Yonezawa Domain

This clan ruled the Okitama region of Dewa Province. Its first lord was Uesugi Kagekatsu, whose Aizu fief was reduced from 1.2 million koku to 300,000 koku as a punishment for the Battle of Sekigahara (1600). Since then, the clan has had 13 generations of lords: Sadakatsu, Tsunakatsu, Tsunanori, Yoshinori, Munenori, Munefusa, Shigesada, Harunori, Haruhiro, Narisada, Narinori, and Shigenori, leading up to the Meiji Restoration. When the domain had a land area of ​​300,000 koku, it extended over Okitama County (Yamagata Prefecture) and the Shinobu and Date counties of Mutsu (Fukushima Prefecture), but in 1664 (Kanbun 4), due to Tsunakatsu's sudden death, the domain was reduced by half and given 150,000 koku in the Okitama region (excluding Takahata territory). The approximately 6,000 vassals lived in the Yonezawa castle town, while lower-ranking vassals lived in the outskirts of the castle town and were called the Harakata sect, and larger vassals established vassal settlements in the rural areas. The Yonezawa domain also established seven (later five) subsidiary castles on the borders of the domain, and after the Genroku period (1688-1704) they were called Yakuya, and continued to have over 30 foot soldiers stationed there until the end of the Edo period. In 1638 (Kan'ei 15), a general land survey was carried out and the actual amount was announced as more than 510,000 koku, but after half a survey, this amount was reduced to 280,000 koku. However, due to the large number of vassals and the low productivity of the region, the domain's finances became strained from early on.

The Meiwa, An'ei and Kansei Reforms implemented by the ninth feudal lord, Harunori (Yozan), at the end of the 18th century are well known. His main policies included revitalizing rural areas, encouraging domestic products such as lacquer, mulberry, paper mulberry and textiles, reforming the magistrate system, and establishing the domain school, Kojokan, and promoting education. Key figures in the reforms included Takemata Masatsuna, Nozoki Yoshimasa (Taika), and Kuroi Tadayori, as well as Confucian scholars such as Warashina Shohaku and Jinbo Tsunatada. Behind the success of the reforms, we cannot overlook the results of the control of the production and distribution of the specialty products from the early days, such as blue indigo and lacquer wax, as well as the development and control of new domestic products, such as sericulture and textiles. In the Boshin War of 1868 (Keio 4), the prefecture fought against the new government forces as the leader of the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance of Feudal Domains, but was defeated in the Hokuetsu War and surrendered. In 1871 (Meiji 4), the feudal domain was abolished, and the prefectures were incorporated into Yonezawa Prefecture, Okitama Prefecture, and then Yamagata Prefecture.

[Akio Yokoyama]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

出羽(でわ)国置賜(おきたま)地方を領有した藩。関ヶ原の戦い（1600）の処分により会津120万石から30万石に減封された上杉景勝(かげかつ)を初代藩主とする。以来藩主は、定勝(さだかつ)、綱勝(つなかつ)、綱憲(つなのり)、吉憲(よしのり)、宗憲(むねのり)、宗房(むねふさ)、重定(しげさだ)、治憲(はるのり)、治広(はるひろ)、斉定(なりさだ)、斉憲(なりのり)、茂憲(しげのり)と13代続き、明治維新に至った。領地30万石時代は、置賜郡（山形県）と陸奥(むつ)の信夫(しのぶ)・伊達(だて)両郡（福島県）にわたっていたが、1664年（寛文4）綱勝の急死により半知削封となり、置賜地方（高畠(たかはた)領を除く）15万石に封ぜられた。約6000人の家臣団は米沢城下のほか、下級家臣は城下の郊外に居住して原方(はらかた)衆とよばれ、このほか大身の家臣は農村部に陪臣(ばいしん)集落を設けていた。また米沢藩は領地境に支城7か所（のち5か所）を置き、元禄(げんろく)（1688～1704）以後はこれを役屋(やくや)と称し、足軽30人余を配置する体制を幕末まで続けた。1638年（寛永15）に総検地を行い、実高51万石余を打ち出し、これが半知後は28万石となっている。しかし、大量の家臣団と生産力の低い地域的条件などにより、早くから藩財政は窮乏した。

　18世紀末、9代藩主治憲（鷹山(ようざん)）が実施した明和(めいわ)・安永(あんえい)の改革および寛政(かんせい)の改革は有名である。おもな政策は、農村の復興策、漆(うるし)・桑(くわ)・楮(こうぞ)および織物などの国産物の奨励、代官制度の改革および藩校興譲(こうじょう)館の設置と教学の振興などであった。改革の主要人物として、竹俣当綱(たけのまたまさつな)・莅戸義政(のぞきよしまさ)（太華(たいか)）・黒井忠寄(ただより)、また儒者には藁科松伯(わらしなしょうはく)・神保綱忠(じんぼつなただ)などが輩出した。改革の一定の成功の背景には、初期以来の特産物、青苧(あおそ)・漆蝋(うるしろう)の生産と流通の掌握をはじめ、新たな国産物、養蚕業・織物の発展と統制の成果を見逃すことができない。1868年（慶応4）の戊辰(ぼしん)戦争では奥羽越(おううえつ)列藩同盟の盟主として新政府軍と戦ったが、北越戦争に敗れて降伏。1871年（明治4）廃藩、米沢県、置賜県を経て山形県に編入された。

［横山昭男］

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