Matsumae clan
The European concept of "marches" applies just as well to the fief of Matsumae clan on the southern tip of Hokkaidō which was at Japan's northern border with the Ainu people of Hokkaidō, known as Ezo at the time. In 1590, this land was granted to the Kakizaki clan, who took the name Matsumae from then on. The Lords of Matsumae, as they are sometimes called, were exempt from owing rice to the "shōgun" in tribute, and from the "sankin-kōtai" system established by Tokugawa Ieyasu, under which most lords ("daimyōs") had to spend half the year at court (in the capital of Edo).