The was a feudal domain of Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. It occupied Akashi District (the present-day city of Akashi

Akashi, Hyogo

is a city located in southern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the Seto Inland Sea west of Kobe.As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 290,776, with 117,392 households, and a population density of 5,907.68 persons per km²...

) and surroundings in Harima Province

Harima Province

or Banshu was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tamba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji....

. Fudai

Fudai

was a class of daimyo who were hereditary vassals of the Tokugawa in Edo period Japan. It was primarily the fudai who filled the ranks of the Tokugawa administration.-Origins:...

 and Shimpan

Shinpan (daimyo)

The daimyo were certain relatives of the Tokugawa shoguns of Japan. While all shinpan were relatives of the shogun, not all relatives of the shogun were shinpan; an example of this is the Matsudaira clan of the Okutono Domain. The shinpan lords were also known as kamon daimyō  — non-daimyo...

 daimyo

Daimyo

is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...

 were assigned, and frequently reassigned, to Akashi. The domain had its administrative headquarters at Akashi Castle

Akashi Castle

is a Japanese castle in Akashi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan.This castle was constructed by Ogasawara Tadazane as his own castle from 1617 to 1619 to watch over the western lords, by the order of Tokugawa Hidetada, on Mount Akamatsu. The castle was built in one year, which was a relatively short amount...

.

Akashi was established in 1617 when Ikeda Mitsumasa

Ikeda Mitsumasa

was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. He was also a Confucian scholar, and was a patron of Kumazawa Banzan, 17th century Confucian scholar.-References: Japanese Wikipedia article on Mitsumasa...

 was transferred from the Himeji

Himeji Domain

The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo Period, located in Harima Province .-List of lords:*Ikeda clan #Terumasa#Toshitaka#Mitsumasa*Honda clan #Tadamasa#Masatomo#Masakatsu...

 to the Tottori Domain

Tottori Domain

The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Inaba and Hōki Provinces . It was ruled by different branches of the Ikeda clan.-List of lords:*Ikeda clan, 1600-1617 #Nagayoshi#Nagayuki...

. Himeji was split, and one piece became the Akashi Domain.

Daimyo

Seventeen daimyo ruled Akashi:

1. Ogasawara Tadazane
   Ogasawara Tadazane
   Japanese daimyō of the early Edo Period, the son of Ogasawara Hidemasa .Following the deaths of his father and elder brother in the Osaka Summer Campaign, his holdings were transferred from Akashi Domain in Harima Province to the Kokura domain Buzen Province.Famed as the lord who employed...
   
   
2. Matsudaira (Toda) Yasunao
3. Matsudaira (Toda) Mitsushige
4. Ōkubo Tadamoto
5. Matsudaira (Fujii) Tadakuni
6. Matsudaira (Fujii) Nobuyuki
7. Honda Masatoshi
8. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naoakira
9. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naotsune
10. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naosumi
11. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naohiro
12. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naoyuki
13. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naochika
14. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naritsugu
    Matsudaira Naritsugu
    ' was a Japanese daimyo of the Edo period who ruled the Fukui Domain.-References:...
    
    
15. Matsudaira (Echizen) Narikoto
16. Matsudaira (Echizen) Yoshinori
17. Matsudaira (Echizen) Naomune

Sources

This article incorporates material from 明石藩 (Akashi-han) in the Japanese Wikipedia, retrieved October 4, 2007.