Choshu Domain

During the Edo period, this clan ruled over both Suo and Nagato provinces. It was an outside clan. It was also called the Hagi, Yamaguchi, and Mori clans. The clan's lord, the Mori clan, was originally a feudal lord based in Yoshida, Aki Province (later Hiroshima), and had a fief of 1.2 million koku of rice in eight provinces in the Chugoku region. However, in 1600 (Keicho 5), Mori Terumoto was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara and was reduced to only two provinces, Bungo and Nagato. Terumoto built a castle in Hagi and entered the area. He divided the eastern part of his domain (37,000 koku) into Iwakuni territory for Kikkawa Hiroie, the western part (47,000 koku) into Chofu Domain (Toyora Domain) for Mori Hidemoto, and the southern part (20,000 koku) into Tokuyama Domain for Mori Naritaka. Chofu Domain allocated 10,000 koku from the total to create Kiyosue Domain. Thus, three domains and one territory were created in the domain, and the parent Choshu Domain was called the main domain or head domain in relation to these branch domains. In 1610, Terumoto conducted a total land survey of both domains and found 530,000 koku, but the shogunate recognized this as just over 360,000 koku, which became the domain's official kokudaka (rice yield). Terumoto had retired when he entered Bungo and Choshu, so Hidenari became the first feudal lord, followed by Tsunahiro, Yoshinari, Yoshihiro, Yoshimoto, Munehiro, Shigenari, Haruchika, Narifusa, Narihiro, Narimoto, Narihiro, and Takachika. In 1659 (Manji 2), the feudal government compiled all the laws that had been issued up until that point and implemented the new Manji System Law, which became the constitution of the Choshu domain and the basic law of the domain system. The vassals were also reorganized, with six large groups and two boatmen groups. This group was a military organization, but also an administrative organization in peacetime, and was responsible for all administrative matters. Along with the organization of this organization, a hierarchy was established to govern each group. In other words, the two families of the clan who assisted the feudal lord, the Yori-gumi who was the head of each group, the O-gumi that made up each group, the Mukyu-dori under the O-gumi, and further below them were the Ashigaru and Chugen classes. In 1625 (Kan'ei 2), the second land survey was carried out, and the total land area of ​​the main and branch domains was found to be about 660,000 koku, in 1686 (Jokyo 3), 630,000 koku was found in the main domain's territory alone, and in 1761 (Horeki 11), about 710,000 koku was found in the main domain's territory. No subsequent land surveys were carried out, but the internal land area during the late Edo period is estimated to have been over 1 million koku. In the Horeki Land Survey, which was the last, a small village register (land register) and a small village map (cadastral map) were created in an effort to grasp the actual situation. The additional taxes from this land survey were also kept as separate accounts, and an office called the Buikukata was established to strengthen land reclamation projects and the domain's monopoly business. From this time onwards, the domain also encouraged local specialties, and measures were taken to increase production of paper, salt, wax, cotton, and other products. However, the strengthening of the domain's monopoly system drew opposition from farmers, leading to a major uprising in 1831 (Tenpo 2). This led to reforms in the domain's government, and the path to carrying out the Meiji Restoration was put into motion.

During the Meiji Restoration period, it became a base for the Sonno Joi movement, and after the Shimonoseki War, the Hamaguri Gomon Incident, and the First Choshu Expedition, it won the Second Choshu Expedition (Shikyo War), and allied with the Satsuma Domain to advance the movement to overthrow the shogunate. It sent many talented people to the new Meiji government, including Kido Takayoshi (Katsura Kogoro), Ito Hirobumi (Shunsuke), and Inoue Kaoru (Monta). In 1863 (Bunkyu 3), it moved its domain headquarters from Hagi to Yamaguchi. In April 1871 (Meiji 4), it annexed the Tokuyama Domain, and in July the domains were abolished and prefectures were established, creating four prefectures, and in November of the same year the four prefectures were merged to become Yamaguchi Prefecture.

[Nobuhisa Hirota]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代、周防(すおう)、長門(ながと)の両国を領有した藩。外様(とざま)。萩(はぎ)藩、山口藩、毛利(もうり)藩ともいう。藩主毛利氏はもともと安芸(あき)国吉田（のち広島）を本拠とする戦国大名であり、中国地方8か国を領有する120万石の大名であった。しかし1600年（慶長5）毛利輝元(てるもと)は関ヶ原の戦いに敗れて防長2国に減封された。城を萩に築いて入部した輝元は、領内東部3万7000石を吉川広家(きっかわひろいえ)に分与して岩国領、西部4万7000石を毛利秀元に与えて長府(ちょうふ)藩（豊浦(とよら)藩）、南部2万石を毛利就隆(なりたか)に与えて徳山藩をつくらせた。長府藩はそのうち1万石を割いて清末(きよすえ)藩をつくった。こうして領内に3藩と1領ができるが、これら支藩に対して親である長州藩のことを本藩・宗藩という。1610年、輝元は両国内の総検地を実施し53万石を検出するが、幕府はこれを36万余石と認定し、これが朱印高として藩の公式石高(こくだか)となった。輝元は防長入部時には隠居していたので、初代藩主には秀就(ひでなり)が就任し、こののち綱広(つなひろ)、吉就(よしなり)、吉広(よしひろ)、吉元(よしもと)、宗広(むねひろ)、重就(しげなり)、治親(はるちか)、斉房(なりふさ)、斉煕(なりひろ)、斉元(なりもと)、斉広(なりとう)、敬親(たかちか)と続く。1659年（万治2）、藩府はこれまで公布した法令を取りまとめ、新しく「万治(まんじ)制法」を実施するが、この法令は長州藩の憲法であり、藩制上の基本法となった。また家臣団を再編成し、大組(おおぐみ)6組と船手組(ふなてぐみ)2組を定めた。この組は軍事組織であるとともに、平時は行政組織でもあって、諸般の行政を担当した。この組織の編成に伴い、各組を統括する階級を定めた。すなわち、藩主を補佐する一門両家、各組の長となる寄組(よりぐみ)、各組を構成する大組、大組の下に無給通(むきゅうどおり)、さらにその下に足軽(あしがる)、中間(ちゅうげん)層を置いた。1625年（寛永2）第2回目の検地を実施して本支藩あわせ約66万石、86年（貞享3）本藩領だけの検地で63万石、1761年（宝暦11）本藩領検地で約71万石を検出した。この後の検地は実施されないが、幕末期の内検高は100万石以上と推定される。最後の検地となった宝暦(ほうれき)検地では、小村帳（土地台帳）と小村絵図（地籍図）を作成し、実態の把握に努めた。またこの検地による増徴分を別途会計とし、撫育方(ぶいくかた)という役所を置いて干拓事業や藩専売事業の強化を図った。またこのころから特産品の奨励を行い、紙、塩、蝋(ろう)、木綿などの生産を高める措置をとった。しかし、藩専売制の強化は農民の反対を招き、1831年（天保2）の大一揆(いっき)となった。このため藩政改革を行い、明治維新遂行の道を歩むことになった。

　幕末維新期には、尊王攘夷(じょうい)運動の拠点となり、下関(しものせき)戦争、蛤御門(はまぐりごもん)の変、第一次長州征伐を経て、第二次長州征伐（四境(しきょう)戦争）に勝利、薩摩(さつま)藩と連合して討幕運動を進めた。明治新政府には、木戸孝允(たかよし)（桂(かつら)小五郎）、伊藤博文(ひろぶみ)（俊輔(しゅんすけ)）、井上薫(かおる)（聞多(もんた)）ら多くの人材を送った。なお、1863年（文久3）藩庁を萩から山口に移した。71年（明治4）4月、徳山藩を併合、7月廃藩置県で4県が生まれ、同年11月4県を統合して山口県となる。

［広田暢久］

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