Ojima Domain

Ojima Domain (小島藩 Ojima-han?) was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Suruga Province. Ojima was a Fudai domain. It was centered on what is now the Ojima district of Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka.

History

In May 1689, Matsudaira Nobunari, the adopted son of the Castellan of Sumpu Castle, and a wakadoshiyori in the Tokugawa Shogunate was elevated from his former hatamoto status of 4000 koku, to daimyō status of 10,000 koku, and assigned the territory of Ojima, to the east of Sumpu, to be his domain. He was also authorized to start his own branch of the Matsudaira clan, the Takiwaki Matsudaira clan (滝脇松平家?). However, due to the small size of his domain, he was not authorized to build a castle, but ruled from a fortified residence, or jin'ya.

During the period of the 4th daimyō, Matsudaira Masanobu, the domain faced bankruptcy, which he attempted to resolve with such a large increase in taxes that its peasants rose in a revolt in 1768. Fiscal problems continued over the years, with the 8th daimyō, Matsudaira Nobumoto publishing a tract attempting the explain to both his retainers and his peasants on the need for high taxes and fiscal restraint. The 9th daimyō, Matsudaira Nobuyuki, made all industry within the domain a government monopoly, and sold off permits to raise money.

During the Bakumatsu period, the 11th (and final) daimyō, Matsudaira Nobutoshi, sided with the new Meiji government in 1867. His domain was abolished with the creation of Shizuoka Domain for the retired ex-Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu, and Nobutoshi was transferred to Sakurai Domain in Kazusa province in July 1869.

The site of the former Ojima Jinya is now a local history museum, and the remnants of some foundation walls were proclaimed a National Historic Site in 2006.

List of daimyō

# Name Tenure Courtesy title Court Rank
1 Matsudaira Nobunari ( 松平信孝?) 1689–1690 Tajima-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
2 Matsudaira Nobuharu (松平信孝?) 1690–1724 Shimotsuke-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
3 Matsudaira Nobutaka (松平信嵩?) 1724–1731 Awa-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
4 Matsudaira Masanobu (松平昌信?) 1731–1771 Awa-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
5 Matsudaira Nobunori (松平信義?) 1771–1800 Tamba-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
6 Matsudaira Nobukadou (松平信圭?) 1800–1815 Awa-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
7 Matsudaira Nobutomo (松平信友?) 1815–1836 Tango-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
8 Matsudaira Nobumasu (松平信賢?) 1836–1851 Tango-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
9 Matsudaira Nobuyuki (松平信進?) 1851–1863 Tango-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
10 Matsudaira Nobufumi (松平信書?) 1863–1864 Tango-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)
11 Matsudaira Nobutoshi (松平信敏?) 1864–1868 Tango-no-kami Lower 5th (従五位下)

References