Mihara Domain


The Mihara Domain was a feudal domain of Japan in the Edo period. Located in what is now Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, it encompassed the southern part of Bingo Province. Its headquarter was Mihara Castle. At its peak, it was rated at 30,000 koku. For more than two hundred years the daimyō of Mihara were a collateral branch of the Asano clan who held Hiroshima Domain. It was a subordinate of Hiroshima Domain where the main line of the Asano clan ruled from.

History

was built 1567 by Kobayakawa Takakage, the third son of the famous warlord Mōri Motonari who controlled most of Aki and Bingo Provinces. It was a large scale castle with 3 baileys, 32 sumi yagura, and 14 mon. It was built on the coast and connected two islands giving rise to the nickname Ukishirō or "floating castle." Kobayakawa Takakage moved from Niitakayama Castle, a typical mountaintop castle, to this site to better manage the Mōri clan's naval forces and to help protect from Oda Nobunaga who was advancing from the east.
Kobayakawa Takakage took part in the Japanese invasions of Korea and adopted Kobayakawa Hideaki who was the 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 shōgun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, transferred Fukushima Masanori who was formerly the ruler of Kiyosu Castle to Hiroshima Castle of the Hiroshima Domain and his adopted son Fukushima Masayuki became lord of the Mihara Domain from Mihara Castle. Shortly afterwards the Fukushima clan lost favor with the shōgun when Fukushima Masanori made repairs to Hiroshima Castle which was prohibited by law. This resulted in the Fukushima clan 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. The 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 Niitakayama Castle it is designated a National Historic Site.

List of Daimyō

OrderNameJapaneseLifetimeReignInformation
1Kobayakawa Takakage小早川隆景1533–15971582–1597Built Mihara Castle, 3rd son of Mōri Motonari.
2Fukushima Masayuki福島正之1585–16081600–1608 Adopted son of Fukushima Masanori.
3Asano Tadayoshi浅野忠吉1546–16211619–1621 Cousin of Asano Nagamasa, son of Asano Nagatada.
4Asano Tadanaga浅野忠長1592–16601621–1656 Adopted, son of Oobashi Kiyobei and Asano Tadayoshi's daughter.
5Asano Tadazane浅野忠真1618–16941656–1683 son of #4, retired.
6Asano Tadayoshi浅野忠義1667–17301683–1730 son of #5.
7Asano Tadamasa浅野忠綏1702-17581730-1758 son of #6.
8Asano Tadachika浅野忠晨1732-17951758-1759 son of #7.
9Asano Tadamasa浅野忠正1721-17671759-1767 son of #6.
10Asano Tadayoshi浅野忠愛1752-17931767-1793 son of #7.
11Asano Tadasuke浅野忠順1790–18241793–1814 Adopted, son of Asano Shigeakira of the Hiroshima Domain and Asano Tadayoshi's daughter.
12Asano Tadahide浅野忠敬1802–18601814–1843 Adopted, son of Tōdō Kenzaki Nobuhide and Asano Tadamasa's daughter.
13Asano Tetsu浅野忠1819–18921843–1868son #11.

Retainers (家臣)