of Fujiwara no Yoshikado. Born in Edo, he was the second son of a daimyo of the Akizuki clan, who controlled part of Hyūga Province. His mother was a granddaughter of the fourth head of Yonezawa. His childhood names were...
, who then began to reform the domain's administration and to revive its economy. He introduced strict disciplinary measures, and ordered the execution of several karō (advisors) who opposed his plans. In order to finance castle repairs imposed upon his domain by the shogunate, Harunori asked his retainers to agree to a reduction of their stipends, for the good of the domain. As a result of various measures he took, Yonezawa became fairly prosperous, and did not suffer much from the famine which swept Japan in the Tenmei
Tenmei
was a Japanese era name , also known as Temmei, after An'ei and before Kansei. This period spanned the years from April 1781 through January 1789. The reigning emperor was .-Change of era:...
era (1781-9). In 1830, the shogunate formally declared Yonezawa to be a choice example of a well-governed domain.
When the Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
erupted in 1868, and the shogunate came to an end with the abdication of shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu
Tokugawa Yoshinobu
was the 15th and last shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was part of a movement which aimed to reform the aging shogunate, but was ultimately unsuccessful...
, the Uesugi joined the "Northern Alliance" (Ouetsu Reppan Domei
Ouetsu Reppan Domei
-External links:**...
), voicing their support for the embattled Aizu
Aizu
is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...
domain and opposing Satsuma and Chōshū domination of the new imperial government, while stating an intent to "reconquer Japan, that the Emperor may indeed reign over it." The Alliance members also acknowledged their debt to Hoshina Masayuki, the first Aizu lord, who was a respected figure in many domains. After several months of battle, the Alliance was defeated, and the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
began, under a new imperial government. The domain was cut down by 3000 koku, then combined with other territories to form "Yonezawa Shinden han" in 1869, and abolished along with the han system
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...
as a whole two years later. It was renamed Yonezawa prefecture, but was combined very shortly afterwards with Okitama prefecture to form Yamagata prefecture.
The end of the shogunate and abolition of the han system brought with it an end of the samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
class and of the daimyō. The Uesugi clan were incorporated into the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
or noble peerage, as Count
Count
A count or countess is an aristocratic nobleman in European countries. The word count came into English from the French comte, itself from Latin comes—in its accusative comitem—meaning "companion", and later "companion of the emperor, delegate of the emperor". The adjective form of the word is...
s, or Hakushaku in Japanese.
List of daimyo
- Uesugi clanUesugi clanThe was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
(TozamaTozamaA ' was a daimyo who was considered an outsider by the rulers of Japan. The term came into use in the Kamakura period and continued until the end of the Edo period.-Edo period:...
; 300,000->150,000->180,000->147,000 kokuKokuThe is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
)
- KagekatsuUesugi Kagekatsuwas a daimyo during the Sengoku and Edo periods of Japanese history. The son of Nagao Masakage and husband of Uesugi Kenshin's elder sister, Aya-Gozen. After his father died, he was adopted by Kenshin....
- Sadakatsu
- Tsunakatsu
- Tsunanori
- Yoshinori
- Munenori
- Munefusa
- Shigesada
- HarunoriUesugi Harunoriwas a Japanese daimyo, the 9th head of the Yonezawa domain , and a descendant of Fujiwara no Yoshikado. Born in Edo, he was the second son of a daimyo of the Akizuki clan, who controlled part of Hyūga Province. His mother was a granddaughter of the fourth head of Yonezawa. His childhood names were...
- Haruhiro
- Narisada
- NarinoriUesugi Narinoriwas a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period, who ruled the Yonezawa Domain. He ruled Yonezawa during the closing years of the Tokugawa shogunate, and was responsible for leading the domain in its fight during the Boshin War of 1868-69. After defeat in the war, he retired in favor of his son Mochinori,...
- MochinoriUesugi MochinoriCount was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who served as the last daimyo of Yonezawa han in Dewa Province. In the Meiji era he became a government official and briefly served as governor of Okinawa Prefecture.- Biography :...
Advisors
Famous advisors (karōKARO
KARO is a radio station licensed to serve Nyssa, Oregon, USA. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.It broadcasts a Contemporary Christian music format as part of the Air 1 network.-History:...
) of the Yonezawa Domain through the course of the Edo period included Chisaka Takafusa
Chisaka Takafusa
was a high-ranking samurai in Japan during the Edo period. He was a karō in the Yonezawa Domain under the Uesugi clan. He is also known as . Although he died prior to the events of the Forty-seven ronin, he appears in fictional accounts, including the 1971 Daichūshingura starring Toshirō Mifune...
, Irobe Matashirō, and Chisaka Takamasa
Chisaka Takamasa
was a Japanese samurai of the late Edo period who went on to become a soldier, government official, and businessman in the Meiji era. He served as a karō in the Yonezawa Domain's administration.- References :* at www.ndl.go.jp* at www8.ocn.ne.jp...
.