Kitsuki Domain (2/2)A small domain ruled by two families

During the reign of the third feudal lord, Matsudaira Shigekyu, Kitsuki Castle's castle on Mount Tai lost its functionality, and all political functions were transferred to the palace at the northern foot of Mount Tai.

Also, at this time, a mistake occurred in the shogunate's red seal, where it should have written ``Kitsuki'' but instead it was written ``Kitsuki.''
As a result of this, the name of the domain was changed to Kitsuki Clan and the name of the castle was changed to Kitsuki Castle. It is said that Matsudaira Jukyu enacted a good government that was admired by the people of his territory, but unfortunately he passed away at the young age of 25.

During the era of the fourth feudal lord, Chikazumi Matsudaira, the Great Kyoho Famine occurred, causing great damage to the domain. At this time, the Kitsuki clan borrowed 3,000 ryo from the shogunate to survive, but this debt caused financial difficulties for the clan.

The fifth lord of the domain, Chikae Matsudaira, tried to rebuild the domain's declining economy by issuing domain bills and demonstrating frugality, but due to a series of poor harvests during the Horeki era, the situation was in vain.

During the reign of the 6th lord, Chikasada Matsudaira, the Edo mansion was burned down in the Great Meiwa Fire. Due to the rebuilding of the Edo mansion, the domain's finances worsened further.

In 1786, the seventh lord of the feudal domain, Chikakata Matsudaira, sought to reform the feudal government by recruiting the thinker and natural philosopher Miura Umezono as a vassal in an effort to bring the feudal government to a standstill.

However, the feudal government, once tilted, did not improve easily, and during the era of the ninth lord, Chikaaki Matsudaira, there were a number of uprisings and destructions within the domain.

Chikayoshi Matsudaira, the 9th lord of the domain, was a person who was directly employed by the 13th shogun Ienari Tokugawa, and held various positions in the shogunate, such as player-in-chief and temple and shrine magistrate. For this reason, he was a member of the Sabaku faction and was active in the second Choshu conquest, but the domain was divided between the son-no-joi faction and the Sabaku faction, and conflicts arose, and he was unable to achieve the desired results. In 1868, he finally went to Kyoto and had an audience with Emperor Meiji.

The last lord of the domain, Chikki Matsudaira, was a supporter of the new government, and during the Aizu War, he joined the new government army and sent troops to Aizu.
In the Meiji era, he became the governor of the domain, but when the feudal domain was abolished and the establishment of prefectures was carried out in 1898, he was dismissed and moved to Tokyo. In the 6th year of Meiji, he became a religious official named Gonsho Kyosho, but died at the young age of 45.

Kitsuki clan summary

In Kyushu, where there were many large-scale feudal lords such as the Shimazu clan, the Kitsuki domain was a small domain with a yield of 20,000 to 40,000 koku, and it suffered from many natural disasters and had a troubled history.

Kitsuki Castle was also demolished early in the Meiji era, and the castle tower was finally restored in 1971.
However, the history of the Nomi Matsudaira clan can still be seen at the restored museum in Kitsuki Castle, and the castle town, which was maintained by successive feudal lords, has become a tourist attraction as a charming townscape.

Furthermore, his grandson, Chikayoshi Matsudaira, is involved in the establishment of the Japanese Constitution as a legal scholar and politician.