Kurokawa Domain

Yanagisawa Mitsuteru, the next-to-last ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa
was a '' fudai'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Echigo Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Kurokawa Jin'ya, located in what is now part of the city of Tainai in Niigata Prefecture.

History

In 1724, the '' tairō'' Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu arranged for a 10,000 ''koku'' holding in Echigo Province to be assigned to his 4th son, Yanagisawa Tsunetaka. This marked the start of Kurosawa Domain. Although the Yanagisawa clan remained in control until the Meiji restoration, they preferred to reside in Edo and rely on the collection of revenues as absentee landlords. The finances of the domain were perpetually in a state of bankruptcy, partly caused by the fact that much of the domain was mountains and forests and unsuitable for rice farming. The actual revenues of the domain often fell short of 10,000 ''koku'' and the domain was forced to resort to frequent loans from the parent house of the Yanagisawa clan in Yamato-Kōriyama for financial assistance. By 1843, the domain was over 5000 ''ryō'' in debt. The 7th ''daimyō'', Yanagisawa Mitsuteru, was the first ''daimyō'' to actually visit the domain. He established a Han school and joined the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War. However, the domain was too small and too weak to provide any meaningful military support.

In July 1871, with the abolition of the han system, Kurokawa Domain briefly became Kurokawa Prefecture, and was merged into the newly created Niigata Prefecture. Under the new Meiji government, Yanagisawa Mitsukuni was given the ''kazoku'' peerage title of ''shishaku'' (viscount), and later served as a member of the House of Peers

Bakumatsu period holdings

As with most domains in the han system, Kurokawa Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned '' kokudaka'', based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields.Elison, George and Bardwell L. Smith (1987)
''Warlords, Artists, & Commoners: Japan in the Sixteenth Century,'' p. 18

*Echigo Province
**43 villages in Kanbara District

List of daimyō

*

Yanagisawa Tsunetaka

was the 1st ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the fourth son of the famous Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu and was born in Kandabashi, Edo. He was received in audience by ''Shōgun'' Tokugawa Tsunayoshi as an infant, and was permitted to take the "Matsudaira" name as an honor in 1701. In 1709, he received a fief of 10,000 ''koku'' from his father's lands in Kōfu Domain, and in 1710 underwent the '' genpuku'' ceremony. In 1724, his estates were transferred from Kōfu to Echigo Province, and he became ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa; however, he died only four months later at the age of 32. He was married to a daughter of the ''Dainagon'' Ogimachi Sanetoyo, but had no heir. His grave is at the temple of Gekkei-ji in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Yanagisawa Satozumi

was the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the fifth son of Yanagisawa Yoshikiyo, a ''samurai'' of Yamato-Kōriyama Domain, and was adopted posthumously to succeed the childless Tsunetaka. He served as ''Osaka kaban'' and ''Nikkō Bugyō'', but died in 1735 at the clan's Magome residence in Edo without heir.

Yanagisawa Satoakira

was the 3rd ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the eldest son of Yanagisawa Satomitsu, a samurai of Yamato-Kōriyama Domain, and the nephew of Satozumi, and was adopted posthumously to succeed the latter on his unexpected death. However, he died immediately after an interview with the Shogun's '' metsuke'' inspectors, without heir.

Yanagisawa Yasutaka

was the 4th ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the second son of Yanagisawa Satomitsu, a samurai of Yamato-Kōriyama Domain, and the younger brother of Satoakira. He served an ''Ōbangashira'' in 1747. He was married to a daughter of Hosokawa Okinari, of Uto Domain. a subsidiary of Kumamoto Domain, and later married a daughter of Uemura Ieyuki of Takatori Domain. He died in 1774 and was succeeded by his eldest son.

Yanagisawa Nobutō

was the 5th ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the eldest son of Yanagisawa Yoshitaka, and became ''daimyō'' on the death of his father in 1774. He was married to a daughter of Yanagisawa Yoshisato, of Yamato-Kōriyama Domain, and later married a daughter of Abe Masayoshi of Fukuyama Domain. He died in 1797 and was succeeded by his eldest son.

Yanagisawa Mitsuhi

was the 6th ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the eldest son of Yanagisawa Nobutō, and became ''daimyō'' on the death of his father in 1797. He was received in formal audience by ''Shōgun'' Tokugawa Ienari the same year. he served as ''Osaka kaban'' in 1802 and 1823 and as ''Nikkō Bugyō'' in 1806, 1821 and 1828. He was married to a daughter of Toda Masachika, of Shinjō Domain, and later married a daughter of Yanagisawa Yasumitsu of Yamato-Kōriyama Domain. He died in 1836 without male heir.

Yanagisawa Mitsuteru

was the 7th ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the tenth son of Yanagisawa Yasuhiro of Yamato-Kōriyama Domain and was posthumously adopted to succeed Yanagasawa Mitsugi in 1836. He was the first of the ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa to actually visit the domain. During the Bakumatsu period he established a han school. In 1863, he was appointed a '' sōshaban'' and in 1864 to the newly created title of ''Gakumon-Bugyō''. He led the domain into the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War, but was only lukewarm in support. In 1868, he resigned his offices in favor his adopted son, and lived in Tokyo to his death in 1900.

Yanagisawa Mitsukuni

was the 8th (and final) ''daimyō'' of Kurokawa Domain. He was the sixth son of Takeda Nobuyuki, a ''hatamoto'' descendant of the Takeda clan. He was adopted as heir to Yanagisawa Mitsuteru in 1862 and received in formal audience by ''Shōgun'' Tokugawa Yoshinobu in 1867. He became ''daimyō'' on the retirement of his father in 1868. In 1869, the new Meiji government appointed him imperial governor of Kurokawa, which he held to the abolition of the han system in 1871. In 1879, he entered the Ministry of the Treasury. He 1884, he was ennobled with the ''kazoku'' title of ''shishaku'' (viscount). From 1890 to 1897, he served as a member of the House of Peers. On his death in 1923, the title of viscount passed to Yanagisawa Mitsuharu (1891-1957).

See also

List of Han

References

*''The content of this article was largely derived from that of the corresponding article on Japanese Wikipedia.''
*

External links

"Kurokawa" at Edo 300

Notes

{{Authority control

Domains of Japan
History of Niigata Prefecture
Echigo Province
Yanagisawa clan
Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei