The Fushimi Domain (伏見藩)
The Fushimi Domain existed in Fushimi in the Yamashiro Province (present day Fushimi Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture). The castle of a daimyo was Fushimi Castle.
The history of the domain
Fushimi-jo Castle was constructed by Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI. Although the castle was destroyed in the great Fushimi earthquake, it was quickly reconstructed, and became a symbol of the prosperity of Hideyoshi in the Toyotomi Period, with the town becoming an important administrative center. It was in Fushimi-jo Castle that Hideyoshi ended his days on August 18, 1598.
After the death of Hideyoshi, Ieyasu TOKUGAWA took over Fushimi-jo Castle, and formed a government. When opposition from Mitsunari ISHIDA came to a head, Ieyasu made a punitive expedition to Aizu to challenge Mitsunari, leaving only a skeleton force headed by Mototada TORII, Ienaga NAITO, and Ietada MATSUDAIRA in Fushimi Castle in 1600. Although Mitsunari knew Ieyasu's intention, he raised the army to respond to Ieyasu's challenge, because he wanted anyway to break his present condition of being confined to his house. Fushimi-jo Castle then became the stage for the beginning of the Sekigahara Battle.
Despite only having a total of 1,800 officers and soldiers, the morale the besieged garrison was high, and the great Fushimi-jo Castle built by Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI allowed them to resist the army of the West, which numbered some 40,000 men, for some time. After some desperate fighting from Mototada, the castle eventually succumbed, but the garrison's efforts dramatically affected the strategies of the subsequent battle. After some desperate fighting from Mototada, the castle eventually succumbed, but the garrison's efforts dramatically affected the strategies of the subsequent battle.
After the Sekigahara Battle, Ieyasu launched a reconstruction of Fushimi-jo Castle which had been burnt to the ground, for the dual purpose of restraining the Toyotomi clan and providing a base for the control of territories in the vicinity of the capital which were under direct imperial rule. Ieyasu became shogun by imperial proclamation at Fushimi Castle in 1603, and this marked the beginning of the Edo bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun). Ieyasu made Fushimi-jo Castle his base, until officially selecting Sunpu Castle in 1607. After Ieyasu moved to Sunpu, Sadakatsu MATSUDAIRA, the younger half-brother of Ieyasu (different father), moved into Fushimi receiving the territory with a yield of 50,000 koku from the Kakegawa Domain in Enshu, and this led to the Fushimi Domain becoming independent. Sadakatsu received an imperial grant of 20,000 koku for his contribution to the defense of Kyoto together with Katsushige ITAKURA of Kyoto shoshidai (the position which administered western Japan). Fushimi Castle was also an important base for the Tokugawa side in the Osaka no jin Battle.
In 1617, after the destruction of the Toyotomi clan, Sadakatsu was transferred to the Kuwana Domain in Ise Province, which had a greater yield than Fushimi of 60,000 koku; to replace Sadakatsu, Nobumasa NAITO of the Takatsuki Domain in Settsu Province was transferred to Fushimi, a territory that had a yield of 10,000 koku more than the 40,000-koku yield of Takatsuki. After the demise of the Toyotomi family, however, Fushimi-jo castle was no longer deemed to be an important base, and following the transfer of the castle-keeper, Nobumasa, to Osaka-jo castle in July 1619, the Fushimi Domain was abolished, and the Castle came under the control of the shogunate administrator in Fushimi.
When Iemitsu TOKUGAWA became shogun by imperial proclamation at Fushimi-jo Castle in 1623, Fushimi-jo Castle was destroyed due to the edict which stated that each domain could only have a single castle.
Later, peach trees were planted in the castle ruins, and Fushimi became famous for its peaches. The fact that the period of Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI is known as the Momoyama Period is said to derive from these peach trees.
The Matsudaira (Hisamatsu) family
Shinpan (a domain established by an ancestor who was the descendant in the male line of Ieyasu TOKUGAWA) - 50,000 koku
The Naito family (Nobunari lineage)
Hereditary daimyo - 50,000 koku