Funai Domain (1/2)often hit by natural disasters

The Funai domain was a domain that ruled the area of present-day Oita City, Oita Prefecture. Funai Castle was the domain office, and three families ruled the domain until the Meiji Restoration. Let's unravel the history of the Funai domain.

Ruled by the Takenaka family and Hineno family

The area around Funai was ruled by a military commander named Fukuhara Nagataka, who was a close aide of Toyotomi Hideyoshi until 1600. He had Ishida Mitsunari's younger sister as his legal wife, so when Ishida Mitsunari fell from power, he was abducted by Tokugawa Ieyasu as if he were involved in the fall of Ishida Mitsunari.

After the Battle of Sekigahara, Funai Castle, built by Fukuhara Nagataka, was given to Shigetoshi Takenaka, who is said to be the nephew or cousin of Shigeharu Takenaka (Hanbei), known as Toyotomi Hideyoshi's prime minister, and the Funai Domain was established.

Shigetoshi Takenaka significantly renovated the Funai castle built by Fukuhara Nagataka to its current appearance, and also developed the castle town and Minato, laying the foundation for the development of the Funai clan that led to present-day Oita City.

Shigeyoshi Takenaka, the second lord of the Funai domain, is the eldest son of Shigetoshi Takenaka.
He was favored by the second shogun, Hidetada Tokugawa, and was given the position of Nagasaki magistrate of the Edo shogunate, an unusual position for a daimyo.
In addition to serving as a contact point for Dutch traders who came to Japan, the Nagasaki Magistrate also had great authority to monitor and suppress Christians, as well as supervise the feudal lords who ruled Kyushu.

During his time as Nagasaki magistrate, Takenaka Shigeyoshi is said to have brutally suppressed Christians, resulting in many martyrs.
There is a theory that Shigeyoshi Takenaka started the torture and painting of Christians in Unzen Jigoku, and it can be said that he indirectly triggered the Shimabara Rebellion.

When Hidetada Tokugawa stepped down as shogun and entered the era of the third shogun, Iemitsu Tokugawa, Japan turned toward national isolation. At this time, Shigeyoshi Takenaka was accused by the head of a Dutch trading post and others of illegal trade during his time as Nagasaki magistrate, and was dismissed from his post as magistrate and ordered to commit seppuku along with his eldest son.
As a result, the Takenaka family became extinct, and the rule of the Takenaka family ended with two generations.

Yoshiaki Hineno entered Funai Castle on behalf of the Takenaka family. Because of his achievements, such as serving as deputy magistrate for the construction of Nikko Toshogu Shrine, he was given more stones and transferred to the Funai domain.

When Yoshiaki Hineno became the feudal lord, the Funai domain was experiencing repeated droughts and floods, and the Great Kanei Famine occurred for three years starting in 1641. Many people died of starvation within the Funai domain, but Hino Nekichi established a method of supplying water to many paddy fields by developing multiple wells to supply water to the fields, and this saved many lives. I helped. For this reason, he is still honored every year as a famous prince.

Also, during this period, the Funai domain took custody of Hideyasu Yuki's eldest son, Tadanao Matsudaira, and monitored him.
Matsudaira Tadanao was a man who committed violent acts using force out of dissatisfaction with the Osaka no Jin's Distinguished Service Award, and was ordered to be confined and sent to the Funai domain by Hidetada Tokugawa.
Yoshiaki Hinone supported him well, and Tadanao Matsudaira died in his hometown.

Despite being such a wise prince, Yoshiaki Hinone lost his first child and adopted a child in his final stage of life just before his death, but due to opposition from his vassals, the adoption was canceled. As a result, the Hinone family became extinct, and the Funai domain was succeeded by Tadaaki Matsudaira, the son of Yoshiaki Hinone's legal wife's brother.

The Matsudaira family ruled the Funai domain until the Meiji period.

Matsudaira family rule

The Matsudaira family ruled the Funai domain for about 220 years, starting with Tadaaki Matsudaira.
After the first generation Tadaaki Matsudaira entered the Funai domain, he made efforts to establish the domain's governance by donating to temples and shrines and developing new rice fields.
The second and third generation feudal lords also learned from the first lord and maintained the castle town and port, and expanded waterproof channels to prevent the frequent fires that occurred in the castle town.