Hitoyoshi Domain

This domain owned one district in Kuma County, Higo Province (Kumamoto Prefecture), and part of the neighboring Hyuga Province (Miyazaki Prefecture), and had Hitoyoshi Castle as its castle. It was a small, outside domain with an official landholding of just over 22,100 koku. Since the Sagara clan owned this land as land stewards in the medieval Kamakura period, it was passed down through generations until the abolition of the domains and establishment of prefectures, so it is also called the Sagara Domain. The 20th Sagara, Nagatsune, was granted confirmation of his former territory (the main territory of Kuma County) by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and was later granted confirmation of his former territory when he sided with the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara. In 1656 (Meireki 2), as a result of the Shiibayama Incident (in which the 13 members of the Nasu clan were defeated due to an internal dispute), Meradani (Koyu County) and Shiibayama (Higashiusuki County) in Hyuga Province were added to the Sagara clan's territory, and the territory was finalized. According to the "Takatsujicho (Registry of Villages and Tsuji)" of 1634 (Kan'ei 11), the actual land area was 43,241 koku, consisting of 22,165 koku of main land and 21,076 koku of new land, with 35 villages and 6 valleys for a total of 41. However, the main land area included tea, lacquer, and mulberry (1,064 koku), and just as the new land area was large, there was a great deal of cultivated land in small mountain basins and small garden farming (slash-and-burn farming) in mountain ridges. Furthermore, in addition to annual taxes and labor, the tribute system continued to include miscellaneous public duties (more than 30 types of processed products from miscellaneous produce from the fields, forests, and wilderness areas). Because it was such a low-productivity region, farmers developed it themselves, and in the Kami-Kuma region, waterways such as the Hyakutarou Canal (total length 18 km, 1,400 cho of rice paddies) and the Kono Canal (total length 18 km, 1,210 cho) were dug. Furthermore, in 1662 (Kanbun 2), a townsman named Hayashi Masamori singlehandedly dug the fast-flowing Kuma River, making it possible to transport boats from the Ariake Sea to Hitoyoshi Castle, and thus enabling the shipment of Kuma products to the Kamigata market.

On the other hand, the tradition since the Middle Ages produced many long-term vassals and clan members, and there was also a large samurai class supporting them. All samurai except for those living in the castle town lived in their hometowns (remnants of mountain castles), but their number reached about one-third of the total population, and they were traditional landlords with noble families. Due to this structure of vassals, there were many factional disputes in politics, such as the Sagara Seibei Incident in the early period, the Oshimo Rebellion, the Otehan Incident and the Bamboo Gun Incident (a plot to assassinate the feudal lord) in the Horeki period (1751-64), the frequent changes of feudal lords at the end of the Edo period (four died in 12 years), the Nabayama Incident (a peasant uprising), and the Ushinotoshi Incident (a dispute within the family over military reform), and other major incidents that divided the domain in two occurred one after another. Reforms of the domain's government were also started by the chief retainer Tashiro Masasuke in the Bunsei period (1818-30), but were thwarted by the Nabayama Incident. In addition, in 1862 (Bunkyu 2), the Torasuke fire swept through Hitoyoshi Castle and the castle town, and the Meiji Restoration came amid political turmoil. Since the Sengoku period, the Ikko sect (Jodo Shinshu) had been banned within the territory. In 1871 (Meiji 4), the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, and the area became Hitoyoshi Prefecture, which then became Yatsushiro Prefecture and Shirakawa Prefecture, before becoming Kumamoto Prefecture in 1876.

[Tsuneo Moriyama]

"New Narrative History of the Domain, Volume 12" (1977, Shinjinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

肥後国（熊本県）球磨(くま)郡1郡と隣接の日向(ひゅうが)国（宮崎県）の一部を領有し、人吉城を居城とした藩。表高は2万2100石余の外様(とざま)小藩。中世鎌倉期地頭職(じとうしき)として相良(さがら)氏がこの地を領有して以来、廃藩置県まで代々継いだので、相良藩とも呼称する。第20代相良長毎(ながつね)は、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉によって旧領（球磨郡本領）を安堵(あんど)され、ついで関ヶ原の戦いでは、のちに東軍についたことで旧領安堵された。1656年（明暦2）、椎葉山(しいばやま)事件（那須(なす)一族十三人衆が同族間の争いが因で討滅された）の結末として、日向国米良(めら)谷（児湯(こゆ)郡）と椎葉山（東臼杵(ひがしうすき)郡）が相良氏の支配地に加えられ、領域が確定した。実高は、1634年（寛永11）の「郷村高辻帳(たかつじちょう)」によると、本田高2万2165石、新田高2万1076石の計4万3241石、村数35、谷数6の計41であるが、本田高のなかに茶、漆、桑（1064石）があり、また新田高が大きいように、山間小盆地の耕地や山陵地の小庭作(こばさく)（焼畑）が非常に多かった。さらに貢租には年貢、夫役のほかに雑公事(ぞうくじ)（田畑の雑産物、山林原野の全生産物、それらの加工品、30種以上に及ぶ）をとる、中世的な年貢形態が続いていた。このような低生産力地帯であったため、農民は自らの手で開発を進め、上球磨地域では、百太郎溝(ひゃくたろうみぞ)（全長18キロメートル、水田1400町）や幸野(こうの)溝（全長18キロメートル、1210町）などの水路が開削された。さらに町人林正盛は1662年（寛文2）に独力で急流の球磨川を開削して有明海から人吉城下への舟運を可能とし、球磨産品の上方(かみがた)市場への出荷が可能となった。

　一方、中世以来の伝統は、重代譜代(ふだい)家臣や一族門葉層を多く輩出し、彼らを支える武士階層も多かった。武士層は、城下士以外はすべて在郷（外城(とじょう)＝山城の名残(なごり)）したが、その数は全人口の約3分の1にも達し、名子(なご)を抱えた伝統的・地主的存在でもあった。このような家臣構造であったため、政治的にも門閥党争が多く、初期の相良清兵衛事件、御下(おしも)の乱、宝暦(ほうれき)期（1751～64）の御手判(おてはん)事件と竹鉄砲事件（藩主暗殺計画）などが発生し、また幕末の藩主交替の頻発（12年間に4人死亡）、茸山(なばやま)騒動（百姓一揆(いっき)）、丑歳(うしのとし)騒動（兵制改革をめぐる家中対立）と、領内を二分する大事件が相次いで起きた。藩政改革も文政(ぶんせい)期（1818～30）に家老田代政典(まさすけ)により着手されはしたが、茸山騒動によって挫折(ざせつ)する状況であった。加うるに、1862年（文久2）人吉城と城下町を総なめにする寅助(とらすけ)火事が起こり、明治維新を政治的混乱のなかで迎えることとなった。なお領内は戦国期以来、一向(いっこう)宗（浄土真宗）禁制であった。71年（明治4）廃藩置県により人吉県となり、八代(やつしろ)県、白川県を経て76年熊本県となった。

［森山恒雄］

『『新編物語藩史　第12巻』（1977・新人物往来社）』

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