Mihara Domain

Mihara Domain
三原藩
Mihara, Japan

also known as "The Floating Castle (Ukishiro)"
Coordinates 34°24′N 133°5′E / 34.400°N 133.083°E / 34.400; 133.083Coordinates: 34°24′N 133°5′E / 34.400°N 133.083°E / 34.400; 133.083
Type Azuchi-Momoyama castle
Site information
Controlled by Kobayakawa clan (1567–1587),
Fukushima Masanori (1600–1619),
Asano clan (1619–1869),
 Japan (1869–1945)
Condition Ruins, National Historic Site
Site history
Built 1567
Built by Kobayakawa Takakage
In use 1567–1945
Materials stone, wood, plaster walls (original); concrete, steel, wood, stone, plaster (reconstruction)
Demolished 1975 due to the contruction of a new rail-line.

The Mihara Domain (三原藩, Mihara han) was a feudal domain of Japan in the Edo period. Located in what is now Hiroshima Prefecture, it encompassed the Southern part of Bingo Province. Its headquarters were at Mihara Castle (三原城 Mihara-jō). At its peak, it was rated at 300,000 koku, and was the largest holding of the Tokugawa clan in the Chugoku region. The daimyo of Mihara for more than 200 years were the Asano clan who had helped Tokugawa Ieyasu and became powerful after the Battle of Sekigahara.

History

Mihara Castle was built 1567 by Kobayakawa Takakage, the third son of the warlord Mōri Motonari who controlled most of Aki and Bingo Provinces. It was a large scale castle with 3 baileys, 32 sumi yagura (corner yagura), and 14 gates. It was built on the coast and connected two islands giving rise to the nickname Ukishiro, or "floating castle." Kobayakawa moved from Shin Takayama Castle, a typical mountaintop castle, to this site to better manage the Mori's sea forces and to help protect from Oda Nobunaga who was advancing from the East.

Takakage took part in the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–98) and adopted Kobayakawa Hideaki who was formerly adopted son of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After the battle of the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Hideaki who had helped Tokugawa Ieyasu gain control of the country was awarded with the defeated Ukita clan's former fiefdoms of Bizen and Mimasaka, for a total of 550,000 koku.

The shogun, Ieyasu, appointed Fukushima Masanori who was formerly the ruler of Kiyosu Castle as the new ruler of the Hiroshima Domain from Hiroshima Castle and his adopted son Fukushima Masayuki as ruler of the Mihara Domain from Mihara Castle. Shortly afterwards the Fukushima clan lost favor with the shogun when Masanori built add-ons to Hiroshima Castle which was prohibited by law. This resulted in the Fukushima being replaced by the Asano clan who would rule the domains of Hiroshima, Mihara, Yoshida and Ako until the Meiji Restoration.

The tenshu foundation of Mihara Castle was the largest ever built, similar in size to that of Edo castle, but the main keep was never actually built. Mihara Castle escaped demolition during the Meiji Period so that it could be used as Imperial naval base. It was later decommissioned and Mihara Train Station was built on the site in 1894. At this time all the buildings were destroyed and much of the stone walls torn down. The honmaru was further cut to make way for the bullet train in 1975. Together with Kobayakawa's Shin Takayama Castle it is designated a National Historic Site.

Lords of Mihara

OrderNameJapaneseLifetimeRuling yearsLineage
1Kobayakawa Takakage小早川隆景1533–15971582–15973rd son of Mori Motonari
2Fukushima Masayuki福島正之1585–16081600–16083rd son of Besshō Nariharu (adopted by Fukushima Masanori)
3Asano Tadayoshi浅野忠吉1546–16211619–1621cousin of Asano Nagamasa (son of Asano Nagatada)
4Asano Tadanaga浅野忠長1592–16601621–1656(retired)
5Asano Tadazane浅野忠真1618–16941656–1694
6Asano Tadayoshi浅野忠義1667–17011694–1701
7Asano Tadamasa浅野忠綏????–????????–????
8Asano Tadachika浅野忠晨????–????????–????
9Asano Tadamasa浅野忠正????–????????–1824
10Asano Tadayoshi浅野忠愛????–????????–????
11Asano Tadasuke浅野忠順1790–1824????–1814(retired)
12Asano Tadahide浅野忠敬1802–18601814–1843
13Asano Tetsu浅野忠1819–18921843–1868

Retainers (家臣)

See also


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