Tsuchiura Domain

This was a Fudai domain located in Niihari County, Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture). The domain was founded in 1601 (Keicho 6) when Matsudaira Nobukazu became the lord of Tsuchiura Castle with a fief of 35,000 koku. After the second lord, Nobuyoshi, was transferred to Takasaki in Kozuke Province in 1617 (Genwa 3), the Nishio clan and the Kutsuki clan successively became lords of the domain, but after the Kutsuki clan was transferred to another domain in 1669 (Kanbun 9), the senior councilor Tsuchiya Kazunao was given a fief of 45,000 koku. His territory consisted of 32 villages in Niiharu County, 4 villages in Tsukuba County, 13 villages in Shida County, 3 villages in Ibaraki County, 5 villages in Makabe County, 5 villages in Kazusa Province, 4 villages in Shimotsuke Province, and 25 villages in Musashi Province. However, during the time of his son Masanao, they moved to Tanaka Castle in Suruga Province, and Matsudaira (Okochi) Nobuoki became the feudal lord with 22,000 koku, but after only a few years he left Tsuchiura to become the governor of Osaka Castle. After that, the senior councilor Tsuchiya Masanao became the castle lord again in 1687 (Jokyo 4) with 65,000 koku (later 95,000 koku). After that, the Tsuchiya clan continued to rule the domain for generations, with Kazunao as the first lord and Shigenao the 11th lord, Shigenao, leading to the Meiji Restoration. In 1869 (Meiji 2), the domain became governor with the return of the domain and people to the Emperor, bringing an end to the Tsuchiya clan's 200-year reign, but the Tsuchiura domain continued to exist until Tsuchiura Prefecture was established with the abolition of the domains and establishment of prefectures in July 1871. Tsuchiura Prefecture was later incorporated into Ibaraki Prefecture in 1875, after being renamed Shinji Prefecture.

In the Tsuchiura domain, both the 9th lord Yoshinao and the last lord Takanao were adopted from the Mito family, one of the three main families of the Gosanke. This shows the Tsuchiura domain's position as a hereditary vassal, but one of the reasons why the Tsuchiura domain was considered important was probably because Tsuchiura was located halfway between Edo and Mito. The Taiko Yagura, the only remaining structure of Tsuchiura Castle, was built by Tanetsuna Kutsuki in 1656 (Meireki 2).

[Yoshihiko Seya]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

常陸(ひたち)国（茨城県）新治(にいはり)郡に置かれた譜代(ふだい)藩。1601年（慶長6）松平信一(のぶかず)が3万5000石を領して土浦城主となったのが藩のおこり。2代信吉(のぶよし)が1617年（元和3）上野(こうずけ)国高崎に移封となってからは、西尾氏、朽木(くつき)氏が相次いで藩主となったが、1669年（寛文9）朽木氏国替後は老中土屋数直(かずなお)が4万5000石で入封した。その所領は常陸国で新治郡32か村、筑波(つくば)郡4か村、信太(しだ)郡13か村、茨城郡3か村、真壁(まかべ)郡5か村、上総(かずさ)国で5か村、下野(しもつけ)国で4か村、武蔵(むさし)国で25か村であった。しかしその子政直(まさなお)のとき駿河(するが)国田中城に移ったので、松平（大河内(おおこうち)）信興(のぶおき)が2万2000石で藩主となったが、わずか数年で大坂城代となって土浦を去った。そのあとにはふたたび老中土屋政直が1687年（貞享4）6万5000石（のち9万5000石）で城主となった。その後は代々土屋氏の藩主時代が続き、数直を初代として11代挙直(しげなお)のとき明治維新を迎え、1869年（明治2）版籍奉還によって藩知事となって、約200年にわたる土屋氏の時代は終わったが、土浦藩は1871年7月廃藩置県によって土浦県が成立するまで続いた。なお、土浦県は新治県を経て1875年に茨城県に編入された。

　土浦藩では9代彦直(よしなお)と最後の挙直の両名が御三家(ごさんけ)水戸(みと)家から養子に入っているのは、土浦藩の譜代としての立場を物語るものであるが、土浦藩が重要視された理由の一つは、土浦が江戸と水戸の中間に位置していたからであろう。土浦城の唯一の遺構である太鼓櫓(たいこやぐら)は、1656年（明暦2）朽木稙綱(たねつな)の築造にかかる。

［瀬谷義彦］

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