270px, Surviving walls and moat of Matsue Castle 270px, Matsudaira Sadayasu, final ''daimyō'' of Matsue was a feudal domain under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

Japan, in what is now eastern

Shimane Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a ge ...

. It was centered around Matsue Castle and was ruled for most of its history by branch of the

Matsudaira clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of the ...

History

During the Toyotomi era, Izumo was under the control of the

Mōri clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power in Aki Province. Durin ...

, which ruled over nine provinces in the San'in and San'yō regions. Kikkawa Hiroie, from a cadet branch of the clan, ruled from Gassan-Tomida Castle (in present-day

Yasugi, Shimane is a city located in Shimane Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 35,965 in 14257 households and a population density of 85 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Yasugi is located in far eastern Sh ...

), which was once the stronghold of the

Amago clan The , descended from the Emperor Uda (868–897) by the Kyogoku clan, descending from the Sasaki clan (Uda Genji). Kyogoku Takahisa in the 14th century, lived in Amako-go (Izumo Province), and took the name 'Amago'. The family crest is also t ...

. However, following the 1600

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was an important battle in Japan which occurred on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu Prefecture, ...

, the Mōri were reduced to the two provinces of Suō and Nagato, and the Kikkawa clan was transferred to Iwakuni Domain. The

assigned Izumo and

Oki Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan consisted of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan, located off the coast of the provinces of Izumo Province, Izumo and Hōki Province, Hōki. The area is now Oki District, Shimane, Oki District in moder ...

s to Horio Tadauji, whose father Horio Yoshiharu had just retired from Hamamatsu Domain, with a ''

kokudaka refers to a system for determining land value for taxation purposes under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo-period Japan, and expressing this value in terms of ''koku'' of rice. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Koku"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 5 ...

'' of 240,000 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...

''. This marked the start of "Izumo Tomita Domain", as initially its stronghold renamed Gassan-Tomida Castle. However, Horio Tadauji died in 1604 at the age of 27 and his successor, Tadaharu was only age 5, so his grandfather Yoshiharu came out of retirement and ruled as regent. Yoshiharu felt that Gassan-Tomida Castle was inconvenient, so he spent five years starting in 1607 to build Matsue Castle and its

castle town A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns were common in Medieval Europe. Some examples include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles. In Western Europe, ...

. In 1611, Yoshiharu officially relocated his seat to Matsue Castle and "Matsue Domain"" was established, but Yoshiharu died shortly afterwards. Tadaharu died in 1633 without an heir. Even before he died, it was clear to the shogunate that the domain would go into

attainder In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

, and there were discussions that the three provinces of Izumo, Iwami, and Oki would be added to the holdings of Mori Tadamasa, ''daimyō'' of

Tsuyama Domain 270px, Matsudaira Naritami, 8th daimyo of Tsuyama 270px, Kakuzankan, han school was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now northern Okayama Prefecture. It controlled most of Mimasaka Province and wa ...

. Tsuyama Domain even sent inspectors to examine the proposed new territories, but Mori Tadamasa died in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

in 1634 and the discussion was abandoned. Instead, in 1634,

Kyōgoku Tadataka was a Japanese noble and the ''daimyō'' and head of the of Japan during the Edo period in the early 17th century. Life His Childhood name was Kumamaro (熊麿). Kyōgoku Tadataka was a member and head of the powerful Kyōgoku clan who cla ...

was transferred from Obama Domain in

Wakasa Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the southwestern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Wakasa''" in . Wakasa bordered on Echizen, Ōmi, Tanba, Tango, and Yamash ...

. The

Kyōgoku clan The were a Japanese ''daimyō'' and samurai clan which rose to prominence during the Sengoku and Edo periods. The clan descend from the Uda Genji through the Sasaki clan.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)''Nobiliare du Japon'', pp. 27–28./ref> The ...

were ''

shugo , commonly translated as ' ilitarygovernor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to th ...

'' of Izumo Province before losing control to the

in the

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

, so this was a homecoming. In addition to the 240,000 ''koku'', they gained 40,000 ''koku'' for the administration of the

Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine The was an underground silver mine in the city of Ōda, in Shimane Prefecture on the main island of Honshu, Japan. It was the largest silver mine in Japanese history. It was active for almost four hundred years, from its discovery in 1526 to it ...

and territories in Iwami Province. However, in 1637 Kyōgoku Tadataka died. He had adopted his nephew Takakazu as heir on his deathbed, but this was not recognized by the shogunate. In 1638, Matsudaira Naomasa, the third son of

Yūki Hideyasu was a Japanese samurai who lived during the Azuchi–Momoyama period, Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the ''daimyō'' of Fukui Domain in Echizen Province, Echizen. Early life Hideyasu was born as in 1574, the second son of To ...

was transferred from

Matsumoto Domain file:Matsumoto Castle, administrative headquarters of Matsumoto Domain.jpg, 250px, Matsumoto Castle, administrative headquarters of Matsumoto Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is locat ...

. This branch of the

would rule Matsue until the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. The clan's finances could not survive on income from annual tax rice alone, and it was in a difficult situation from the beginning. For this reason, a monopoly was established from an early date on to control the production of wax,

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus ''Panax'', such as South China ginseng (''Panax notoginseng, P. notoginseng''), Korean ginseng (''Panax ginseng, P. ginseng''), and American ginseng (''American ginseng, P. quinquefol ...

, cotton, and iron. In particular, the Izumo has long been known for the production of steel from iron sand using ''tatara'' method. Matsudaira Harusato, the 7th ''daimyō'', who called himself "Fumai", was a particularly famous ruler of Matsue. As a result of promoting financial reconstruction, the domain was able to amass a fortune of 80,000

ryō The was a gold currency unit in the shakkanhō system in pre- Meiji Japan. It was eventually replaced with a system based on the '' yen''. Origins The ''ryō'' was originally a unit of weight from China, the ''tael.'' It came into use in Ja ...

during the

Kansei was a after '' Tenmei'' and before '' Kyōwa''. This period spanned the years from January 1789 through February 1801. The reigning emperor was . Change of era * 1789 : The new era name of '' Kansei'' (meaning "Tolerant Government" or "Broad- ...

era (1789-1801). Fumai took advantage of the improvement in the domain's finances, to devote himself to the

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

, which had been his hobby for some time, founding the Fumai-ryū school. He also sponsored and collected artworks, including pottery and poetry anthologies connected with the tea ceremony, and Matsue was ranked along with Kyoto, Nara, and Kanazawa for the production of ''

wagashi is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality. ''Wagashi'' generally makes use of cooking methods that pre-date Western influence in Japan. It is often served with green ...

'' Japanese sweets, which are used in the tea ceremony. He also designed and sponsored the construction of

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

s. Despite the early financial success of the domain, in his later years, due to his enormous dissipation led to issues with the domain's finances. In the

Bakumatsu period were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunat ...

, the Matsue's political stance was ambiguous, earning it the mistrust of the new

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji ...

In the end, Matsue submitted to the new government and its forces defended Kyoto during the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

that began in 1868. In the same year, the Oki Riots occurred, in which the magistrate of Matsue Domain, was expelled due to an uprising among the islanders over the lack of response to the frequent famines, as well as the lack of response to the arrival and landing of foreign ships. Oki Prefecture was established in 1869, two years earlier than the abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures. Matsue Domain became Matsue Prefecture in 1871, and was subsequently incorporated into Shimane Prefecture. The Matsudaira clan was elevated to ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. It was formed by merging the feudal lords (''Daimyo, daimyō'') and court nobles (''kuge'') into one system modelled after the British peerage. Distin ...

'' peerage status with the rank of count in 1884.

List of daimyō

Genealogy

Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu (born Matsudaira Takechiyo; 31 January 1543 – 1 June 1616) was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, which ruled from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was the third of the three "Gr ...

, 1st Tokugawa Shōgun (1543–1616; r. 1603–1605) ** Yūki Hideyasu, 1st Lord of Fukui (1574–1607) *** I. Matsudaira Naomasa, 1st Lord of Matsue (cr. 1638) (1601–1666; r. 1638–1666) **** II. Tsunataka, 2nd Lord of Matsue (1631–1675; r. 1666–1675) ***** III. Tsunachika, 3rd Lord of Matsue (1659-1709; r. 1675-1704) ***** IV. Yoshitō, 4th Lord of Matsue (1668–1705; r. 1704–1705) ****** V. Nobuzumi, 5th Lord of Matsue (1698–1731; r. 1705–1731) ******* VI. Munenobu, 6th Lord of Matsue (1729–1782; r. 1731–1767) ******** VII. Harusatō, 7th Lord of Matsue (1751–1818; r. 1767–1806) ********* VIII. Naritsune, 8th Lord of Matsue (1791–1822; r. 1806–1822) ********** IX. Naritoki, 9th Lord of Matsue (1815–1863; r. 1822–1853) **** Chikayoshi, 1st Lord of Hirose (1632–1717) ***** Chikatoki 2nd Lord of Hirose (1659–1702) ****** Chikatomo, 3rd Lord of Hirose (1681–1728) ******* Nagataka, 4th Lord of Tsuyama (1725–1762) ******** Yasuchika, 5th Lord of Tsuyama (1752–1794) ********* Naritaka, 7th Lord of Tsuyama (1788–1838) ********** X. Sadayasu, 10th Lord of Matsue (1855–1882; Lord: 1853-1869; Governor: 1869–1871) *********** Naoaki, 11th family head, 1st Count (1865–1940; 11th family head: 1882–1940; Count: cr. 1884) ************ Tadakuni, 12th family head, 2nd Count (1902–1988; 12th family head: 1940–1988; 2nd Count: 1940–1947) ************* Tadakoto, 13th family head (b. 1925; 13th family head: 1988–) ************** Naotada (b. 1966)

Subsidiary domains

Matsue Domain had three subsidiary domains:

Hirose Domain

was created in 1666 for Matsudaira Chikayoshi, the younger brother of Matsudaira Naomasa. It had a ''kokudaka'' of 30,000 ''koku'' and was based at Hirose '' jin'ya'' in what is now the city of

. The eighth ''daimyō'', Matsudaira Naohiro was elevated by the shogunate to the status of a "castle-holding daimyō". The head of the family was ennobled in 1884 with the ''kazoku'' title of viscount.

Mori Domain

was created in 1666 for Matsudaira Takamase, the third son of Matsudaira Naomasa. It had a ''kokudaka'' of 10,000 ''koku'' initially taken directly form the treasury of the parent domain, and thus did not have any physical estates until 1684 when the Mori '' jin'ya'' in what is now the city of

was built. It was also not subject to '' sankin kōtai'', and its ''daimyō'' alway resided at the domain's mansion in the Kita-Aoyama area of

Edo Edo (), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo. Edo, formerly a (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the '' de facto'' capital of Japan from 1603 as the seat of the Tokugawa shogu ...

. The site is now occupied by the Brazilian embassy. It was known as until the late Edo period. The head of the family was ennobled in 1884 with the ''kazoku'' title of viscount.

Matsue Shinden Domain

was created in 1701 for Matsudaira Chikanori, the fifth son of Matsudaira Tsunataka. It had a ''kokudaka'' of 10,000 ''koku'' of new rice lands taken directly form the treasury of the parent domain, and thus did not have any physical estates. In 1704, Chikinori was adopted as heir by his older brother, Tsunachika, the third ''daimyō'' of Matsue, and upon becoming the fourth ''daimyō'' in 1704, changed his name Yoshito. The domain was absorbed back into Matsue Domain at that time.

Holdings at the end of the Edo period

As with most domains in the

han system (, "domain") is a Japanese historical term for the Estate (land), estate of a daimyo in the Edo period (1603–1868) and early Meiji (era), Meiji period (1868–1912).Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Han"in ''Japan Encycloped ...

, Matsue Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned ''

'', based on periodic

cadastral A cadastre or cadaster ( ) is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes and bounds, metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref> Often it is represente ...

surveys and projected agricultural yields, g.Elison, George and Bardwell L. Smith (1987)
''Warlords, Artists, & Commoners: Japan in the Sixteenth Century,'' p. 18
*

Izumo Province was an Old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku region. History During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this reg ...

**51 villages in Shimane District **20 villages in Akishika District **23 villages in Tatenui District **19 villages in Izumo District **72 villages in Nita District **46 villages in Ohara District **23 villages in Jinmon District **85 villages in Iishi District **41 villages in Nita District **28 villages in Nogi District **35 villages in Yiu District *

**8 villages in Ama District **5 villages in Chibu District **16 villages in Onji District **32 villages in Shuji District

References

{{Authority control Domains of Japan History of Shimane Prefecture Izumo Province Chūgoku region Kyōgoku clan Matsue-Matsudaira clan