Kaga Domain

During the Edo period, the Maeda clan's territory extended over three provinces: Kaga (southern Ishikawa Prefecture), Ecchu (Toyama Prefecture), and Noto (northern Ishikawa Prefecture). It was an outside domain, also known as the Kanazawa domain. It began in 1583 (Tensho 11), when Maeda Toshiie was granted the two counties of Ishikawa and Kahoku by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, in addition to the 230,000 koku of Noto. After that, he became a feudal lord with over 820,000 koku across the three provinces of Kaga, Etchu, and Noto, excluding the two counties of Nomi and Enuma, and the 40,000 koku of Matsuto in Ishikawa. His son, Toshinaga, fought on the Tokugawa side (Eastern Army) in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 (Keicho 5), attacking Komatsu Castle and Daishoji Castle, and for this achievement he shocked the Western Army psychologically by having the Maeda clan join the Eastern Army, becoming a great daimyo with a fief of 1,192,760 koku (vermilion seal document issued in Kan'ei 11). In 1639 (Kan'ei 16), the third lord, Toshitane, gave 800,000 koku to his eldest son Mitsutaka (the fourth lord) and inherited the main domain, gave 100,000 koku in Funei County, Etchu Province to his second son Toshitsugu, and 70,000 koku to his third son Toshiharu, dividing the Toyama Domain and Daishoji Domain into separate domains, and retired to Komatsu Castle with the Yoroi domain of 220,000 koku in Niikawa County, Etchu Province. With the death of Toshitsune in 1658 (Manji 1), the Yoro domain became the domain of the main clan, and by its end it had become a large domain with a fief of 1,025,020 koku. This was the so-called "Kaga Hyakuman Koku" domain.

The Kaisakuho (Reform Law) came into force in the mid-17th century. Its purpose was to increase taxes, but it also served to establish the domain system as the basis of agricultural policy. From then on, Kaga Domain made staple grain farming its domain policy. The domain system fell into disarray in the 18th century. Financial difficulties caused the famous Kaga Disturbance, and peasant uprisings, seditions and riots became frequent. It was also around this time that discriminated communities in the Kaga Domain were legally established. An industrial policy was promoted on the basis of financial and rural policies, but it failed due to the domain's policy of staple grain farming, and financial difficulties and riots continued until the domains were abolished and prefectures were established. In terms of culture, Maeda Toshitsune encouraged learning and crafts, and the fifth feudal lord Tsunanori also invited scholars and writers, established the Sonkeikaku Bunko Library, expanded the crafts factory to pass on the crafts of the imperial court and Momoyama period, and completed the Hyakko Hisho, a large collection of Genroku crafts. There are no notable cultural policies after that, but the 12th feudal lord Narinaga's Takezawa Palace and Kenrokuen Garden, and the 13th feudal lord Nariyasu's Tatsumi Palace (Seisonkaku) were built. This was the last work of the feudal lord's official craftsmen.

[Tanaka Yoshio]

"New Narrative History of the Domain, Volume 6" (1976, Shinjinbutsu Oraisha)" ▽ "Kaga Hyakumangoku" by Yoshio Tanaka (Kyoikusha History Paperback)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、加賀（石川県南部）、越中(えっちゅう)（富山県）、能登(のと)（石川県北部）3国にまたがる前田氏の所領。外様(とざま)藩。金沢藩ともいう。1583年（天正11）前田利家(としいえ)が能登23万石のほか、新たに石川、河北(かほく)2郡を豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉から与えられたことに始まる。その後、能美(のみ)、江沼(えぬま)2郡と石川郡松任(まっとう)4万石を除く加越能3国にわたる82万石余の大名となった。その子利長(としなが)は、1600年（慶長5）の関ヶ原の戦いに徳川方（東軍）として、小松城、大聖寺(だいしょうじ)城を攻撃し、西軍に対し前田氏東軍参加という心理的衝撃を与えた功により、119万2760石（寛永(かんえい)11年朱印状）の大大名となった。1639年（寛永16）3代藩主利常(としつね)は長子光高(みつたか)（4代藩主）に80万石を与えて本藩を相続、次子利次(としつぐ)に越中国婦負(ねい)郡10万石、三子利治に加賀国江沼郡7万石を与えて富山(とやま)藩、大聖寺藩を分藩、自らは越中新川(にいかわ)郡22万石の養老領をもって小松城に隠居した。1658年（万治1）利常の死により養老領は本藩領となり、102万5020石の大藩として藩末に至った。いわゆる「加賀百万石」である。

　17世紀なかば過ぎに改作法(かいさくほう)が施行された。目的とするところは年貢の増徴であるが、農政の基本として藩体制の確立に役だった。以降、加賀藩は主穀農業を藩是(はんぜ)とした。18世紀に入ると藩体制は動揺した。財政の窮乏により有名な「加賀騒動」が起こり、また、百姓一揆(いっき)、打毀(うちこわし)、騒擾(そうじょう)などが頻発した。加賀藩の被差別部落が法的に設定されたのも、このころである。財政・農村政策のうえから産業政策が推進されたが、藩是の主穀農業により失敗し、財政窮乏、騒擾は廃藩置県まで続いた。文化面では前田利常が学問、工芸を奨励、5代藩主綱紀(つなのり)も学者、文人を招き、尊経閣文庫(そんけいかくぶんこ)を創置し、細工所(さいくしょ)を拡充して王朝・桃山工芸を伝承、元禄(げんろく)工芸の一大コレクションである百工比照(ひゃっこうひしょう)を完成した。以後の文化政策にはみるべきものはないが、12代藩主斉広(なりなが)の竹沢御殿(たけざわごてん)と兼六園(けんろくえん)、13代藩主斉泰(なりやす)の巽(たつみ)御殿（成巽閣(せいそんかく)）がある。藩御用職人の最後の仕事であった。

［田中喜男］

『『新編物語藩史　第6巻』（1976・新人物往来社）』▽『田中喜男著『加賀百万石』（教育社歴史新書）』

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