was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of

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 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 ...

, located in Mutsu Province,

Honshū , historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the seventh-largest island in the world, and the second-most populous after the Indonesian ...

. It was centered at

Shichinohe Castle was a Japanese castle located in what is now the town of Shichinohe, in Kamikita District of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of far northern Japan. On December 13, 1941, the area was proclaimed a National Historic Site by the Japanese ...

in what is now the modern town of

Shichinohe, Aomori is a town located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,609 in 6841 households and a population density of 43 persons per km2, in 6,797 households. The total area of the town is . Geography Shichinohe is in c ...

in the Kamikita District of

Aomori Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku region. The prefecture's capital, largest city, and namesake is the city of Aomori (city), Aomori. Aomori is the northernmost prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshu, and is border ...

, in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, , or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains ...

of far northern

History

The

Nanbu clan The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan who ruled most of northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region of Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura period through the Meiji Restoration of 1868. The Nanbu claimed descent from the Seiwa Ge ...

controlled this region of northern Japan from the

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

, and Shichinohe Castle was occupied by a branch of the clan on this site until the end of 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 ...

. However, in 1591 the Shichinohe-branch of the Nanbu clan opposed the forces of clan chieftain

Nanbu Nobunao was a Sengoku period Japanese samurai, and ''daimyō'' and the 26th hereditary chieftain of the Nanbu clan. His courtesy title was ''Daizen Daibu'', and his Court rank was Junior Fourth Rank, Lower Grade. Nobunao was the second son of Nanbu M ...

and

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: ...

during the

Kunohe Rebellion The was an insurrection of the Sengoku period of Japan that occurred in Mutsu Province from 13 March to 4 September 1591. The Kunohe Rebellion was the final battle in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaigns during the Sengoku period and completed the ...

and were defeated. The castle was abandoned in 1592 and allowed to fall into ruins. The Shichinohe Nanbu clan was allowed to survive as 2300 ''

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 ...

'' ''

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 ...

'' serving the

Morioka Domain 300px, Ruins of Morioka Castle was a '' tozama'' feudal domain of Edo period Japan. It was ruled throughout its history by the Nanbu clan. It was called during the early part of its history. It was located in northern Mutsu Province, Honshū ...

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 ...

. Their revenues were increased to 5000 ''koku'' in 1694, and they were given charge of a '' daikansho'' erected on the site of their old castle in 1804. With a raise in revenues to 11,000 ''koku'' in 1819, Shichinohe Domain was created. The 11,000 ''koku'' domain existed largely on paper, as its ''daimyō'' lived 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 ...

permanently, and ruled the domain via a ''

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 ...

'', who resided at a ''

jin'ya A was a type of administrative headquarters in the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. ''Jin'ya'' served as the seat of the administration for a small domain, a province, or additional parcels of land. ''Jin'ya'' ho ...

'' erected on the site of the old castle. In 1858, the ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and no ...

'' of Shichinohe, Nanbu Nobuchika was raised to the status of

castellan A castellan, or constable, was the governor of a castle in medieval Europe. Its surrounding territory was referred to as the castellany. The word stems from . A castellan was almost always male, but could occasionally be female, as when, in 1 ...

and granted formal permission to rebuild Shichinohe Castle as part of Japan’s increased defensive preparations against possible foreign incursions in light of the recent

Perry Expedition ] The Perry Expedition (, , "Arrival of the Black Ships") was a diplomatic and military expedition in two separate voyages (1852–1853 and 1854–1855) to the Tokugawa shogunate () by warships of the United States Navy. The goals of this expedit ...

. However, 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 ...

occurred before any construction could begin. 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 ...

of 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 ...

, Nanbu Nobutami, the 3rd ''daimyō'', supported 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 ...

and fought against the pro-imperial forces of

Hirosaki Domain file:Hirosakijo.jpg, Hirosaki Castle, the seat of the Hirosaki Domain , also known as , was a ''tozama'' Han (Japan), feudal domain of Edo period JapanRavina, Mark. (1998) ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan,'' p. 222 It is located in Muts ...

in the Battle of Noheji. Consequently, he was forced into retirement by 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 ...

and the revenues of Shichinohe Domain were decreased by 1,000 ''koku''. His successor, Nanbu Nobukata became domain governor in 1869, and in October of that same year, the peasants in the domain rose up in a revolt. In July 1871, with 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) ...

, Shichinohe Domain became Shichinohe Prefecture, and was merged into the newly created Aomori Prefecture in September 1871. Nanbu Nobukata was later granted the title of

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 ...

(''shishaku'') 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.

List of ''daimyōs''

('' tozama'') 1819–1871

Nanbu Nobuchika

was the 1st ''daimyō'' of Shichinohe Domain. He was the eldest son of Nanbu Nobuyoshi, a 5000 ''koku'' ''

'' of

. In December 1819, he received additional territories from his uncle,

Nanbu Toshitaka was a mid-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 10th ''daimyō'' of Morioka Domain in northern Japan. He was the 36th hereditary chieftain of the Nanbu clan. His courtesy title was ''Daizen-no-daifu'', and his Court rank was Junior 4th Rank, Lowe ...

, bringing his total past 10,000 ''koku'' and received elevation to the rank of ''

''. His

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 ...

was ''Harima-no-kami'', and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. Due to the death of the first Nanbu Toshimochi in 1820, he was called upon to assist in the governing of the Morioka Domain. He was received in formal audience by ''

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 Ienari Tokugawa Ienari (, 18 November 1773 – 22 March 1841) was the eleventh and longest-serving ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan who held office from 1787 to 1837.Hall, John Whitney ''et al.'' (1991) ''Early Modern Japan'', p. 21./ref> ...

on November 15, 1821, and confirmed in his title, but died only a few days later.

Nanbu Nobunori

was the 2nd ''daimyō'' of Shichinohe Domain. He was the eldest son of Nanbu Nobuchika, and became ''daimyō'' at the age of 16 upon the death of his father. His

was ''Tamba-no-kami'', and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. During his tenure, Shichinohe was awarded an increase in status to that of a “castle-holding domain” in 1858. His wife was the daughter of Mori Nagayoshi, ''daimyō'' of Mikazuki Domain. Although he had a son, he adopted the 4th son of Nanbu Toshitada from Morioka Domain to be his heir, but then set him aside in favour of an even more distant relative, Nanbu Nobutami, in 1849.

Nanbu Nobutami

was the 3rd ''daimyō'' of Shichinohe Domain. He was the cousin of the ''

'' of Morioka Domain, Sannohe Shikibu and great-grandson of

Nanbu Toshimi was a mid-Edo period Japanese samurai, and the 7th ''daimyō'' of Morioka Domain in northern Japan. He was the 33rd hereditary chieftain of the Nanbu clan. His courtesy title was ''Shuri-no-daifu'', (later ''Daizen-no-daifu'') and his Court ra ...

). He was adopted by Nanbu Nobunori as his heir in 1849. His

was ''Mimasaka-no-kami'', and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. On becoming ''daimyō'' in 1862, he closely aligned his policies with Morioka Domain. During the

of the

, he joined the

to fight against the Nanbu clan’s hereditary enemies, the

Tsugaru clan The was a Japanese samurai clan who ruled the northwestern half of what is now Aomori Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan under the Edo period Tokugawa shogunate. The Tsugaru were ''daimyō'' of Hirosaki Domain and its semi-subsidiary, ...

. After the war, his holdings were reduced by 1000 ''koku'' and he was ordered to retire by the

. However, as his successor Nanbu Nobukata was still underage, he continued to rule the domain, and sponsored

sericulture Sericulture, or silk farming, is the cultivation of silkworms to produce silk. Although there are several commercial species of silkworms, the caterpillar of the Bombyx mori, domestic silkmoth is the most widely used and intensively studied silkwo ...

and livestock raising in his final years.

Nanbu Nobukata

was the 4th and final ''daimyō'' of Shichinohe Domain. He was the third son of the ''daimyō'' of Morioka, Nanbu Toshihisa, and was adopted as heir to Nanbu Nobutami in December 1868 when Nobutami was ordered by the new Meiji government to retire from his role in leading the domain during the

. He became domain governor in June 1869 and had to suppress a peasant’s uprising in October of the same year. He was sent to America to study for a three year period from February 1876. In 1884 he was elevated to the ''

'' peerage title of

(''shishaku'') Shichinohe town official home page
/ref> His wife was the daughter of Inoue Toshiyoshi, the ''daimyō'' of

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 ...

, and he had only one daughter, who married into the

Shimazu clan The were the ''daimyō'' of the Satsuma han, which spread over Satsuma, Ōsumi and Hyūga provinces in Japan. The Shimazu were identified as one of the '' tozama'' or outsider ''daimyō'' familiesAppert, Georges ''et al.'' (1888). in contr ...

. File:Nanbu Nobutami.jpg, Nanbu Nobutami File:Nobukata Nambu.jpg, Nanbu Nobutaka

Bakumatsu period holdings

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 ...

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

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 ...

'', 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
* Mutsu Province **35 villages in Kita District

References

External links

Shichinohe on "Edo 300 HTML"
(19 Oct. 2007)

Notes

{{Authority control Domains of Japan History of Aomori Prefecture 1819 establishments in Japan Nanbu clan Mutsu Province Shichinohe, Aomori