Hiroshima Domain (1/2)Asano family continues to rule

Hiroshima is a place where the Mori family destroyed the Sue clan (Ouchi clan) and made it their own territory during the Sengoku period.
Hiroshima Castle, the domain office of the Hiroshima domain, was built by Terumoto Mori, the grandson of Motonari Mori.

However, in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Mori Terumoto became the commander-in-chief of the Western Army, and the Mori clan was transferred from Hiroshima to Choshu.

After that, the Hiroshima domain was ruled by Masanori Fukushima, and then the Asano family ruled the domain until the end of the Edo period.
Let's unravel the history of the Hiroshima clan.

Reign of Masanori Fukushima

Masanori Fukushima was a military commander who served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu as one of the Seven Spears of Shizugatake. He was given Hiroshima in place of Mori Terumoto, who was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 and was demoted to Choshu.
From 1601, land re-examinations were carried out, and the foundations of the Hiroshima domain's government were solidified, including the separation of soldiers and farmers and the transition to the stone high school system, which had been incomplete during the Mori era.

However, in June 1619, he was accused of violating samurai laws by renovating Hiroshima Castle, which had been damaged by a flood, without permission, and was transferred to Kawanakajima, Shinano Province.

There is also a theory that the truth behind this incident is that Masanori Fukushima objected to the Tokugawa shogunate's destruction of the Toyotomi family at the Osaka Siege, but the truth is not certain.

Reign of the Asada family

As a result of Masanori Fukushima's reform, Nagaaki Asano was transferred from the Kishu domain. Nagaaki Asano was the second son of Nagamasa Asano, who served as the five magistrates under the Toyotomi government.

The Hiroshima domain is blessed with great shipping links between Osaka and the Seto Inland Sea route. For this reason, Masanori Fukushima established a monopoly on wood, iron, paper, etc.

Nagaaki Asano will also continue this policy. Furthermore, they took advantage of market prices to purchase rice cheaply from other countries during times of good harvest, and then sold it when the price was high. I earned a profit.
In other words, we did business on a national basis.
As a result, the finances of the Hiroshima domain quickly stabilized.

The second lord of the domain, Mitsunori Asano, was the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. His illegitimate brother, Nagaharu Asano, earned 50,000 koku and established the Bingo Miyoshi domain, a branch domain.
We also carried out reforms to the domain's administration, including land surveying, tax reform, and improvements to the Saigoku Kaido and transportation.

The third lord, Tsunaaki Asano, died of illness less than a year after taking over as head of the family, and the Ako Incident broke out during the era of the fourth lord, Tsunaga Asano. Naganori Asano, who was stabbed by Yoshio Kira, was a member of the branch family, so Tsunaaki Asano urged Yoshio Oishi, the chief retainer of the Ako Asano family, to have a peaceful opening, and tried to prevent the Ako Roshi and others from attacking the Kira family. In the end, the raid took place.
Furthermore, the Hiroshima domain employs many vassals of the Ako domain, including Yoshio Oishi's third son, and also cleans up the mismanagement of the branch clan.
In addition, during the era of Asano Tsunenaga, as the feudal government began to decline, clan notes were issued.

Yoshinaga Asano, the fifth lord of the Hiroshima domain, left behind achievements such as building Kogakusho, a domain school for the Hiroshima domain, and repairing Miyajima's Otorii gate.
Also, during this period, Nobuatsu Hayashi and others actively promoted reconciliation with the Date family, which had been ongoing since the era of Asano Nagamasa and Date Masamune.
Although this reconciliation policy almost succeeded, it was abandoned again for reasons such as ``there is no need to feel sorry for the ancestors.''
Furthermore, it was in 1994 that a reconciliation was reached between the Date family and the Asano family.

Munetsune Asano, the 6th feudal lord, carried out reforms to rebuild the feudal government, which had begun to deteriorate, and was largely successful.
The 7th feudal lord, Shigeaki Asano, continued the policies of Munetsune Asano and promoted disaster relief measures based on the Shakura Law and measures to promote domestic production such as silk and oil.
As a result, the clan schools, which had been closed to cut costs, were able to reopen.
Additionally, Shukkeien has been extensively renovated to resemble its current form.

During the era of the 8th feudal lord, Saiken Asano, a man named Kyuzo, who had finally returned to his hometown after being captured by the Hiroshima domain in Russia, brought smallpox seedlings to the Hiroshima domain, but the Hiroshima domain did not believe in its effectiveness, and smallpox was introduced into the Hiroshima domain. The bovine vaccination method, a type of vaccination, did not become widespread.

During the era of the 9th feudal lord, Saisuke Asano, the Hiroshima domain suffered from natural disasters such as the Great Tenpo Famine, as well as continued expenses such as river construction work and the shogun's wedding to a princess, causing financial problems.
A man named Taito Nomura attempted to reform the feudal government, but unfortunately it did not have much effect.