Kuwana Domain (2/2)Ruled by multiple Matsudaira families

The rule of the Hisamatsu-Matsudaira family, which started with Sadanaga Matsudaira, continued with Sadakazu Matsudaira and Sadao Matsudaira, but the Kuwana domain was financially strained due to floods, fires at the Edo domain residence, and construction work ordered by the shogunate. I'll go. The situation was overcome by borrowing money from merchants in Osaka and Kuwana, but to add insult to injury, the Ikutaman Rebellion, which was inspired by the Rebellion of Heihachiro Oshio, attacked the encampments governing the enclaves of Uonuma, Kariwa, Mishima, and Kambara. A series of violent incidents continued. In addition, the world entered a turbulent period at the end of the Edo period, and the Kuwana clan was appointed by the Shogunate to guard the Boso coast and Kyoto, and finances became even tighter. Ultimately, this financial crisis was not fundamentally resolved until the Meiji era.

Kuwana Domain and the turmoil at the end of the Edo period

Sadataka Matsudaira, who succeeded Sadao Matsudaira, ran away from the Matsudaira family of the Mino Takasu domain and was adopted by Hatsuhime as a son-in-law. Sadataka was the younger brother of Yoshikatsu Tokugawa, lord of Owari domain, Shigenori Tokugawa, Katamori Matsudaira, lord of Aizu domain, and Takenari Matsudaira, lord of Iwami Hamada domain. Furthermore, because he was the same age as the 14th shogun, Iemochi Tokugawa, he had great trust in him, and while serving as the lord of the domain, he was appointed Kyoto Shoshidai in 1864. At first, Sadataka tries to refuse because he is too young, but since his older brother Katamori Matsudaira has been appointed to the position of Kyoto Shugo, he is unable to refuse, and the brothers decide to protect the security of Kyoto.

While the two were serving as Kyoto Shoshidai and Kyoto Shugo, events such as the Ikedaya Incident, the Kinmon Incident, the Choshu Conquest, and the Tenguto Rebellion occurred. As for the shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi was replaced by the last shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

The two, who quelled the situation as representatives of the shogunate, were deeply hated by both the Satsuma and Choshu domains. Furthermore, things became tense with the shogunate over how to respond to the second Choshu conquest. Around this time, the shogunate cooperated with the Aizu and Kuwana domains to fight against the Satsuma and Choshu domains, but conflicts deepened between the Aizu and shogunate sides and the Kuwana domain, and Emperor Komei, who was friendly with the shogunate, Death struck. The Kuwana clan lost its position in the Kyoto political world, and Shogun Ieyoshi also deepened his conflict with the Kyoto political world.
The political situation in this area has been depicted in many novels and dramas and is well known.

As a result, in the Battle of Toba and Fushimi, a battle between the former shogunate army and the new government army, Aizu and Kuwana clan soldiers served as the main force of the former shogunate army.

In the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the former Shogunate army had an overwhelming advantage in military strength, but the upper echelons, including Tokugawa Yoshinobu, were indecisive, and the soldiers lost without demonstrating their true potential. Furthermore, Sadataka Matsudaira stationed his troops at Osaka Castle and was prepared to put up a full-fledged resistance at Kuwana Castle, but was ordered by Yoshinobu Tokugawa to accompany the retreat to Edo Castle.

As a result, the Kuwana domain, which lacked a castle lord, fell into chaos. The senior vassals of the Kuwana clan wished for ``the castle to be surrendered and all the clan samurai to join Sadataka in Edo and decide the future,'' but the lower-ranking clan samurai were dissatisfied with this, and Sadao Matsudaira's biological son, Sadataka Matsudaira, He expressed his intention to submit to the new government army as the new lord of the domain.

The debate went back and forth, but in the end, Sadanori Matsudaira participated in the Battle of Toba-Fushimi and brought the soldiers who had returned to the Kuwana Domain to present himself to the Tokaido Governor-General Saneyoshi Hashimoto. In this way, Kuwana Castle was surrendered bloodlessly, and the new government forces burned down Tatsumi Tower as proof of their surrender.

Sadataka Matsudaira returned to Edo and, along with his older brother Katamori, expressed the intention of fighting the new government's forces, but Tokugawa Yoshinobu refused. Sadataka Matsudaira parted ways with the shogun and moved his base to Kashiwazaki, an enclave of the Kuwana clan, to continue fighting against the new government forces. The Kuwana army led by Sadataka Matsudaira fought bravely in the Nagaoka War, the Kujiranami War, and the Aizu War, but finally surrendered after the battle at Sagae. However, Sadataka Matsudaira escaped further to Hakodate with the help of Takeaki Enomoto, and joined up with Toshizo Hijikata and others of the Shinsengumi. Sadataka was willing to fight the new government army until the end, but the chief retainer of the Kuwana clan, Magohachiro Sakai, and others tried to have him report to the new government army in order to preserve the Kuwana clan. Sadataka Matsudaira resisted fiercely and eventually tried to flee to Shanghai, but when a road agent found him, he finally turned himself in to the new government army. It was 1869 (Meiji 2).

The Kuwana domain was subsequently reduced from 110,000 koku to 60,000 koku, but was spared from being demolished due to the new lord of the domain, Sadanori Matsudaira, expressing his obedience to the new government. Sadataka Matsudaira was later interrogated in Tokyo, but was placed on probation, and then went to the United States, and led the Kuwana army to the Seinan War, before dying in 1901. In addition, the last lord of the domain, Sadanori Matsudaira, retired from the position of governor in 1880, and went to the United States with Sadataka Matsudaira in 7th year of Meiji. After returning to Japan, he became a secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1880. have become. He was then appointed a viscount and served in the Imperial Court as a ceremonial official in 1888, but died the following year at the age of 43.

Kuwana Domain after the Meiji period

Even though the Kuwana domain was abolished in 1886, when the feudal domain was abolished and the establishment of prefectures was implemented, the samurai from Kuwana continued to be viewed as hostile by the people from Choshu and Satsuma, and it is said that they felt small-minded. Therefore, during the Seinan Rebellion, more than 400 soldiers showed their obedience to the new government. From the end of the Meiji era, the city took advantage of its location as a port town to activate military industries, and heavy industry flourished. Even today, Yokkaichi City, next to Kuwana, is an industrial city and the center of Japan's heavy industry.