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21-497: The domain shifted from a poor, indebted, and corruptly led domain to a very prosperous one in only a few decades in the 1760s–80s. Yonezawa was declared in 1830 by the shogunate to be the paragon of a well-managed domain. Scholar Mark Ravina used Yonezawa as a case study in analysing the political status and conceptions of statehood and identity in the feudal domains of the Edo period (1603–1868). The region which later became Yonezawa Domain

42-503: A few scholars actively working to challenge those who equate the Tokugawa shogunate's authority with the "state" in Japan in this period. Working off of the ideas and terms coined by Takeshi Mizubayashi , Ravina explores the notion of a "compound state" in which the daimyō (feudal lords) are not merely governors in the service of the Tokugawa regime, but rulers of semi-independent states within

63-461: A reexamination of notions of statehood and national identity in the Tokugawa period. The influence of this new discourse on statehood is evident in the use of the plural "Japanese States" in the title of the newest book by Timon Screech , a specialist on Edo period art history: The Shogun's Painted Culture: Fear and Creativity in the Japanese States, 1760-1829. His most recent book To Stand with

84-517: Is likely most well known for his book The Last Samurai: the Life and Battles of Saigō Takamori , published in 2004. Much of Ravina's scholarly work centers on notions of national identity and state-building in early modern Japan. His book Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan (published in 1999) centers on this topic, as do a number of journal articles and talks given by Ravina. He is one of only

105-447: Is the westernmost of the three regions of Fukushima Prefecture , Japan , the other two regions being Nakadōri in the central area of the prefecture and Hamadōri in the east. As of October 1, 2010, it had a population of 291,838. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu . It was part of Mutsu Province ; the area once was part of Iwase Province created during the reign of Empress Genshō . The Yōrō Ritsuryo established

126-642: The Sekigahara Campaign , and lost, becoming tozama daimyō (outsider lords) under the new shogunate. Their income and territory worth 1,200,000 koku was reduced to 300,000, and they were forced to leave their holdings in Aizu, and were allowed to keep only Yonezawa, which they recovered from Naoe Kanetsugu. Their new domain thus consisted of 180,000 koku in Dewa Province, and 120,000 koku in neighboring Mutsu province. This 300,000 koku territory would represent

147-557: The abolition of the han system as a whole two years later, and was then combined with Okitama prefecture to form Yamagata prefecture. The final daimyō of Yonezawa, Uesugi Mochinori, was later ennobled with the new kazoku peerage title of hakushaku ( Count ). Famous advisors ( karō ) of the Yonezawa Domain through the course of the Edo period included Chisaka Takafusa , Irobe Matashirō , and Chisaka Takamasa . Yonezawa Shinden Domain ( 米沢新田藩 , Yonezawa Shinden han )

168-516: The Emperor may indeed reign over it." The Alliance members also acknowledged their debt to Hoshina Masayuki , the first Aizu lord, who was a respected figure in many domains. After several months the Alliance was defeated, and the new Meiji government reduced the domain by 40,000 koku , and its subsidiary domain of "Yonezawa Shinden han" was abolished in 1869. Yonezawa Domain became Yonezawa prefecture with

189-636: The Iwase Province in 718 through the division of the Michinoku Province ( Mutsu Province ). It was composed of five districts of Shirakawa (白河), Iwase (石背), Aizu (会津), Asaka (安積) and Shinobu (信夫). The area encompassed by the province reverted to Mutsu some time between 722 and 724. During the Edo period , Aizu Domain ( 会津藩 , Aizu-han ) was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled most of

210-679: The Nations of the World: Japan's Meiji Restoration in World History won the 2018 book prize from the Southeast Conference of the Association for Asian Studies Land and Lordship was translated into Japanese and released as Meikun no satetsu in 2004. Ravina also served as a guest consultant in two documentary films about the samurai and Tokugawa Japan in 2003, following upon the success of

231-572: The domain in half, down to only the 150,000 koku portion within Dewa province. This decision led to severe financial difficulties in the domain, for the Uesugi and their administration, and for the increasingly impoverished peasants. The problem became so severe that the eighth daimyō , Uesugi Shigetada , seriously considered surrendering the domain to the shogunate. Instead, he resigned his position as daimyō in favor of Uesugi Harunori , who then began to reform

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252-423: The domain's administration and to revive its economy. He introduced strict disciplinary measures, and ordered the execution of several karō who opposed his plans. In order to finance castle repairs imposed upon his domain by the shogunate, Harunori asked his retainers to agree to a reduction of their stipends. As a result of these various measures, Yonezawa again became fairly prosperous, and did not suffer much from

273-482: The domain, but within it, shogunal orders did not apply unless conveyed by the daimyō . In 1664, the third daimyō of Yonezawa, Uesugi Tsunakatsu , died without producing an heir. The succession was determined at the advice of his father-in-law, Hoshina Masayuki , the younger brother to shōgun Tokugawa Iemitsu . He suggested that the clan adopt Uesugi Tsunanori , the son of Tsunakatsu's younger sister and Kira Yoshinaka as heir, although this would mean splitting

294-609: The film The Last Samurai . The title and subject of his book on Saigō Takamori, upon whom the film's central character Lord Katsumoto was based, was purely coincidence. Having published a number of articles on state-building and national identity within Tokugawa Japan, Ravina is now turning towards addressing the subject as it pertains to Tokugawa Japan in a more global context. He earned his BA from Columbia University in 1983, and his MA and PhD from Stanford University in 1988 and 1991 respectively. Aizu Aizu ( 会津 )

315-629: The great famine which swept Japan in the Tenmei era (1781–89). In 1830, the shogunate formally declared Yonezawa to be a choice example of a well-governed domain. The domain had a population of 127,277 people in 23,440 households per the 1870 census. It maintained its primary residence ( kamiyashiki ) in Edo near the Sakurada-mon gate to Edo Castle. The site is now the head office of the Ministry of Justice (Japan) . The domain's secondary residence ( shimoyashiki )

336-466: The greater Tokugawa state. This alternative to the traditional view of a monolithic, unified Edo period Japanese state invites not only rethinking of a great many aspects of Edo period history, but also engages with a wider ongoing scholarly discourse on the notions of "nation" and "state" in general. Numerous scholars, including Luke S. Roberts , Ronald Toby and John Whitney Hall have made reference to his work, engaging with it in their own pursuits of

357-434: The peak of the Uesugi clan's income during the Tokugawa period. As with most of the han , Yonezawa acted as a semi-independent state, ruled directly by its daimyō . The Uesugi demanded respect for the shogunate from their retainers, and forbade public criticism, but only imposed and enforced those edicts and policies set by the central authorities which they chose to. Retainers were ordered to obey shogunal laws while outside

378-501: Was founded in 1719 for Uesugi Katsuchika, the fourth son of Uesugi Tsunanori, the 4th daimyō of Yonezawa Domain, who assigned him 10,000 koku of new rice revenues. The domain continued as a subsidiary of Yonezawa Domain, ruled by a succession of younger sons of the parent house. Following the defeat of Yonezawa Domain in the Boshin War, Yonezawa Shinden Domain was reabsorbed into its parent domain, and its final daimyō , Uesugi Katsumichi

399-606: Was held by the Date clan for much of the Sengoku period , from 1548 to 1591, when Toyotomi Hideyoshi came to power and declared the Date move to Iwadeyama in Mutsu Province . The Gamō clan were given Aizu to govern under the Uesugi, and Tairō Uesugi Kagekatsu gave his karō (advisor) Naoe Kanetsugu a 300,000 koku income. In 1600, however, the Uesugi opposed Tokugawa Ieyasu in

420-606: Was in Azabu , and its tertiary residence (nakayashiki) was in Shirogane . When the Boshin War erupted in 1868, and the shogunate came to an end with the abdication of shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu , the Uesugi joined the "Northern Alliance" ( Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei ), voicing their support for the embattled Aizu domain and opposing Satsuma and Chōshū domination of the new imperial government, while stating an intent to "reconquer Japan, that

441-624: Was later granted the kazoku peerage title of shishaku ( viscount ). Mark Ravina Mark Ravina (born 1961) is a scholar of early modern ( Tokugawa ) Japanese history and Japanese Studies at the University of Texas at Austin , where he has taught since 2019. He currently holds the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Chair in Japanese Studies. From 1991 to 2019 he taught at Emory University . Outside of academic circles, he

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