Sakura Domain

This was a domain with Sakura in Shimousa Province (Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture) as its castle town and the surrounding area as its core territory. In the early Edo period, the domain saw many changes in lords, with Miura Yoshitsugu entering the domain in 1590 (Tensho 18) (10,000 koku), followed by Matsudaira (Takeda) Nobuyoshi (Tokugawa Ieyasu's fifth son, 40,000 koku) in 1592 (Bunroku 1), and Matsudaira Tadateru (Tokugawa Ieyasu's sixth son, 50,000 koku) in 1602 (Keicho 7). Sakura was valued as the domain of the Tokugawa clan. The first fudai daimyo to enter the domain was Ogasawara Yoshitsugu (28,000 koku) in 1607, and it became a fudai domain thereafter. In 1617, Doi Toshikatsu was appointed to the domain (originally 32,400 koku, later increased to 142,000 koku), and during his reign, Sakura Castle and the castle town were constructed on a large scale. In 1600 (Kan'ei 10), after the Doi clan was transferred to Koga in Shimousa, Ishikawa Tadafusa was appointed to the domain (70,000 koku), Matsudaira (Katahara) Ienobu was appointed to the domain (40,000 koku) in 1602, and Hotta Masamori was appointed to the domain (110,000 koku) in 1609. During the reign of Masamori's son Masanobu, the so-called Sakura Sogoro incident occurred. In 60 (Manji 3), Masanobu submitted a letter criticizing the shogunate and returned to his home country without permission, and was stripped of his title. Subsequently, in 61 (Kanbun 1), Matsudaira (Ogyu) Norihisa (60,000 koku), in 78 (Enpo 6) Okubo Tadatomo (83,000 koku), in 86 (Sadayoshi 3) Toda Tadamasa (61,000 koku), in 1701 (Genroku 14) Inaba Masayuki (102,000 koku, senior councilor), in 1723 (Kyoho 8) Matsudaira (Ogyu) Norisato (60,000 koku, senior councilor), and in 1746 (Enkyo 3) Hotta Masasuke (a descendant of Masanobu's younger brother Masatoshi; 100,000 koku, later increased by 10,000 koku, senior councilor) was granted his fief. From then on, the domains were abolished and prefectures were established as the territory of the Hotta clan (in the Sakura domain, the later Hotta clan was from Masaaki onwards. The previous Hotta clan was from the time of Masamori and Masanobu).

During the later period of the Hotta clan, an uprising occurred in 1783 (Tenmei 3) demanding a reduction in rice taxes, and it is known that the clan was in serious financial difficulty. As a solution to this, the Hotta clan carried out reforms to the domain government in 1821 (Bunsei 4), mainly focusing on the domestic monopoly of charcoal and the "three-part law." Further reforms were implemented during the Tenpo and Man'en periods, but neither achieved sufficient results. During this period, the domain school, Seitoku Shoin, was established in 1836 (Tenpo 7), and the education of domain samurai was promoted. Sakura was a strategic location in southern Kanto, where a fudai daimyo was stationed, and many of the domain's successive lords became senior councilors of the shogunate. In particular, the domain's lord during the late Edo period, Hotta Masayoshi, was the chief senior councilor and was a central figure in diplomatic negotiations after the arrival of Perry. In 1871 (Meiji 4), the feudal domain was abolished and the area became Sakura Prefecture, Inba Prefecture, and then was incorporated into Chiba Prefecture.

[Kimura Sou]

"The Development of the Fudai Domain Government and the Meiji Restoration - Shimousa Sakura Domain" edited by Kimura So and Sugimoto Toshio (1963, Bungado Bank Research Company)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

下総(しもうさ)国佐倉（千葉県佐倉市）を城下とし、その周辺を中心所領とした藩。江戸前期には藩主の交代が激しく、1590年（天正18）三浦義次(よしつぐ)入封（1万石）以来、92年（文禄1）松平（武田）信吉(のぶよし)（徳川家康の第5子、4万石）、1602年（慶長7）松平忠輝(ただてる)（同第6子、5万石）が入封した。佐倉の地は徳川一門の所領として重視された。譜代(ふだい)大名の入封は07年の小笠原吉次(おがさわらよしつぐ)（2万8000石）が最初で、以後譜代所領となる。10年土井利勝(としかつ)入封（最初3万2400石、のち加増されて14万2000石）、土井氏のとき佐倉城並びに城下町を大規模に建設。33年（寛永10）土井氏の下総古河(こが)への転封後石川忠総(ただふさ)入封（7万石）、35年松平（形原(かたはら)）家信（4万石）、42年堀田正盛(ほったまさもり)入封（11万石）。正盛の子正信のとき、いわゆる佐倉惣五郎(そうごろう)事件が起こった。60年（万治3）正信は幕政批判の上書を呈出し、無断帰国したため改易となり、その後61年（寛文1）松平（大給(おぎゅう)）乗久(のりひさ)（6万石）、78年（延宝6）大久保忠朝(ただとも)（8万3000石）、86年（貞享3）戸田忠昌(ただまさ)（6万1000石）、1701年（元禄14）稲葉正往(まさゆき)（10万2000石、老中）、23年（享保8）松平（大給）乗邑(のりさと)（6万石、老中）、46年（延享3）堀田正亮(まさすけ)（正信の弟正俊(まさとし)の系統。10万石、のち1万石加増、老中）入封。以後堀田氏の所領として廃藩置県に至る（佐倉藩としては正亮以降を後の堀田氏という。前の堀田氏は正盛、正信時代）。

　後期堀田氏時代、1783年（天明3）に年貢米減免を求めて一揆(いっき)が起こされており、深刻な財政窮乏にみまわれていたことが知られる。この打開策として堀田氏は1821年（文政4）、炭の国産専売や「三ツ割の法」などを主たる内容とする藩政改革を断行。その後も天保(てんぽう)・万延(まんえん)と改革を実施したが、いずれも十分な成果をあげえなかった。また、この間、1836年（天保7）には藩校成徳書院を設置し、藩士教育を進めている。佐倉は南関東の要地で譜代大名が置かれ、歴代藩主には幕府老中になった者が多い。ことに幕末期の藩主堀田正睦(まさよし)は老中首座としてペリー来航以降の外交折衝の中心人物であった。1871年（明治4）廃藩、佐倉県、印旛(いんば)県を経て千葉県に編入された。

［木村　礎］

『木村礎・杉本敏夫編『譜代藩政の展開と明治維新――下総佐倉藩』（1963・文雅堂銀行研究社）』

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