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Hiroshima Domain
  The Hiroshima Domain (広島藩, Hiroshima-han) was a large domain that owned all of Aki Province and half of Bingo Province. It occupies most of current Hiroshima Prefecture. The domain office was located at Hiroshima Castle in Sato District, Aki Province (renamed Numata District in 1664), Hiroshima (present-day Motomachi, Naka Ward, Hiroshima City, Hiroshima Prefecture). It is often called Geishu Domain (or Aki Domain).[1] The Hiroshima Domain was based at Hiroshima Castle in Aki Province, in the modern city of Hiroshima, located in the Chūgoku region of the island of Honshu. The Hiroshima Domain was ruled for most of its existence by the daimyō of the Asano clan and encompassed Aki Province and parts of Bingo Province with a Kokudaka system value of 426,500 koku. The Hiroshima Domain was dissolved in the abolition of the han system in 1871 by the Meiji government and its territory was absorbed into Hiroshima Prefecture.[2] HistoryDuring the Kamakura period, Mori Tsunemitsu granted his fourth son, Mori Tokichika, Yoshidanosho in Aki Province. Tokichika's descendants remained in Echigo while ruling indirectly over the territory of Aki. However, during the Northern and Southern Courts period, Mori Tokichika's great-grandson Mori Motoharu moved to Aki and directly ruled over the territory at Koriyama Castle. The Mori clan grew in power and became a prominent feudal lord in Aki Province during the Muromachi period. In the Sengoku period, they defeated various clans, including the Takeda and Ouchi clans, and established their dominance over the Chugoku region. Hiroshima Castle was built in 1591 and became the Mori clan's residence, making Hiroshima the political and economic center. However, in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Mori Terumoto, the clan's leader, was defeated, and their territory was significantly reduced. Fukushima Masanori became the satrap of Aki and Bingo, succeeding the Mori clan. He re-evaluated the land and obtained a larger territory. Masanori implemented changes in the military and education systems, but compromises were made in Aki due to the influence of local feudal lords. The Sengoku period saw the development of castle towns and domestic industry in Hiroshima. However, in 1615, Aki Province was destroyed, Hiroshima Castle was demolished, and only Kannabe Castle remained in Bingo Province. The Mizuno family destroyed Hiroshima Castle and moved to Fukuyama Castle. Mihara Fortress had been abandoned, but the Fukushima family secretly relocated a turret from the destroyed Tomo Castle. In 1619, Masanori was found guilty of unauthorized renovations to Hiroshima Castle and his territory was significantly reduced. He was transferred to the Kawanakajima Domain. In 1589, Hiroshima Castle was commissioned by Mōri Terumoto, head of the powerful Mōri clan and a member of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Council of Five Elders. In 1591, Terumoto relocated to Hiroshima while it was still under construction, using it as his base to rule his domain covering most of the Chūgoku region. Following the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, the Mōri were forced out of Hiroshima by Tokugawa Ieyasu and relocated their base to Hagi Castle, losing most of their eastern territories. The Hiroshima han (domain) was subsequently established with Fukushima Masanori as its daimyō (feudal lord), covering Aki Province and parts of neighboring Bingo Province. However, nineteen years later, Hiroshima Castle suffered extensive flood damage and Fukushima repaired it in violation of the Tokugawa shogunate's laws on the construction and repair of castles (see buke shohatto). The shogunate then ordered Fukushima to Kawanakajima Domain, and awarded Hiroshima to the Asano clan, who ruled it for the remainder of the Edo period. Under the Tokugawa Kokudaka system for domains the Hiroshima Domain was assessed at 426,500 koku, the sixth-largest domain in Japan, excepting those held by the Tokugawa-Matsudaira dynasty. Asano Nagaaki, the second son of Asano Nagamasa, who served as Gobugyo under the Toyotomi administration, became the feudal lord of Aki and eight districts of Bingo from the Kishu Domain. Despite being smaller than the Fukushima territory, it gained approval from the shogunate with a detection level of 426,000 koku. Hiroshima benefited from excellent maritime transport through the Seto Inland Sea route with Osaka and established a monopoly on timber, iron, paper, and other goods from the early stages of its establishment. Additionally, it made significant profits by skillfully manipulating rice market prices and purchasing rice from other domains at low prices. Chosei followed the policies of the Fukushima clan era while simultaneously adopting a strict approach towards local clans in order to modernize the governing structure. Mitsunori, the second lord of the domain and Nagaaki's second son, was the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. With permission from the shogunate, Mitsunori distributed 50,000 koku to his illegitimate brother, Nagaharu Asano, establishing the Miyoshi domain as a branch domain. Mitsunori focused on improving the roads and was granted permission to use the surname Matsudaira. The third lord of the domain, Asano Tsunaaki, who was Mitsuaki's eldest son, had Kujo Michifusa's daughter as his legal wife and successor wife. Michifusa's mother was Toyotomi Kanshi, the daughter of Toyotomi Hidekatsu. As a result, the Asano clan inherited the bloodline of the Toyotomi clan through the female line. After the death of the 14th shogun, Tokugawa Iemochi, and the defeat of the shogunate army in the Second Long March, the Hiroshima domain gradually aligned itself with the Choshu Domain. In 1867, they formed an alliance with the Choshu and Satsuma clans to overthrow the Shogunate. However, their plea to restore imperial rule to the 15th Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, was seen as opportunistic, leading to mistrust and their removal from the mainstream of the Meiji Restoration. Despite this, the Hiroshima Domain joined the government army and fought in the Boshin War. In 1869, the 12th lord of the domain, Asano Nagakoto, became the governor of the Hiroshima Domain after the restoration of land ownership. The domain reported a total debt of 3,742,290 ryo to the Meiji government in the same year. In 1871, the Hiroshima Domain was abolished and became Hiroshima Prefecture, along with the establishment of prefectures nationwide. Reports indicated that there were over 830,000 ryo of uncollected domain bills, which were to be exchanged by the Meiji government, after the abolition of domains and the establishment of prefectures. Hiroshimashinden DomainThe Hiroshimashinden Domain (広島新田藩), founded in the 1730s by Asano Nagakata, member of the Asano clan, received 30,000 koku of rice. Governed by daimyo Edo Sadafu, the main family lived in Edo. In 1864, the Hiroshimashinden Domain established a Yoshida Jinya in Yoshida, now Akitakada City. By 1869, it was absorbed into the Hiroshima Domain, ending the Hiroshimashinden Domain. List of daimyo
*The years listed are those in which the lord occupied Hiroshima castle, not the years of his life. **All of the lords after Asano Nagaakira enjoyed the same 426,500 koku. Simplified family tree of the Asano lords of HiroshimaThe following a simplified family tree of the Asano lords.[4][5]
See alsoReferences
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