Koizumi Domain (小泉藩)
Koizumi Domain was a domain which existed in Yamato Province (current Koizumi-cho, Yamatokoriyama City, Nara Prefecture). Its castle for a daimyo (a feudal lord) was called Koizumi Jinya.
History of the domain
The original forefather of Koizumi Domain was Sadataka KATAGIRI, the younger brother of Katsumoto KATAGIRI who served Hideyoshi TOYOTOMI and earned his fame as one of Shizugatake Shichihon Yari (Shizugatake Seven Spears) during the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583. Sadataka also served Hideyoshi just like his brother and left achievements in the Siege of Odawara and the Bunroku War, which earned him 10,000 koku crop yields in Harima Province.
After the death of Hideyoshi, he served Hideoyori TOYOTOMI. After the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, Ieyasu TOKUGAWA moved Sadataka's territory to Yamato Koizumi with 10,000 koku crop yields. This was the foundation of the domain of Koizumi. Sadataka and his brother Katsumoto struggled to support the declining Toyotomi clan, but after the issue of Hoko-ji Temple Shomei (inscription on the bell) incident which occurred in 1614, Hideyori started to suspect he and Katsumoto secretly contacted with Ieyasu. Therefore, the Katagiri brothers left Osaka-jo Castle and moved to Ibaraki-jo Castle in the Settsu Province. It was reported that when the Katagiri brothers' army left, 300 stern soldiers were fully-armored and even made their harquebus ignited. Due to the departure of the Katagiri brothers, the Toyotomi clan lost the last pillar, and was defeated by Ieyasu in the Siege of Osaka the same year.
After the war, Sadataka became a vassal of Ieyasu and received the additional yield of 6,000 koku, resulting in the Koizumi Domain with 16,000 koku.
Sadamasa KATAGIRI, the second lord of the domain, was the son of Sadataka, and he was a master of tea ceremony well known as the alias Sekishu KATAGIRI. In 1665, he became the tea ceremony coach of Ietsuna TOKUGAWA and established the status of Sekishu school. Besides, he also left a great achievement in architecture. As Sadamasa gave Sadaharu KATAGIRI, his younger brother, 3,000 koku crop yields, Koizumi Domain came to own 13,000 koku yield crops.
Also, Sadafusa KATAGIRI, the third lord who was the third son of Sadamasa, gave 1000 koku crop yields to Nobutaka SHIMOJO, his older brother by a concubine, and the domain's koku became 12,000. The total yield was once again reduced to 11,000 after 1000 koku was taken by the government.
The fifth lord, Sadanari KATAGIRI, was charged for his failure by the bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun). The eighth lord, Sadanobu KATAGIRI was a master of tea ceremony with the alias Sonsai, and seen as the Chunko no So (the founder of a renaissance) for the Sekishu school.
During the end of the bakufu administration, the lords passed away early one after another, so the family decided to adopt a lord from another family from the eleventh lord, Sadatoshi KATAGIRI. However, Sadatoshi also died soon. In the era of Sadaatsu KATAGIRI who turned out to be the last lord, the bakufu faced its end. Sadaatsu was from the Matsudaira family of the Mito Domain, and while he first supported Sabaku-ha (supporters of the Shogun side) by contributing to the suppression of the Tenchu-gumi Incident, he helped the new government in the Boshin War in 1868 and defended Kyoto.
He became the prefectural governor of Koizumi Domain through Hanseki Hokan (the return of lands and people to the emperor) in 1869, but lost the position through Haihan Chiken (abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures) in 1871, by which Koizumi Domain was also abolished.