Sasayama Domain
History. The Sasayama area is a strategic junction of highways from Kyoto to both the San'in region, and the San'yo regions of western Japan. Recognizing the importance of this location, after the Battle of Sekigahara, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered the construction of Sasayama Castle to isolate Toyotomi Hideyori at Osaka Castle from the powerful feudal lords of western Japan, many of whom still had pro-Toyotomi loyalties. In 1608, he appointed Matsudaira Yasushige, who was possibly his illegitimate son, to oversee construction, and as "daimyō" of the new 50,000 "koku" Sasayama Domain. The design of the castle was done  by Tōdō Takatora, construction overseen by Ikeda Terumasa and the materials and labor provided by the Fukushima, Kato clan, Hachisuka clan and Asano clan. Matsudaira Yasushige was transferred to Kishiwada Domain in 1619. He was replaced by Matsudaira Yoshimichi from another cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan, the Fujii-Matsudaira. He was the son of Tokugawa Ieyasu's half-sister. His son Matsudaira Tadakuni was overseer of the attainder of Murakami Domain and Fukuchiyama Domains, and also conducted land surveys, expanded the castle town and built numerous shrines and temples before he was transferred to Akashi Domain in 1649. Matsudaira  Yasunobu, from the Katahara-Matsudaira became "daimyō", and his cadet branch of the Matsudaira clan ruled until their transfer to Tanba-Kameyama Domain in 1748. The 4th "daimyō", Matsudaira Nobutsuna served as "Kyoto Shoshidai" and "rōjū" and invited cultural figures to the domain. However, his son, Matsudaira Nobumine, was a poor ruler and was injured during peasant uprisings in the Kyōhō famine. The shogunate ordered him to trade places with Aoyama Tadatomo of Tanba-Kameyama Domain in 1748. The Aoyama would rule the domain until the Meiji restoration. Aoyama Tadatomo served as "Jisha-bugyō" and "Osaka jōdai" in the shogunal  administration. His successor, Aoyama Tadataka invited Confucian scholars to the domain, and built a han school, the "Shintokudo", which was later expanded by the 4th "daimyō", Aoyama Tadahiro. He also served as "Jisha-bugyō", "Kyoto Shoshidai" and "Osaka jōdai" in the shogunal administration. His son, Aoyama Tadanaga was a "Jisha-bugyō" and "rōjū". On the other hand, due to poor harvests, peasant rebellions frequently occurred. The domain had little economic production other than rice cultivation, and as a result, the clan's finances and territories were often in dire straits. The domain made laws to prevent peasants from fleeing their  lands; however, Aoyama Tadahiro was forced to relax these regulations to allow peasants to work in Settsu Province in the winter months as migrant workers in the "sake" industry. He also invited potters from Kyoto to the domain in an attempt to start a ceramics industry. Nevertheless, due to new taxes frequently imposed for financial reconstruction, over 20 peasant uprisings occurred. By the end of the domain, its debt was estimated at 281,329 "ryō". During the Bakumatsu period, as with almost all domains, the samurai of Sasayama were divided between pro-Tokugawa and pro-"sonnō-jōi" factions, although the domain itself  was regarded as one of the most loyal of the "fudai" houses the final "daimyō", Aoyama Takayuki, served as guard of Nijō Castle in Kyoto and led shogunate forces in the Kinmon Incident. However, after the start of the Boshin War, when Saionji Kinmochi led an imperial army to Sasayama, the domain surrendered without a fight. Aoyama Tadayuki became imperial governor in 1869. In 1871, with the abolition of the han system, Sasayama briefly became "Sasayama Prefecture", which was merged with "Toyooka Prefecture" a few months later, before becoming part of Hyogo Prefecture on August 21, 1876. Holdings at the  end of the Edo period. As with most domains in the han system, Sasayama Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned "kokudaka", based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields.