Satsuma (Han)
Satsuma ( jap. 薩摩藩 , -han ), officially: Kagoshima ( 鹿児島藩 , -han ), was a fief ( han ) of the Shimazu - daimyo that the provinces of Satsuma and Ōsumi and the Morokata district in Hyūga Province and Nansei Islands included. The extension of the fief corresponds roughly to today's Kagoshima Prefecture .
development
The history of the fiefdom begins with the appointment of Shimazu Tadatsune as the first daimyo of Satsuma in 1602. However, the region has been under the control of the Shimazu family since the Kamakura period . In the second half of the 16th century, this expanded its rule considerably, but was pushed back to its core area in 1587 by the general Toyotomi Hideyoshi in the course of the subjugation of the regional rulers of Kyushu. Even after Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power, Satsuma had considerable military and economic resources and was far from Edo , the seat of the Tokugawa shoguns. While many regional rulers were transferred to other fiefs in the course of the Edo period, the Shimazu clan was able to maintain its position in Satsuma and a certain degree of autonomy vis-à-vis the central government until the 1870s.
Ryūkyū campaign
1609 asked Shimazu Tadatsune, who bore the name Iehisa given by the Shogun Ieyasu since 1606, for permission for a campaign against the immediately adjacent Kingdom of Ryukyu (now Okinawa Prefecture ). The defenders could do little against the 4,000 battle-hardened warriors from Satsuma. King Shō Nei was captured and only released two years later. Some northern islands passed into the possession of the Shimazu. The remainder remained nominally as a kingdom, but were now in a vassal relationship to Satsuma / Japan. The tribute relations to the Chinese Empire that had existed since 1372 were approved by the Shogun in 1655, so that Ryūkyū was in a twofold relationship of dependency until its final integration as a Japanese prefecture (1879).
Edo period
Notwithstanding the shogunate's closing measures, which severely restricted the freedom of action and thus also the sources of income of the regional rulers, especially those in the west of the archipelago, Satsuma enjoyed access to goods and information from China and Southeast Asia thanks to his special relationship with Ryūkyū. In addition, on the islands taken over by Ryūkyū, the cultivation of sugar cane was promoted, which brought in considerable profits. But the central government had the means to weaken the financial power of the regional rulers. This included the obligation to maintain an appropriate second residence in Edo and to attend the court in a fixed rhythm ( Sankin kōtai ), which entailed costly overland travel with a large entourage. In addition, economically strong fiefs were commissioned with major projects ( tetsudai fushin , 手 伝 普 請 ). In the case of Satsuma, the regulation of the so-called 'Three Kiso Rivers' brought the fief to the brink of financial collapse in 1753.
The situation gradually improved with the reign of Shimazu Shigehide. In 1773 he founded a feudal school with a library and living quarters as well as a military school. Medical institutions followed, and the printing of books on agriculture and other practical disciplines was encouraged. At the same time he strengthened his position at court, since his third daughter moved to Edo as the wife of the Shogun Ienari. All these ventures, however, brought new financial burdens with them. In 1787 Shigehide retired in favor of his eldest son Narinobu, but continued to exert great influence on fiefdom politics.
Shimazu Nariakira is still one of the outstanding personalities among the feudal lords . He founded a school for 'Holland Studies' ( Rangaku ), deliberately adopted western technology and strengthened Satsuma's military power by building steamers, introducing western-style cavalry and holding maneuvers. This, however, led to a conflict with Zusho Hirosato , who, as karō (literally 'house elder '), was at the head of the administration of the fief and, through monopoly of the sugar trade and increased (illegal) foreign trade with / via Ryūkyū, took great pains to manage the fief's finances had refurbished. When Nariakira died, Japan, under pressure from Western forces, had signed a number of unfavorable treaties aimed at opening up the country. After Nariakira's death, the young nephew Shimazu Tadayoshi followed as the last liege lord, but his father Shimazu Hisamitsu ( 島 津 久 光 ), the younger brother of Nariakira, exercised actual power.
Events like the Namamugi incident and the ensuing shelling of Kagoshima by English troops once again made clear the need to adopt Western technology and military reforms. Satsuma played an increasingly important role in the disputes over the future course of Japan. The fiefs of Satsuma, Chōshū and Tosa forged an alliance against the government under the guiding principle of 'Adoration of the Tennō, expulsion of the barbarians / the shogunate' ( Son-nō jō-i ), which was fed by the Confucian tradition . After the Tennō had granted these forces the right to overthrow and in January 1868 proclaimed the restoration of his own power, the Boshin War broke out , which ended with the defeat of the troops of the Shogun Yoshinobu . In the course of the Meiji Restoration , the Tennō moved its headquarters from Kyōto, located in western Japan, to Tōkyō (literally 'Eastern Capital'). In 1871 the Satsuma fiefdom was dissolved and Kagoshima Prefecture was founded.
Meiji period
But in 1877 there was an uprising by samurai from Satsuma against the Meiji government ( Satsuma rebellion ). The survey was organized by Saigō Takamori , who commanded 50,000 samurai as leader of the imperial troops in the Boshin War and initially held high positions in the new state. When he suggested annexing Korea to forestall the Western powers, however, he got into a violent conflict with his long-time companion from Satsuma and now also influential politician Ōkubo Toshimichi . The growing discontent was compounded by the severe curtailment of the rights of the samurai. Saigō was able to hold its own for a few months with his comparatively small group, but the rebels were destroyed by the overpowering government troops in the Battle of Shiroyama . This was the last battle in which traditionally armed samurai took part, at the same time the remaining actors of the Satsuma feud disappeared from the historical stage.
Satsuma feudal lords (daimyos) in the Edo period
| Surname | Characters | lifespan | Reign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18th | Shimazu Iehisa (Tadatsune) | 島 津 忠 恒 ・ 家 久 | 1576-1638 | 1602-1638 |
| 19th | Shimazu Mitsuhisa | 島 津 光 久 | 1616-1695 | 1638-1687 |
| 20th | Shimazu Tsunataka | 島 津 綱 貴 | 1650-1704 | 1687-1704 |
| 21st | Shimazu Yoshitaka | 島 津 吉 貴 | 1675-1747 | 1704-1721 |
| 22nd | Shimazu Tsugutoyo | 島 津 継 豊 | 1702-1760 | 1721-1746 |
| 23 | Shimazu Munenobu | 島 津 宗 信 | 1728-1749 | 1746-1749 |
| 24 | Shimazu Shigetoshi | 島 津 重 年 | 1729-1755 | 1749-1755 |
| 25th | Shimazu Shigehide | 島 津 重 豪 | 1745-1833 | 1755-1787 |
| 26th | Shimazu Narinobu | 島 津 斉 宣 | 1774-1841 | 1787-1809 |
| 27 | Shimazu Narioki | 島 津 斉 興 | 1791-1859 | 1809-1851 |
| 28 | Shimazu Nariakira | 島 津 斉 彬 | 1809-1858 | 1851-1858 |
| 29 | Shimazu Tadayoshi | 島 津 忠義 | 1840-1897 | 1858-1871 |
literature
- Gerhard Krebs : Modern Japan 1868-1952: From the Meiji Restoration to the Peace Treaty of San Francisco. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-486-55894-4 .
- Mark Ravina: The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori. Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey 2004, ISBN 0-471-08970-2 .
- Robert Sakai: Feudal Society and Modern Leadership in Satsuma-han. In: Journal of Asian Studies. Vol 16, 1957, pp. 365-376.
- Robert Sakai: The Consolidation of Power in Satsuma-han. In: John Whitney Hall, Marius Jansen (Ed.): Studies in the Institutional History of Early Modern Japan. Princeton University Press, Princeton 1968, OCLC 152544747 .
- Robert Sakai et al. a .: The Status System and Social Organization of Satsuma. Tokyo University Press, Tokyo 1975, OCLC 716349003 .
- Reinhard Zöllner: History of Japan: From 1800 to the present. Schöningh, Paderborn 2006, ISBN 3-8252-2683-2
Remarks
- ↑ Sugar was a rare but necessary product in early modern Japan.
- ↑ The Korean Joseon Dynasty , which had a similar closing policy as Japan, severely weakened its position. In 1871 there was a first conflict with the USA. In 1876, in the Treaty of Ganghwado (' Japanese-Korean Friendship Treaty ') , Japan forced the opening of three Korean ports for trade and the guarantee of ex-territoriality for Japanese in Korea. In 1885 the British occupied the Korean island of Geomundo , which they had previously named Port Hamilton .