Echigo Shibata Murakami Map in Tenpo era

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, located in

Echigo Province was an old provinces of Japan, old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It bordered on Uzen Province, Uzen, Iwashiro Province, Iwashiro, Kōzuke Province, Kōzuke, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Etchū Province, ...

(modern-day

Niigata Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture in the Chūbu region of Honshu of Japan. Niigata Prefecture has a population of 2,131,009 (1 July 2023) and is the List of Japanese prefectures by area, fifth-largest prefecture of Japan by geographic area ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It was centered on Murakami Castle in what is now the city of Murakami, Niigata."Echigo Province" at JapaneseCastleExplorer.com
retrieved 2013-4-7.

History

During the

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

, the area of Murakami Domain was part of a huge ''

shōen A was a field or Manorialism, manor in Japan. The Japanese language, Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese language, Chinese term "莊園" (Mandarin: ''zhuāngyuán'', Cantonese: ''zong1 jyun4''). Shōen, from about the 8th to th ...

'' estate called "Koizumi-shō", controlled by the Nakamikado clan, a cadet branch of the

Fujiwara clan The was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since ancient times and dominated the imperial court until th ...

. Following the

Genpei War The was a national civil war between the Taira clan, Taira and Minamoto clan, Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan. It resulted in the downfall of the Taira and the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate under Minamoto no Yori ...

, the area came under the control of the

Minamoto clan was a Aristocracy (class), noble surname bestowed by the Emperors of Japan upon members of the Imperial House of Japan, imperial family who were excluded from the List of emperors of Japan, line of succession and demoted into the ranks of Nobili ...

, which appointed the Chichibu clan, relatives of the Hatakeyama clan as administrators. The Chichibu later changed their name to the Honjō clan. The Honjō built the first iteration of Murakami Castle during the Meiō period (1497–1501). The Honjō greatly expanded their territory during 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 ...

and became embroiled in the battles between the

Uesugi clan The is a Japanese samurai clan which was at its peak one of the most powerful during the Muromachi period, Muromachi and Sengoku periods (14th to 17th centuries).Georges Appert, Appert, Georges. (1888) ''Ancien Japon,'' p. 79./ref> At its heigh ...

and the

Takeda clan The was a Japanese samurai clan active from the late Heian period until the late 16th century. The clan was historically based in Kai Province in present-day Yamanashi Prefecture. The clan reached its greatest influence under the rule of Taked ...

. They pledged fealty to the Uesugi, and Murakami Castle became a major stronghold of the Uesugi against their powerful enemies to the north, especially the

Date clan The is a Japanese samurai kin group.Edmond Papinot, Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Date", ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 5 retrieved 2013-5-5. History The Date fam ...

and the

Mogami clan were Japanese ''daimyōs'', and were a branch of the Ashikaga family. In the Sengoku period, they were the Sengoku ''daimyōs'' who ruled Dewa Province which is now Yamagata Prefecture and part of Akita Prefecture. The Mogami clan is derived ...

. However, when

Uesugi Kagekatsu was a Japanese samurai ''daimyō'' during the Sengoku and Edo periods. He was the adopted son of Uesugi Kenshin and Uesugi Kagetora’s brother in law. Early life and rise Kagekatsu was the son of Nagao Masakage, the head of the Ueda Naga ...

submitted to

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

in 1590 and was transferred to Aizu,

came under the control of Hori Hideharu and Murakami was assigned to his retainer, Murakami Yorikatsu in 1598 as a 90,000 ''

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 ...

'' holding. He was confirmed in his holdings after the

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, ...

by the

. However, his son, Murakami Tadakatsu was dispossessed in 1618 for murdering one of his retainers and for the inability to maintain order in his household and was exiled to

Tamba Province was a province of Japan in the area of central Kyoto and east-central Hyōgo Prefectures. Tanba bordered on Harima, Ōmi, Settsu, Tajima. Tango, Wakasa, and Yamashiro provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the Gokishichid ...

. He was replaced by Hori Naoyori and the domain was increased to a 100,000 ''koku'' nominal '' kokudaka'', although the actual revenues of the domain were closer to 170,000 ''koku''. Under the Hori clan, the

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, ...

was developed and expanded, and new industries were promoted. In 1642, his grandson, Hori Naosada died at age 7 without heir, and the domain came under

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 ...

. The Hori clan survived through a cadet line at Muramatsu Domain. The domain then went through a number of changes in control during a brief period. Honda Tadayoshi was transferred from Kakegawa Domain in 1644 and transferred to Shirakawa Domain in 1649. Matsudaira Naoyori from

Himeji Domain was a Han (Japan), feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Harima Province in what is now the southern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered around Himeji Castle, which is located in what ...

arrived in 1649 and ruled to 1667 when we was returned to Himeji after widespread revolts over taxation. In 1667, Sakakibara Masamichi arrived from Himeji. During his tenure, the

donjon A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residenc ...

of Murakami Castle burned down and was not replaced. His son, Sakakibara Masakuni was transferred to Himeji in 1704. The rotation between Murakami and Himeji continued, with Honda Tadataka arriving in 1704. His son, Honda Tadanaga was transferred to

Kariya Domain was a Han system, feudal domain of the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate located in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture), Japan, what is now part of the modern-day cities of Kariya, Aichi, Kariya and Anjō, Aichi, Anjō. It was centered on ...

in 1710. He was replaced by Matsudaira Terusada from Takasaki Domain, He returned to Takasaki in 1717, trading placed with Manabe Akifusa, a close confidant of

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military rulers of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, except during parts of the Kamak ...

Tokugawa Ienobu (11 June 1662 – 12 November 1712) was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iem ...

. His adopted heir, Manabe Akitoki was transferred to Sabae Domain. In 1720, Naitō Kazunobu was transferred to Murakami from Tanaka Domain. The Naitō continued to rule Murakami to the end of the

, giving the domain much-needed stability. The 6th Naitō ''daimyō'', Naitō Nobuatsu, served as ''

Kyoto Shoshidai The was an important administrative and political office in the Tokugawa shogunate. The office was the personal representative of the military dictators Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Kyoto, the seat of the Japanese Emperor, and was ado ...

'' and 7th Naitō ''daimyō'',

Naitō Nobuchika , was the 7th Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami Domain under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. He was also known as Naitō Nobumoto (内藤信思). His courtesy title was ''Kii-no-kami''.Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents o ...

, served as ''Kyoto Shoshidai'', '' Osaka-jō dai'' and ''

rōjū The , usually translated as ''Elder (administrative title), Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a wh ...

''. The 8th ''daimyō'', Naitō Nobutami died in 1868, so the domain was without a ruler going into 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 ...

. The domain initially fought against Shōnai Domain, but after the appointment of Naitō Nobutomi as ''daimyō'', changed its allegiance to 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 ...

. After 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 ...

, and the

abolition of the han system The in the Empire of Japan and its replacement by a system of prefectures in 1871 was the culmination of the Meiji Restoration begun in 1868, the starting year of the Meiji period. Under the reform, all daimyos (, ''daimyō'', feudal lords) ...

in 1871, the domain became part of Niigata Prefecture.

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 ...

, Murakami Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned '' kokudaka'', 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.Elison, George and Bardwell L. Smith (1987)
''Warlords, Artists, & Commoners: Japan in the Sixteenth Century,'' p. 18
*

**30 villages in Mishima District **81 villages in Iwafune District **83 villages in Kambara District

List of ''daimyō''

Naitō Kazunobu

was a ''daimyō'' under the

. Kazunobu was the grandson of

Naitō Nobunari was a Japanese samurai of the Sengoku period through early Edo period, who served the Tokugawa clan; he later became a ''daimyō''. Nobunari is believed to have been the illegitimate son of Matsudaira Hirotada (which would make him the half-b ...

via his second son, Naitō Nobunari, who was a 5000 ''koku'' ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the Shōgun, shogunates in History of Japan, Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred ...

''. He was born in

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 ...

and was adopted by Naitō Nobuyoshi of Tanagura Domain as his heir in 1673. He was received in formal audience by

Tokugawa Ietsuna the same year, and was granted the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but is rather used by custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some context ...

of ''Kii-no-kami''. He became ''daimyō'' of Tanagura the following year. In 1712, he was transferred to Tanaka Domain in

Suruga Province was an Provinces of Japan, old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka Prefecture. Suruga bordered on Izu Province, Izu, Kai Province, Kai, Sagami Province, Sagami, Shinano Province, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Province, Tōtōm ...

. In 1712, he served as Osaka-jō dai, with a change in courtesy title to ''Bungo-no-kami'' and a promotion in court rank; however, no increase in '' kokudaka''. In 1720, he was transferred to Murakami Domain. In 1725, he turned the domain over to his adopted son Naitō Nobuteru; however, Nobuteru died the same year, so he adopted Nobuteru's son Nobuoki instead and went into retirement. He died in 1730 in

. His first wife was a daughter of Ōta Suketsugu of Hamamatsu Domain. He later remarried to a daughter of Mori Tsunahiro of

Chōshū Domain The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81 The Chōshū Domain was based ...

Naitō Nobuteru

was the second Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. Nobuteru was the third son of Naitō Nobuyoshi of Tanagura Domain. He was born in Tanagura and was adopted by Naitō Kazunobu as his heir in 1673. He was received in formal audience by

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was the fifth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, as well as the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.Nussbaum, Louis- ...

the same year, and was granted the

of ''Buzen-no-kami'', which was changed to ''Iyo-no-kami'' in 1709. He became ''daimyō'' of Murakami on Kazunobu's retirement in 1725, receiving also the title of ''Kii-no-kami'', but died after less than a month. His wife was a daughter of Hachitsuka Tokushige of Awa-Tomita Domain.

Naitō Nobuoki

was the 3rd Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. Nobuoki was the second son of Naitō Nobuteru. He was born in Edo, and became ''daimyō'' at the age of 6 in 1725 on the death of his father. He was received in formal audience by

Tokugawa Yoshimune was the eighth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Yoshimune is know ...

in 1736, and was granted the

of ''Kii-no-kami''. He retired in 1761 after an uneventful tenure. He was granted the courtesy title of ''Daizen-no-suke'' in 1765. The same year, he took the tonsure. His wife was a daughter of Matsudaira Masashige of Nakatsu Domain. He died in Edo in 1780.

Naitō Nobuakira

was the 4th Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. Nobuakira was the eldest son of Naitō Nobuoki. He was born in Edo, and was received in formal audience by

Tokugawa Ieshige in 1758 and was granted the

of ''Buzen-no-kami''. He became ''daimyō'' in 1761 on the retirement of his father and visited Murakami for the first time later that year; however, he died in Murakami the following spring at the age of 18, without heir. His wife was a daughter of Mori Shigenari of

Naitō Nobuyori

was the 5th Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. Nobuyori was the second son of Naitō Nobuoki. He was born in Murakami, and adopted as posthumous heir upon his brother Naboakira's unexpected death. He was received in formal audience by

Tokugawa Ieharu in 1765 and was granted the

of ''Kii-no-kami''. He died in Edo in 1781 at the age of 34. His wife was a daughter of Matsudaira Tadatsune later of Obama Domain.

Naitō Nobuatsu

was the 6th Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. Nobuatsu was the eldest son of Naitō Nobuyori. He was born in Edo, and became ''daimyō'' in 1781 on the death of his father. In the year 1800 he was appointed a '' sōshaban'' and rose to the post of ''

Jisha-bugyō was a position within the system for the administration of religion that existed from the Muromachi period to the Edo period in Japan. Appointments to this prominent office were always ''fudai daimyōs'', the lowest-ranking of the shogunate office ...

'' in 1813. in 1817, he was appointed a '' wakadoshiyori'' followed by ''

'' in 1823. He died while in office 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 1825. His wife was a daughter of Yanagisawa Yasumitsu of Yamato-Kōriyama Domain. He later remarried to a daughter of Matsudaira Sadanobu of Shirakawa Domain.

Naitō Nobuchika

was the 7th Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. He was also known as Naitō Nobumoto (内藤信思). Nobuchika was the third son of Naitō Nobuatsu. He became heir in 1822 on the death of his elder brother, and became ''daimyō'' in 1825 on the death of his father. In the year 1843 he was appointed ''

'' and in 1849 became Osaka-jō dai. In 1850, he was appointed ''

'' and rose to the post of ''

Rōjū The , usually translated as ''Elder (administrative title), Elder'', was one of the highest-ranking government posts under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. The term refers either to individual Elders, or to the Council of Elders as a wh ...

'' 1851, holding that post until 1862. During that time, he was influential in the Bunsei reforms and the '' Kōbu gattai'' movement. His wife was a daughter of Matsudaira Sadanobu of Shirakawa Domain, author of the Kansei Reforms. He retired in 1864, turning the domain over to his adopted son, but continuing to influence politics to the extent that the domain became a member of the

Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei The was a Japanese military-political coalition established and disestablished over the course of several months in early to mid-1868 during the Boshin War. Its flag was either a white interwoven five-pointed star on a black field, or a black ...

during the

and fought in the Battle of Hokuetsu against the

. He was pardoned in 1869 and died at the age of 63 in 1874.

Naitō Nobutami

was the 8th Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. Nobutami was the third son of

Naitō Masatsuna Naitō, Naito or Naitou (written: 内藤) is a Japanese name, also transliterated as Naitoh or Nightow. Notable people with the surname include: * , vice president of Lenovo's PC and Smart Devices business unit, known as the "Father of ThinkPad" * ...

of Iwamurada Domain. In 1860 he was adopted as heir to Naitō Nobuchika, and was received in formal audience by

Tokugawa Ieshige in 1863, and granted the courtesy title of ''Buzen-no-kami'', later changed to ''Kii-no-kami''. He became ''daimyō'' the following year and assisted the shogunate in the

Second Chōshū expedition The Second Chōshū expedition (), also called the Summer War, was a punitive expedition led by the Tokugawa shogunate against the Chōshū Domain. It followed the First Chōshū expedition of 1864. Campaign The Second Chōshū expedition was a ...

. In 1868, feigning illness, he refused calls by the shogunate and opened negotiations with the

, but opinion in the domain was divided, and due to the influence of Nobuchika, the domain sided with the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War. With the defeat of the pro-Tokugawa forces in the Battle of Hokuetsu, he returned to Murakami and committed

seppuku , also known as , is a form of Japanese ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. It was originally reserved for samurai in their code of honor, but was also practiced by other Japanese people during the Shōwa era (particularly officers near ...

on August 28 at the age of 19.

Naitō Nobutomi

was the 9th (and final) Naitō ''daimyō'' of Murakami. Nobutomi was the eldest son of Okabe Nagahiro of Kishiwada Domain. In 1868, Narukami Castle had fallen to the forces of the Meiji government and Naitō Nobutami had committed suicide. Despite these conditions, the ''

karō were top-ranking samurai officials and advisors in service to the ''daimyōs'' of feudal Japan. Overview In the Edo period, the policy of ''sankin-kōtai'' (alternate attendance) required each ''daimyō'' to place a ''karō'' in Edo and anothe ...

'' of Murakami, Torii Masayoshi, brought Nobutomo to Murakami as the adopted son and heir to Naitō Nobuchika. He was recognized as ''daimyō'' by the Meiji government, and appointed imperial governor of Murakami until the

in 1871 (to which there was tremendous resistance in Murakami). He relocated to

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

after 1871 and changed his surname to Okabe. he was subsequent ennobled as shishiku (

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

under the

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 system. His wife was a daughter of Matsudaira Tadakiyo of Shimabara Domain. He died in Tokyo in 1925.

References

External links

Murakami on "Edo 300 HTML"

Notes

{{Authority control Domains of Japan Echigo Province History of Niigata Prefecture Honda clan Maebashi-Matsudaira clan Naitō clan Ōkōchi-Matsudaira clan Sakakibara clan