Kubota domainThe Satake clan ruled until the end of the Edo period.

The Kubota domain, also known as the Akita domain, was ruled by the Satake clan until the end of the Edo period, when the domain of Hitachi Province was reduced to Akita due to siding with the Western army at the Battle of Sekigahara. The Satake clan was a prestigious family descended from the Minamoto clan, and after moving to Akita, in addition to the main family, there were four branch families in the north, south, east, and west, which supported the domain's administration. Let's unravel the history of the Kubota clan.

A domain supported by forestry

The Kubota clan is a domain whose government was supported by Akita cedar, one of Japan's three most beautiful forests, along with hiba in Aomori and lacquerware in Kiso. He also focused on industries other than rice cultivation, such as lacquer and silkworms, and it is said that he had a good income considering his stone height. However, compared to when the domain was established, the ratio of vassal land to vassals was higher, and thanks to the system that allowed all new rice fields developed to be used as chigyo land for vassals, even if new fields were developed, the domain The income of the clan did not increase, and the domain's finances quickly became difficult.

In addition, thanks to the development of industries other than rice cultivation since ancient times, commerce has flourished in the Kubota domain, and merchants have grown in strength, while farmers who grow cash crops such as cedar, lacquer, tobacco, and rapeseed have been involved in buying and selling. imposed strict restrictions and heavy taxes. It is said that this distorted tax structure hindered the development of the Kubota domain.

Successive feudal lords were also concerned about financial reform. The Kubota domain is an unusual domain in which the Satake clan continued to serve as lord from the time of the first lord, Yoshinobu Satake, until the end of the Edo period. The main Satake family was the lord of the domain, and the four branch families in the north, south, east, and west served as chief retainers.

Successive generations of feudal lords, up to the fifth lord, Yoshimine Satake, attempted reforms to try to manage their difficult finances, but they were unable to achieve any results and gave up, due to opposition from the retainer rank and natural disasters. Did. There is a disgraceful anecdote that Yoshimine Satake, the fifth lord of the domain, abolished the frugal ordinances of the previous domain lords and indulged in extravagance, further worsening the country's finances.

In 1754, Yoshiaki Satake, the seventh lord of the domain, issued silver bills with permission from the shogunate as a countermeasure against a bad rice harvest. However, the issuance of silver notes ended in failure, as merchants who had bought rice in anticipation of a rise in rice prices refused to purchase rice using silver notes.
Three years later, in 1757, a fight broke out in the household between supporters and opponents over the issuance of silver notes, leading to a riot. This is the Akita riot that will remain in history.

Originally, the issuance of silver notes caused economic turmoil within the domain, but other vassals rebelled against the fact that the family with the rank of chief retainer was conducting government behind closed doors, leading to a family turmoil involving Yoshiaki Satake, the lord of the domain. Ta.
This family riot was dramatized and became the subject of kabuki and rakugo, and became known throughout the country.

The detailed description of the Akita Riot would be overwhelming, so if you are interested, please look into it in detail.
Even today, there are books that describe the Akita Riots, such as Akita Suginao Monogatari.

Yoshiatsu Satake, the 8th lord of the domain, turned his attention away from the chaos of the domain, sought peace in painting, and left his name as a Western painter.

From the time of Yoshikazu Satake, the ninth lord of the Akita domain, the Akita domain was ordered to guard the Ezo area by the Shogunate, which was wary of Russian advances. He was also politically competent and even temporarily involved in rebuilding the country's finances.

Yoshiatsu Satake, the 10th lord of the domain, assumed the position of lord at a young age and tried to follow in the politics of his father, who was known as a great prince, but his finances continued to deteriorate due to a series of natural disasters such as poor harvests. . He died heartbroken at the young age of 35.

Yoshimutsu Satake, the 11th lord of the domain, died young at the age of 19, and Yoshiya Satake, the last lord of the domain, held important positions in the shogunate such as guardian of Kyoto, but he himself fell ill and the country's finances were in turmoil due to poor harvests. Amidst great hardship, the Boshin War broke out.
The Kubota clan was initially affiliated with the Ouetsu clan alliance, but after leaving the alliance and joining the new government army, it ended up fighting against the alliance army centered on the Shonai and Morioka clans.
Therefore, the battle that took place in Akita during the Boshin War is also called the ``Akita War.''

The Akita War began on July 11, 4th year of Keio, and lasted for about three months until November of the same year.
Although the new government army won in the end, two-thirds of the Kubota domain was destroyed in the fires, and 40% of the houses were destroyed, resulting in severe damage, but Kubota Castle was spared. Ta.
Afterwards, Yoshimutsu Satake became the governor of the domain and moved to Tokyo, and the Satake family became a marquis family.

Kubota clan summary

Although the Kubota domain was blessed with industry, natural disasters and poor harvests occurred frequently, and the domain's government was always in a state of crisis. As a result, many feudal lords have failed in their efforts to rebuild their finances. On the other hand, there were many feudal lords who engaged in cultural activities, and in particular, the 8th feudal lord, Yoshiatsu Satake, was an excellent Western painter whose works still survive today.
The Satake family still exists today, and the current Governor of Akita Prefecture, Mr. Norihisa Satake, is the 21st generation descendant of the Satake Kita family.