Tokushima domainRuled by the Hachisuka family from the end of the Sengoku period.

Shimahan was a domain that ruled Tokushima Prefecture and Awaji Island throughout the Edo period. It is a rare domain, with its origin being Hachisuka Iemasa, who was given this land by Toyotomi Hideyoshi for his achievements in the conquest of Shikoku at the end of the Sengoku period, and continued to be ruled by the Hachisuka family until the Meiji Restoration. Let's unravel the history of the Tokushima domain.

Until the establishment of the Tokushima domain

Iemasa Hachisuka, the founder of the Tokushima domain, was born as the eldest son of Masakatsu Hachisuka. He served both Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and also participated in the Mouri invasion of China. Hachisuka Iemasa was given Tokushima for his achievements in the conquest of Shikoku in 1585, but there is also a strong theory that it was originally intended to be given to his father Masakatsu. At that time, his stone amount was 186,000 koku, and he was also appointed as Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Awa no Kami.

Hachisuka Iemasa built Tokushima Castle and solidified the foundation of the Tokushima Cup.
After that, Iemasa Hachisuka also participated in the dispatch of troops to Korea, but together with Nagamasa Kuroda and others, he submitted a plan to reduce the front line to the mainland. This angered Hideyoshi, and he was punished by having his territory confiscated and confiscated.

After Hideyoshi died in 1598, Hachisuka Iemasa feuded with Ishida Mitsunari and became closer to Tokugawa Ieyasu. As a result, Nagamasa Kuroda, who was his ally, had his younger sister, Itohime, divorced and became isolated. This insulation lasts for 120 years.

At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, he sent a letter to the Mori reprimanding the Western army, and since his son Hachisuka Shichin was participating in the eastern army, he was relieved of his territory. Ta.
Afterwards, due to Hachisuka Shichin's achievements in the Osaka Summer and Winter Campaigns, Awaji's 71,000 koku was increased, bringing the Hachisuka family's stone total to 250,000 koku and 7,000 koku.

Through this process, the Tokushima domain was born. By the way, the first lord of the domain was not Iemasa Hachisuka, but his eldest son Shichin Hachisuka. He was known as a very famous prince, and there are records that he worked to develop salt fields and secure food supplies in emergencies. However, he died at the age of 35, younger than his father.

Tokushima domain in the Edo period

Hachisuka Shichin's eldest son, Hachisuka Tadahide, became the second lord of the domain, but he also passed away at the age of 42. However, the foundation of Awaji rule was strengthened and laws were put in place to control the farmers.

When he was the lord of the domain, an incident occurred in which the Edo chief retainer, Nagayuki Masuda, cut down trees in the forests owned by the domain and sold them in Edo. Nagayuki Masuda was imprisoned for 13 years, but in 1645 he resented this and accused the shogunate of ``the ruler Hachisuka Tadayuki building large ships and neglecting to reform the Christian sect.'' did. However, this accusation was discovered to be fabricated, and Nagayuki Masuda was punished again. (Kaifu riot)

During the era of the fifth feudal lord, Tsunanori Hachisuka, the 120-year-old relationship with the Kuroda family was resolved and a reconciliation was established.
After that, no major incidents occurred in the Tokushima domain until the time of Shigeki Hachisuka, the 10th lord of the domain.

Shigeyoshi Hachisuka tried to follow in the footsteps of Tokugawa Yoshimune by enforcing a frugal law, establishing a system of administrative and administrative high schools, and creating a youth group, but this only resulted in the collapse of the social hierarchy and chaos in the domain's government. As a result, he was ordered by the shogunate to retire as a violation of the domain's government. Shigeki Hachisuka, who retired as the feudal lord, lived a luxurious life that attracted the attention of the shogunate. He was particularly passionate about collecting books, and the books collected by him and several other feudal lords have been passed down to this day as the ``Awakuni Bunko.''

The 12th lord of the domain, Hachisuka Narimasa, began economic reforms such as establishing a tobacco monopoly in order to rebuild the domain's government, which had begun to deteriorate since he was the 10th lord. However, on the other hand, he paid a large amount of bribes to Tadakuni Mizuno, a senior councilor at the time, in hopes of getting promoted, and introduced new taxes, which led to hundreds of people fleeing to the Iyo domain and starting a revolt. (Yamashirodani Uprising) In addition, in this uprising, the Tokushima domain accepted some of the demands of the people who started the uprising.

The 13th lord of the domain, Hachisuka Narihiro, was the half-brother of the 12th shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi. Around this time, the Tokushima domain's finances worsened and it was on the verge of bankruptcy. Hachisuka Narihiro embarked on economic reform, but at the same time, his fiscal reform ended in failure because he did not spare funds for increasing military armaments.

Although Hachisuka Narihiro was a member of the Tokugawa family, he maintained a certain distance from the shogunate. On the other hand, opinions within the domain were divided and could not be unified. It is said that the reason why Tokushima was not as active at the end of the Edo period as compared to Tosa and other areas was because it was unable to unify opinions within the domain. Furthermore, Hachisuka Narihiro suddenly died at the age of 48 during the Battle of Toba-Fushimi.
The last lord of the domain, Hachisuka Motaro, became lord of the domain in a hurry due to the sudden death of his father while the domain was in turmoil. He was the grandson of the 11th shogun Ienari Tokugawa and a cousin of the 14th shogun Ieyoshi Tokugawa, so he had a wonderful pedigree, but amidst the turmoil at the end of the Edo period, he was unable to perform well and headed into the Meiji era.

In the Meiji period, Hachisuka Shigeto studied abroad at Oxford University and held important government positions, including minister to France, governor of Tokyo, second president of the House of Peers, and Minister of Education, supporting Japan in the early Meiji period.

Tokushima domain summary

The Tokushima clan is a rare example of a single family, the Hachisuka family, continuing to rule from the end of the Sengoku period until the establishment of the Tokushima clan and the Meiji period. The Tokushima domain is a warm region with few natural disasters, and the domain lord was also a cultural figure, leaving behind many cultural assets, including the Awakuni Bunko. However, near the end of the Edo period, the feudal lords' dissipation led to financial deterioration, and there were many uprisings. As if to make up for their inability to play an active role during the Edo period, the Hachisuka family held important positions in the House of Peers from the time of the Hachisuka Motoya until the end of the Pacific War.

The Hachisuka family still exists today, but the 19th head of the family, Masako Hachisuka, has no biological children, so it is certain that the family has ceased to exist.