Ogi Domain
Encyclopedia
Tozama
A ' was a daimyo who was considered an outsider by the rulers of Japan. The term came into use in the Kamakura period and continued until the end of the Edo period.-Edo period:...
feudal domain
Han (Japan)
The or domain was the name of the estate belonging to a warrior in Japan after the 17th century. The fiefs of the daimyos of the samurai class of Japan during the Edo period were called han.-Edo period:...
of Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
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...
, located in Hizen Province
Hizen Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō...
, Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. Its territory was roughly equivalent to the areas covered by modern-day Ogi District
Ogi District, Saga
Ogi was a district located in Saga Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 45,910 and a density of 478.98 persons per km²...
and portions of Saga District
Saga District, Saga
was a district located in Saga Prefecture, Japan. The district was dissolved on October 1, 2007 and is now within the city of Saga.It consisted of three towns, including Higashiyoka, Kawasoe and Kubota.-Timeline:*April 1, 1889...
and Matsuura District in Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
.
History
Ogi Domain was originally a sub-domain of the Saga DomainSaga Domain
Saga Domain was a han, or feudal domain, in Tokugawa period Japan. Largely contiguous with Hizen Province on Kyūshū, the domain was governed from Saga Castle in the capital city of Saga by the Nabeshima clan of tozama daimyō...
, founded in 1642 for Nabeshima Motoshige
Nabeshima Motoshige
Nabeshima Motoshige the eldest son of Nabeshima Katsushige, elder brother of Nabeshima Tadanao, elder uncle of Nabeshima Mitsushige, the Saga feudal lords...
, the eldest son of the first daimyō
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...
of Saga Domain
Saga Domain
Saga Domain was a han, or feudal domain, in Tokugawa period Japan. Largely contiguous with Hizen Province on Kyūshū, the domain was governed from Saga Castle in the capital city of Saga by the Nabeshima clan of tozama daimyō...
, Nabeshima Katsushige
Nabeshima Katsushige
' was a Japanese daimyo of the early Edo period. Born to Nabeshima Naoshige, he became lord of Saga-han.-Biography:...
. Although Motoshige was the eldest son, he was displaced in the line of succession for Saga Domain by his younger half-brother, Nabeshima Tadanao, whose mother was a daughter of Shōgun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
.
Motoshige was assigned holdings of 73,000 koku
Koku
The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year...
, and also served as an advisor to Shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu was the third shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Iemitsu ruled from 1623 to 1651.-Early life :...
His son Nabeshima Naoyoshi became second daimyō of Ogi and built a fortified house ( jin'ya
Jin'ya
During the Edo period of Japanese history, a was the administrative headquarters of a small domain or parcel of land held by the Tokugawa shogunate, as well as the residence of the head of the administration, and the associated grain storehouse. While larger domains had castles, certain smaller...
) to be the domain headquarters in what is now the city of Ogi
Ogi, Saga
is a city located in the central part of Saga on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.On March 3, 2005 Ogi District was dissolved when the old town of Ogi absorbed the towns of Ashikari, Mikatsuki and Ushizu, all from Ogi District, to become Ogi City...
. His son, Nabeshima Mototake rose to high positions within the Tokugawa Shogunate
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
under Shōgun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
Tokugawa Tsunayoshi
was the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty of Japan. He was the younger brother of Tokugawa Ietsuna, thus making him the son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, the grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
; however, from his time onwards, the domain’s financial situation was very severe and on the verge of bankruptcy, causing relations with the main line at Saga Domain to become increasingly strained.
During the time of Nabeshima Naotaka, Ogi Domain was finally recognized as an independent domain directly reporting to the Shōgunate, and permission was granted to erect a castle
Japanese castle
' were fortresses composed primarily of wood and stone. They evolved from the wooden stockades of earlier centuries, and came into their best-known form in the 16th century...
; however, the domain lacked the finances to do so.
The Boshin War
Boshin War
The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....
of the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
, Nabeshima Naotora
Nabeshima Naotora
was the 11th and final daimyō of Ogi Domain in Hizen Province, Kyūshū, Japan. Before the Meiji Restoration, his courtesy title was Kii-no-Kami and junior 5th, lower grade court rank .- Biography :...
, the 11th and final daimyō, supported the Satchō Alliance
Satcho Alliance
The ', or Satchō Alliance was a military alliance between the feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū formed in 1866 to combine their efforts to overthrow the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan....
was called upon to lead Ogi’s forces against the Tokugawa remnants at Akita
Akita, Akita
is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of...
in northern Japan. For his loyalty to Emperor Meiji
Emperor Meiji
The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...
and efforts in the war, the revenues of Ogi Domain were raised by an additional 5,000 koku in August 1869. However, this reward was only nominal, as with the abolition of the han system
Abolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...
less than two years later in 1871 Ogi Domain became part of the new Saga Prefecture
Saga Prefecture
is located in the northwest part of the island of Kyūshū, Japan. It touches both the Sea of Japan and the Ariake Sea. The western part of the prefecture is a region famous for producing ceramics and porcelain, particularly the towns of Karatsu, Imari, and Arita...
.
Nabeshima Naotora and his heirs were granted the title of viscount
Viscount
A viscount or viscountess is a member of the European nobility whose comital title ranks usually, as in the British peerage, above a baron, below an earl or a count .-Etymology:...
(shishaku) under the kazoku
Kazoku
The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan that existed between 1869 and 1947.-Origins:Following the Meiji Restoration of 1868, the ancient court nobility of Kyoto regained some of its lost status...
peerage.
List of daimyo
- Nabeshima clanNabeshima clanThe Nabeshima clan was a prominent Japanese samurai clan of Kyūshū which controlled Saga Domain from the late Sengoku period through the Edo period.The Nabeshima clan was a cadet branch of the Shōni clan and was descended from the Fujiwara clan...
(TozamaTozamaA ' was a daimyo who was considered an outsider by the rulers of Japan. The term came into use in the Kamakura period and continued until the end of the Edo period.-Edo period:...
)
| Name | Tenure | Courtesy title | Court Rank | Revenue | |
| 1 | 1642-1654 | Kii-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 2 | 1654-1679 | Kaga-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 3 | 1679-1713 | Kii-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 4 | 1713-1714 | Kaga-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 5 | 1714-1744 | Kaga-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 6 | 1744-1764 | Kii-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 7 | 1764-1794 | Kaga-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 8 | 1794-1804 | Kii-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 9 | 1804-1850 | Kii-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 10 | 1850-1864 | Kaga-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |
| 11 | 1864-1871 | Kii-no-kami | Lower 5th (従五位下) | 73,000 koku | |