Bingo Fukuyama Domain (2/2)Ruled by the powerful Fudai daimyo family

This upper and lower banks were said to be ``scary than demons'' due to their strict collections, but it is said that Seisuke Abe did not know this until he entered Fukuyama.

However, Seisuke Abe took advantage of his position in the Shogunate to lobby Okitsugu Tanuma to freeze the repayments of Upper and Lower Banks, placing all responsibility on Shinshiro Sato, who was in charge of borrowing. expel the feudal lord.
Furthermore, when he tried to impose a ``temporary tax'' on the people of his territory to celebrate his promotion to roju, the ``Tenmei Uprising,'' the largest uprising in the Bingo-Fukuyama domain, broke out.

After being held responsible for this uprising, and due to the fall of the senior councilor Tanuma Okitsugu, Abe Seisuke was also forced out of important positions in the shogunate, and returned to the Fukuyama domain in despair.

Masako is shocked to find that the morals of his hometown, where he has been away for a long time, are in disarray.
He tried to correct the morals of the domain by building the domain's school, Fukuyama Kodokan, but it was not very successful.
They tried to cut costs, approach powerful merchants, and reform agricultural policy, but it is said that all they could do was suppress the uprising.

The 10th lord of the domain, Masaki Abe, also served as Roju under the 11th Shogun, Ienari Tokugawa, and left his name as the Roju who decided on the ``scope of Edo.''
It seems that the feudal government tried its best to reduce expenses and pay off debts, but it seems that it was too busy just to pay back the interest.

Masanori Abe, the 11th lord of the domain, had no interest in either the shogunate or the domain government, and even though major disasters such as the Tenmei famine had occurred, he retired at the young age of 28 and devoted his life to his own world. I finished.

Masahiro Abe, the 12th lord of the domain, became roju in 1842, when the turmoil at the end of the Edo period began, including the arrival of Perry and the outbreak of the Opium War. As a central figure in the Ansei reforms, he often appears in movies, dramas, and novels.
He founded Kobusho, Nagasaki Naval Training School, Western School, etc., but suddenly died at the young age of 39 due to a sudden illness.
His successor, Masanori Abe, also died young at the age of 23, and his successor, Masakata Abe, also died of illness at the age of 20, just after the restoration of imperial rule and just before the Boshin War.

The last feudal lord, Masakane Abe, openly sided with the new government's army, and in 1888 he returned the domain name and became the first governor of the domain. In addition, in 1888, he was appointed earl and was about to leave for Tokyo, but the people of the territory tried to stop him and a revolt broke out, causing a commotion that delayed his departure for more than half a year.
Furthermore, Masahiro Abe, who moved to Tokyo, worked to maintain the former domain school Seishokan as chairman of the Fukuyama Kyoikugikai.

His son, Masanao Abe, is known as a cloud researcher and became director of the Meteorological Research Institute after the war.

Summary of Bingo Fukuyama Domain

The Abe family served as the lords of the Bingo Fukuyama domain for many years, and there were many lords who demonstrated their power in the shogunate administration rather than in the domain administration.
In particular, Masahiro Abe was the roju who decided to open the country, and his diplomatic skills are now being evaluated anew.
The Abe family continues to this day, and the 17th generation lord is actively involved in cultural activities.