Tendō Domain

nihongo|Tendō Domain|天童藩|Tendō-han was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Dewa Province. Tendō was a "tozama" domain.

Tendō was the site of a castle built in 1360 by Shiba Yorinao. In the 16th century, it was part of the territory controlled by the Satomi clan. From 1830-1868, its daimyo was from a branch of the Oda clan, direct descendants of the famed Oda Nobunaga.

From 1767, the Oda clan has been based in nearby Takabatake, in Dewa province with revenues of 20,000 "koku". However, the Temmei Great Famine of 1782-1783 hit the region very hard, and reduced many of the peasants and even "samurai" of the domain to starvation. The domain went bankrupt, and the Oda were shifted to the smaller domain of Tendō in 1820. Although Tendō also had nominal revenues of 20,000 "koku", it was located in a mountainous area with limited farming prospects, and actual revenue was smaller. To make ends meet, the Tendō "samurai" were forced to raise and process safflower, used in the Edo period primarily as a pigment in foods and cosmetics.

During the Boshin War of the Meiji restoration, the forces loyal to Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu were defeated in the Battle of Ueno, and fled north. However, representatives of the former shogunate peacefully surrendered Edo to the new Meiji government. [Ōishi, "Boshin sensō", p. 56] The new government then ordered the "daimyo" of the northern domains to report and pledge their allegiance to the new government in early 1868.

Oda Nobumichi declared himself too ill to travel, and sent his son Oda Nobutoshi in his place. Oda Nobutoshi and his senior retainer Yoshida Daihachi were ordered to act as guide and escort to the imperial army being sent to the Tohoku region against the northern domains, especially centered around nearby Shōnai domain. Oda Nobutoshi participated in the attack on Shōnai, and in retaliation, Shōnai forces burned Tendō "Jin'ya" and town in April. The Tokugawa shogunate provided a relief fund of 5000 ryō to help with the rebuilding.Fact|date=March 2008 With the formation of the "Ouetsu Reppan Domei" of northern domains against the new Meiji government, Tendō initially attempted to remain neutral, but joined the alliance in May 1868. [Ōishi, pp. 121-122.] Following the defeat of the northern forces in the Boshin War, Nobutoshi was placed under house arrest, replaced as "daimyo" by his infant son Suemaru, and the domain revenues were decreased to 18,000 "koku". [Ōishi, p. 210.] Tendō domain was abolished with the Abolition of the han system in 1871.

The former Tendō domain is now part of Tendō city, Yamagata Prefecture.

List of daimyo

* "' 1830-1871

References

*cite book
last = Keane
first = Donald
year = 2005
title = Emperor Of Japan: Meiji And His World, 1852-1912
publisher = Columbia University Press
location =
id = ISBN 0-231-12341-8
*cite book
last = Hoshi
first = Ryoichi
year = 1995
title = Ouetsu Reppan Domei: Higashi Nihon seifu juritsu no yume (Japanese)
publisher = Chuo Koronsha
location =
id = ISBN 4121012356
*cite book
last = Ōishi
first = Manabu
year = 2002
title = Boshin sensō: haisha no Meiji ishin (Japanese)
publisher = Chūōkōron-shinsha
location =
id = ISBN 4121004558