was a feudal domain under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

Japan. It was located in Shinano Province (modern-day Nagano Prefecture) in central Honshū. The domain was centered at Suzaka Jin’ya, located in what is now part of the town of

Suzaka is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 50,828 in 19,979 households, and a population density of 334 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography Suzaka is located in northern Naga ...

."Shinano Province" at JapaneseCastleExplorer.com
retrieved 2013-5-13.

History

Suzaka Domain was established for Hori Naoshige, the 4th son of Hori Naomasa, ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and nominal ...

'' of Sanjō Domain in Echigo Province. Naoshige had holdings of 2,000 '' koku'' in

Shimōsa Province was a province of Japan in the area modern Chiba Prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Shimōsa''" in . It lies to the north of the Bōsō Peninsula (房総半島), whose name takes its first ''kanji'' from ...

and 6,000 ''koku'' in Suzaka, which had been awarded for his services during the Battle of Sekigahara. To this, he added 4,000 ''koku'' for services during the

Siege of Osaka The was a series of battles undertaken by the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate against the Toyotomi clan, and ending in that clan's destruction. Divided into two stages (winter campaign and summer campaign), and lasting from 1614 to 1615, the siege ...

, which elevated him to ''daimyō'' status. His son, Hori Naomasu, gave the 2000 ''koku'' in Shimōsa to his younger brothers, reducing the domain to 10,000 ''koku''. The Hori clan continued to rule Suzaka uninterrupted until the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. The Hori clan served in a number of administrative posts within the government of the

. The 9th ''daimyō'', Hori Naoteru, opened a

han school The was an educational institution in the Edo period of Japan, originally established to educate children of '' daimyō'' (feudal lords) and their retainers in the domains outside of the capital. These institutions were also known as ''hanga ...

. The 12th ''daimyō'', Hori Naotake, reformed the domain’s finances and encouraged the develop of

ginseng Ginseng () is the root of plants in the genus '' Panax'', such as Korean ginseng ('' P. ginseng''), South China ginseng ('' P. notoginseng''), and American ginseng ('' P. quinquefolius''), typically characterized by the presence of ginsenosides ...

cultivation as a cash crop. During the

Bakumatsu period was the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate ended. Between 1853 and 1867, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a feudal Tokugawa shogunate to the modern empire of the Meiji govern ...

, the 13th ''daimyō'',

Hori Naotora was the 13th ''daimyō'' of Suzaka Domain (12,000 ''koku'') in northern Shinano Province (modern-day Nagano Prefecture), Honshū, Japan under the Bakumatsu period Tokugawa shogunate. His courtesy title was ''Nagato-no-kami'' (later ''Kura-no-kami ...

, reformed the domain’s military, introducing western-style firearms. He also served as a ''

wakadoshiyori The ', or "Junior Elders", were high government officials in the Edo period Japan under the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867). The position was established around 1633, but appointments were irregular until 1662. The four to six ''wakadoshiyori'' we ...

'' within the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate. he committed '' seppuku'' in Edo Castle in protest over the policies of ''

shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamak ...

'' Tokugawa Yoshinobu. During the Boshin War, the domain quickly supported the imperial side, and participated in the

Battle of Utsunomiya Castle The was a battle between pro-imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan in May 1868. It occurred as the troops of the Tokugawa shogunate were retreating north towards Nikkō and Aizu. Background In early spring 1868 ...

Battle of Kōshū-Katsunuma The was a battle between pro-Imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan. The battle followed the Battle of Toba–Fushimi on 29 March 1868 (Gregorian calendar). Prelude After defeating the forces of the Tokugawa sho ...

Battle of Hokuetsu The was a battle of the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration, which occurred in 1868 in the northwestern part of Japan, in the area of modern Niigata Prefecture. Background The Boshin War erupted in 1868 between troops favourable to the resto ...

and Battle of Aizu. In July 1871, with the abolition of the han system, Suzaka Domain briefly became Suzaka Prefecture, and was merged into the newly created Nagano Prefecture. Under the new

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...

, Hori Naoakira, the last ''daimyō'' of Suzaka was given the ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ...

'' peerage title of ''shishaku'' (

viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...

). There was a peasant revolt in 1871 in this small domain.

Bakumatsu period holdings

As with most domains in the

han system ( ja, 藩, "domain") is a Japanese historical term for the Estate (land), estate of a daimyo in the Edo period (1603–1868) and early Meiji (era), Meiji period (1868–1912).Louis Frédéric, Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Han"in ''Japan En ...

, Suzaka Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned '' kokudaka'', based on periodic

cadastral A cadastre or cadaster is a comprehensive recording of the real estate or real property's metes-and-bounds of a country.Jo Henssen, ''Basic Principles of the Main Cadastral Systems in the World,'/ref> Often it is represented graphically in a cad ...

surveys and projected agricultural yields. * Shinano Province **15 villages in Takai District

List of ''daimyō''

Hori Naoshige

was the 1st Hori ''

'' of Suzaka Domain in Shinano Province under the

. Naoshige was the fourth son of Hori Naomasa of Sanjō Domain in Echigo Province. In recognition of his services at the Battle of Sekigahara, he was awarded a 6000 '' koku'' fief at Suzaka in Shinano Province, which he added to his existing 2000 ''koku'' holdings at Yasaku in

. After the

, he was added an additional 4000 ''koku'', which qualified him for the status of ''daimyō'', and he built a ''

jin'ya A was a type of administrative headquarters in the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. ''Jin'ya'' served as the seat of the administration for a small domain, a province, or additional parcels of land. ''Jin'ya'' hou ...

'' in Suzaka to rule his holdings. He died in 1617 at the age of 33.

Hori Naomasu

was the 2nd Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naomasu was the eldest son of Hori Naoshige and was received in formal audience by

Shōgun , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamak ...

Tokugawa Hidetada was the second ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty, who ruled from 1605 until his abdication in 1623. He was the third son of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life (1579–1593) Tokugawa Hidetada was bo ...

in 1615. He became ''daimyō'' on the death of his father in 1617. He disposed of the domain's exclave in Shimōsa Province by granting 1000 ''koku'' to his youngest brother Naoaki, 500 ''koku'' to his third brother Naohisa and 500 ''koku'' to his half-brother Naohide. He was married to the daughter of Hori Naoyuki, the Edo

Machi-bugyō were ''samurai'' officials of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan, this was amongst the senior administrative posts open to those who were not ''daimyō''.Beasley, William G. (1955). ''Select Documents on Japanese Foreign Policy, 1853–186 ...

. He died in 1637.

Hori Naoteru

was the 3rd Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naoteru was the eldest son of Hori Naomasu and became ''daimyō'' on the death of his father in 1637. He served as ''Osaka kaban'' in 1660 and 1663. He was married to the daughter of Matsudaira Masatsuna, of Tamanawa Domain. He died in 1669.

Hori Naosuke

was the 4th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naosuke was the eldest son of Hori Naoteru and became ''daimyō'' on the death of his father in 1669. After an uneventful tenure of 50 years, he retired in 1719. He was married to the daughter of Itakura Shigekata, of

Annaka Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Kōzuke Province (modern-day Gunma Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Annaka Castle in what is now the city of Annaka, Gunma. History Ii Naomasa was one of Tok ...

. As his eldest son Naotomi had already died and his younger son Naotoshi had been disinherited, the domain went to his son-in-law. He died in 1721.

Hori Naohide

was the 5th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naohide was the third son of Hori Naotoshi of Muramatsu Domain and was married to the daughter of Hori Naosuke. He was received in formal audience by

Tokugawa Ienobu (June 11, 1662 – November 12, 1712) was the sixth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Tsunashige, thus making him the nephew of Tokugawa Ietsuna and Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the grandson of Tokugawa Iemi ...

in 1612 on his marriage, and became ''daimyō'' on the retirement of Naosuke in 1719. From 1725-1727, he served in the post of ''Obantō''. He retired in 1735 in favor his son and died in 1767.

Hori Naohiro

was the 6th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naohiro was the eldest son of Hori Naohide and became ''daimyō'' on the retirement of his father in 1735. He served in the post of ''Osaka kaban'' and castellan of

Nijō Castle is a flatland castle in Kyoto, Japan. The castle consists of two concentric rings ( Kuruwa) of fortifications, the Ninomaru Palace, the ruins of the Honmaru Palace, various support buildings and several gardens. The surface area of the castle is ...

. From 1746 he was an ''Ōbangashira'' and from 1751 was appointed ''Fushimi Bugyō''. His wife was a daughter of Mitake Sukenori of

Tahara Domain was a minor '' fudai'' Japanese domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in southern Mikawa Province (modern-day southeastern Aichi Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Tahara Castle in what is now the city of Tah ...

. He retired in 1768 in favor his son and died in 1777.

Hori Naokata

was the 7th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naokata was the eldest son of Hori Naohiro of Muramatsu Domain and became ''daimyō'' on the retirement of his father in 1768. He served in a number of minor posts within the shogunate administration, including captain of the guard of the Hibiya Gate to Edo Castle and castellan of

Sunpu Castle was a Japanese castle in Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. The sobriquet of this feudal fortress was the "Castle of the Floating Isle".Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)Shizuoka It was also referred to as or . His ...

. From 1746 he was an ''Ōbangashira'' and from 1751 was appointed ''Fushimi Bugyō''. He died in 1779 without heir and was succeeded by his brother.

Hori Naosato

was the 8th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naosato was the third son of Hori Naohiro and became ''daimyō'' on the death of his elder brother Naokata in 1779. His wife was a daughter of

Mizoguchi Naoyasu was the 8th ''daimyō'' of Shibata Domain in Echigo Province, Japan (modern-day Niigata Prefecture). His courtesy title was '' Shūzen-no-kami,'' and his Court rank was Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade. Biography Mizoguchi Naoyasu was the il ...

Shibata Domain was a '' tozama'' feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan. It is located in Echigo Province, Honshū. The domain was centered at Shibata Castle, located in what is now the city of Shibata in Niigata Prefecture. It ...

; however, he died in 1784 without heir.

Hori Naoteru

was the 9th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naosato was the seventh son of Tachibana Nagahiro of

Miike Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. It was associated with Chikugo Province in modern-day Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu. In the han system, Miike was a political and economic abstraction based on periodic cadastral surveys ...

and his mother was a daughter of Hori Naohide. He was adopted as posthumous heir to the childless Naosato on the latter's death in 1784 and was presented in formal audience to

Tokugawa Ieharu Tokugawa Ieharu (徳川家治) (June 20, 1737 – September 17, 1786) was the tenth ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, who held office from 1760 to 1786. His childhood name was Takechiyo (竹千代). Ieharu died in 1786 and given t ...

the same year. In 1789 he was appointed ''Osaka kaban'', and in 1792 he was appointed ''Ōbangashira'' and castellan of

. He resigned his offices in 1803 citing illness; however, in 1804 he was appointed a ''

Sōshaban were officials of the Tokugawa shogunate in Edo period Japan. Conventional interpretations have construed this Japanese title as "master of ceremonies" Created in 1632, this '' bakufu'' title identified an official selected from the ranks of the ...

''. He resigned this post in 1809, again citing illness. He established a

in the domain around 1804. He retired from his offices in 1813 and died the following year. His wife was a daughter of Hosokawa Okiharu of Yatabe Domain.

Hori Naooki

was the 10th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naooki was the eldest son of Hori Naoteru and became ''daimyō'' on the retirement of his father in 1804. His wife was a daughter of Tachibana Tanechika of

; however, he died in 1821 without heir.

Hori Naotada

was the 11th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naotada was the third son of Hori Naoteru and became ''daimyō'' on the death of his elder brother without heir in 1821. He retired in favor of his eldest son in 1845. His wife was a daughter of

Nishio Tadayoshi was a daimyō in mid-Edo period Japan, who ruled Yokosuka Domain in Tōtōmi Province. Nishio Tadayoshi was the fourth son of Makino Sadanaga, daimyō of Kasama Domain in Hitachi Province. He became the adopted heir of the fourth daimyō of Yo ...

of Yokosuka Domain. After the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, he adopted the surname of Okuda (奥田).

Hori Naotake

was the 12th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naotake was the eldest son of Hori Naotada and became ''daimyō'' on his father's retirement in 1845. He served in a number of minor posts within the shogunate administration, including ''Osaka kaban'', castellan of

and captain of the guard of the Hibiya Gate to Edo Castle. He retired in 1861. His wife was a daughter of Nishio Tadasaka of Yokosuka Domain; however, he died in 1862 without heir.

Hori Naotora

was the 13th Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naotora was born in Edo as the 5th son of Hori Naotada, the 11th ''daimyō'' of Suzaka Domain. In 1861, on the retirement of his elder brother Hori Naotake, he became ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Immediately on assuming office, he removed 41 senior retainers from office, including the domain's ''

karō were top-ranking samurai officials and advisors in service to the ''daimyōs'' of feudal Japan. Overview In the Edo period, the policy of ''sankin-kōtai'' (alternate attendance) required each ''daimyō'' to place a ''karō'' in Edo and anothe ...

'', and pursued an aggressive policy of reforms, which also include westernization and modernization of the domain's military capability. He also supported the Tokugawa shogunate, and was given the position of ''Ōbangashira'' in 1863. In 1864, he received an order to pursue and suppress the

Mito Rebellion The , also called the Kantō Insurrection or the , was a civil war that occurred in the area of Mito Domain in Japan between May 1864 and January 1865. It involved an uprising and terrorist actions against the central power of the Shogunate in fav ...

, but the orders were cancelled five days later, and he was ordered instead to strengthen public security within Edo. In December 1867 he rose to the position of ''

'' and was simultaneously appointed ''Gaikoku Sō-Bugyō'' (Foreign Affairs Magistrate).Totman, Conrad D. (1980)
''The Collapse of the Tokugawa Bakufu: 1862–1868'', p. 338
However, in January 1868 he committed suicide by drowning within Edo Castle as a gesture of protest against the surrender of the office of Shogun by Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

Hori Naoakira

was the 14th (and final) Hori ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Naotora was born in Edo as the 6th son of Hori Naotada, the 11th ''daimyō'' of Suzaka Domain. In 1868, on the suicide of his elder brother

, he became ''daimyō'' of Suzaka. Immediately on assuming office, he completely reversed the politics of his brother and declared the domain for the

and dispatched troops to fight against the pro-Tokugawa forces in the Boshin War.

Samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

from the domain were active at the

Battle of Utsunomiya The was a battle between pro-imperial and Tokugawa shogunate forces during the Boshin War in Japan in May 1868. It occurred as the troops of the Tokugawa shogunate were retreating north towards Nikkō and Aizu. Background In early spring 1868 ...

and Battle of Aizu. Many of the undecided minor ''daimyō'' of Shinano were thus convinced to join the new government, which then awarded Suzaka Domain with a bonus of 5000 '' koku''. In June 1869 he was proclaimed imperial governor of Suzaka and in July 1871, with the abolition of the han system, he surrendered his offices and relocated to

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. On February 13, 1877, he officially changed his surname to "Okuda". In 1884, he was elevated to the title of

(''shishaku'') under the new ''

'' peerage system. He died the following year in Tokyo.

References

*''The content of this article was largely derived from that of the corresponding article on Japanese Wikipedia.'' *

External links

Suzaka Domain on "Edo 300 HTML"

Notes

{{Authority control Domains of Japan History of Nagano Prefecture Shinano Province Hori clan

History

Bakumatsu period holdings

List of ''daimyō''

Hori Naoshige

Hori Naomasu

Hori Naoteru

Hori Naosuke

Hori Naohide

Hori Naohiro

Hori Naokata

Hori Naosato

Hori Naoteru

Hori Naooki

Hori Naotada

Hori Naotake

Hori Naotora

Hori Naoakira

See also

References

External links

Notes