Okayama Domain

A Tozama domain centered on Bizen Province (Okayama Prefecture). It is also called Bizen Domain. After Ukita Hideie, the lord of Okayama Castle, was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara, Kobayakawa Hideaki was given Bizen and Mimasaka and became the lord of Okayama Domain. After Hideaki's death, in 1603 (Keicho 8), Tadatsugu, the second son of Ikeda Terumasa, the lord of Himeji Domain, was given 280,000 koku of land in Bizen, and Tadatsugu's half-brother Toshitaka was stationed in Okayama as the "Bizen Kankoku". Tadatsugu became the lord of the domain in 1613, but died in 1615 (Genwa 1), and Tadatsugu's younger brother Tadakatsu, the lord of Awaji Domain, became the lord of Okayama Domain. During the Kan'ei era (1624-1644), he developed new fields and started construction of irrigation and drainage systems, and worked hard to manage his domain. In 1632 (Kan'ei 9), Tadao died, and his eldest son Mitsunaka became the lord of Tottori Domain, while Ikeda Mitsumasa became the lord of Okayama Domain. Mitsumasa gained the trust of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, and implemented the Kan'ei Reforms modeled on the shogunate's Kan'ei politics. In 1647 (Shoho 4), he was opened to Confucianism by Kumazawa Banzan, and came to embrace the political philosophy of "benevolence is loyalty." When a great famine occurred due to flooding in 1654 (Shoo 3), he committed himself to providing thorough relief to the starving people based on his philosophy of benevolence, and used this as an opportunity to carry out reforms in the domain government, amending the local fief system and revamping the control of the county offices. He then consolidated and consolidated temples and shrines, and established the Gunchu Teshusho (Gunchu School), the Domain School, and Shizutaniko (Shizutaniko) to teach Confucianism. In 1672 (Kanbun 12), he retired and his eldest son Tsunamasa succeeded him. The Enpo famine and the government duties for the construction of the Imperial Palace led to a financial crisis, so he established small administrative offices and county officials, and carried out reforms to the domain's administration. During the Tenna to Genroku era (1681-1704), the domain's administration was established, and large-scale domain-run new fields, Korakuen, and Sogenji Temple were built, and Shizutaniko was completed. Both the castle town of Okayama and the various counties prospered, but after the end of the 18th century, the castle town declined due to restrictions imposed by the stock association, and the gap between rich and poor in the various counties widened, resulting in increased room for scattered farmland. However, in Kojima County, new rice fields and salt fields were developed one after another, and salt came to be the top specialty product of Bizen. After the arrival of the Black Ships in 1853 (Kaei 6), the domain linked up with wealthy merchants and landowners in the castle town and Kojima County to carry out the Ansei Reforms and promote the establishment of a Western-style military system. Furthermore, domain lord Shigemasa, from the position of loyalty to the Emperor, worked hard to mediate national affairs between the Imperial Court, the Shogunate, and Choshu. In 1866 (Keio 2), Shigemasa's elder brother, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, became Shogun, but Shigemasa was unable to take the plunge and overthrow the shogunate. Instead, he welcomed Akimasa, head of the branch domain of Kamogata, as the new lord, and participated in the expedition to the east for the first time. In 1871 (Meiji 4), the domains were abolished and prefectures were established, and Okayama Prefecture was established.

[Hajime Shibata]

"New Narrative History of the Domain, Volume 9" (1976, Shinjinbutsu Oraisha)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

備前(びぜん)国（岡山県）を中心とする外様(とざま)藩。備前藩ともいう。岡山城主宇喜多秀家(うきたひでいえ)が関ヶ原の戦いで没落し、小早川秀秋(こばやかわひであき)が備前、美作(みまさか)を賜って岡山藩主となる。秀秋の死後、1603年（慶長8）姫路藩主池田輝政(てるまさ)の次男忠継(ただつぐ)が備前28万石を賜り、忠継の異母兄利隆(としたか)が「備前監国」として岡山に在城した。1613年忠継が藩主となったが、1615年（元和1）没し、忠継の弟で淡路藩主忠雄(ただかつ)が岡山藩主となる。寛永(かんえい)年間（1624～44）新田開発、用排水工事をおこし領国経営に尽力。1632年（寛永9）忠雄が死去し、嫡子光仲は鳥取藩主となり、鳥取藩主池田光政が岡山藩主となった。光政は将軍徳川家光(いえみつ)の信任を得、幕府の寛永政治に倣って寛永の改革を実施する。1647年（正保4）熊沢蕃山(くまざわばんざん)によって儒学に開眼し、「仁即忠」の政治理念を抱く。1654年（承応3）洪水による大飢饉(ききん)が起こると、仁政理念に基づき飢人救済の徹底を期すとともに、これを契機に藩政改革を断行、地方知行(じかたちぎょう)制を改め、郡方(こおりかた)支配を刷新する。ついで寺院、神社の整理統合を行い、郡中手習所、藩学校、閑谷黌(しずたにこう)を設立し儒教主義の教育を行った。1672年（寛文12）隠退し、嫡子綱政がたつ。延宝(えんぽう)の飢饉と禁裏造営の国役で財政危機に陥り、小仕置、郡肝煎役(こおりきもいりやく)を設け、藩政改革を断行、天和(てんな)～元禄(げんろく)年間（1681～1704）に至って藩政は確立し、大規模な藩営新田、後楽園、曹源寺をつくり、閑谷黌を完成する。岡山城下町、諸郡ともに繁栄したが、18世紀末以後、城下町は株仲間の制約から衰微し、諸郡も貧富の差が拡大し、散田手余地(さんでんてあまりち)が増加した。しかし児島(こじま)郡では新田、塩田の開発が相次ぎ、塩は備前の特産物の首位を占めるに至る。1853年（嘉永6）黒船来航以後、藩は城下町や児島郡の豪商、地主たちと結んで安政(あんせい)の改革を断行し、洋式軍制の整備を進めた。また、藩主茂政(しげまさ)は尊王翼覇の立場から朝廷、幕府、長州の間にたって国事周旋に奔走する。1866年（慶応2）茂政の実兄徳川慶喜(よしのぶ)が将軍に就任し、茂政は討幕に踏み切ることができず、支藩鴨方(かもがた)藩主章政(あきまさ)を新藩主に迎え、初めて征東に参加した。1871年（明治4）廃藩置県で岡山県となる。

［柴田　一］

『『新編物語藩史　第9巻』（1976・新人物往来社）』

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