Mito Domain

Mito (Japanese水 戸 藩, -han ) was a Han ( fief ) in Japan during the Edo period, in the area of the old Hitachi Province (now Ibaraki prefecture). The Han 1602 formed was successively awarded to three sons of Tokugawa Ieyasu: first to the fifth son Takeda Nobuyoshi ( previously 1593-1602 Daimyo of Sakura ), then the tenth son of Tokugawa Yorinobu ( then daimyo of 1609-1619 and 1619-1667 Sumpu of Kishū, founder of the Tokugawa - Kishū ) and finally to the eleventh son of Tokugawa Yorifusa ( previously from 1606 to 1609 as Tsuruchiyomaru Matsudaira (松 平 鹤 千代 丸) daimyo of Shimotsuma and founder of the Mito - Tokugawa ). The Mito - line of the Tokugawa, the third of the Gosanke since controlled the area until the abolition of the Han, 1871., The last daimyo, Tokugawa Akitake was, from 1866 to 1868 head of the House Shimizu Tokugawa ( Gosankyō ).

Towards the end of the Edo period Mito was a center of learning, after Nariaki 1841, the " Kodokan " (弘道 馆} set up as a Han school. She quickly became the largest in the 295 Han schools in Japan. The taught there Mitogaku (水 戸 学) based on the concept of the unity of Shinto and Confucianism., it was a matter of self-discovery of Japan in a time in which the Western powers began to transform large areas of Asia in colonies. According to the forced opening of the country is also approved in the cry " Ehret the Tennō - ". (尊王攘夷} In the" Expel the barbarians Bunkan " (文 馆} mentioned department was the teachings of Confucius (儒教}, Moral behavior (礼仪), history, astronomy, mathematics, geography, poetry (和 歌 ), music among other things taught. 's " Bukan "武馆mentioned department fencing, archery, military customer, shooting with guns and cannons, horsemanship, swimming was taught, among other things. There was also a Department of Medicine (医学 馆, Igakukan ).

At the Mitsukuni of 1657 began, the most important historical work of the Edo period, the Dai Nihon -shi ( Great History of Japan ), has worked both within the mito- residence in Edo in the there ' Shōkōkan "彰 考 馆and in Mito on ..

The last Tokugawa shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, came from the Mito line. He could not help being his opponent, the revolutionaries were influenced after the Meiji Restoration, calculated from the ideology of the Mito school, the end of the Shogunate.

In the riots of 1868 took place in Mito Tokugawa clashes between supporters and opponents. The 17.8 hectare site went up to the main gate, the entrance hall and another hall, (至 善堂, Shizendō ) in flames.

List of daimyo

• Takeda ( Shimpan - daimyo, 150,000 koku ), 1602-1603

• Kishū - Tokugawa ( Shimpan - daimyo, 200,000 Koku → 250,000 koku ), 1603-1609

• Mito - Tokugawa ( Shimpan - daimyo, 350,000 koku ), 1609-1871

Branch fief of Mito

Four sons of the founder of the house of Mito - Tokugawa, Tokugawa Yorifusa, received his own fiefdom. These lines with their branch fief (支 藩, shihan ) were:

• Starting from Matsudaira Yorishige (松 平 頼 重) to Shimodate 1639-1642 and 1642-1871 Takamatsu.
• Starting from Matsudaira Yorimoto (松 平 頼 元) to Nukada 1661-1700 and 1700-1871 Moriyama.
• Starting from Matsudaira Yoritaka (松 平 頼 隆) to Honai 1661-1700 and Hitachi Fuchū 1700-1871.
• Starting from Matsudaira Yorio (松 平 頼 雄) to Shishido 1682-1864 and 1868-1871.