Yamakami Domain (山上藩)
The Yamakami Domain existed in Omi Province (present-day Yamakami-cho, Higashi-Omi City, Shiga Prefecture). The seat of the domain was Yamakami-jinya (regional government office).
Summary
Yamakami was situated in a strategically important location between Omi and Ise Provinces. During the rule of Toyotomi, the territory of Yamakami was owned by Ietsugu SUGIHARA, Nagamasa ASANO and Nobutaka ODA (seventh son of Nobunaga ODA). The Yamakami Domain was founded under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate, when Shigenobu ANDO, a hereditary vassal of Tokugawa settled in. The Yamakami Domain was successively headed by the Ando family, lord Shigenaga ANDO and lord Shigehiro ANDO, although the domain was abolished and became a tenryo (shogunal demesne) when Shigehiro was promoted to roju (member of shogun's council of elders) and transferred to the Bitchu Matsuyama Domain on June 12, 1695.
On April 17, 1698, the Yamakami Domain was revived when wakadoshiyori (a managerial position in the Edo bakufu [Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun]) Shigesada INAGAKI was transferred in from Hitachi Province. The domain's territory was valued at 13,000 koku. While the governance over the domain was established by Shigesada through measures including the implementation of a bugyo (magistrate) system, the domain's finance was loaded with heavy recovery expenses due to the Great Fire of Edo which broke out during the rule of the third lord Sadamichi INAGAKI, destroying both the domain's kamiyashiki (daimyo's main residence) and shimoyashiki (suburban residence) in Edo. Reformations based mainly on scrimping and saving along with development of new fields were carried out by Sadamichi, although these turned out unsuccessful and failed after all when Sadamichi died young. With the Tenmei Famine when cold weather led to poor harvest over years, the financial situation of the domain was worsened. Even though many of the lords of the domain served important posts such as wakadoshiyori, Osaka-kaban (a secondary guard post of Osaka-jo Castle), Oban gashira (captains of the great guards) and sojaban (an official in charge of the ceremonies) one after another, such service only added further expense on top of the domain's suffering financial situation.
At the end of the Edo period, while the eighth lord of the domain Motokiyo INAGAKI remained a Sabaku-ha (supporter of the Shogun) by serving such posts as Oban gashira, Osaka-joban (a primary guard post of Osaka-jo Castle), and bugyo of navy, Motoaki INAGAKI, who acted as proxy when Motokiyo was confined to bed with illness around the Meiji Restoration, started to shift towards pro-new government. Motokiyo retired from his post after lands and people were returned to the emperor in 1869, and accordingly Motoyoshi became the governor of domain. Various reformations were further implemented including the establishment of a civil administration office, a court of justice, and a domain school named Bunbukan, until the domain was converted to Yamakami Prefecture through the Haihan-chiken (abolition of feudal domains and establishment of prefectures) in August 1871. December the same year, Yamakami Prefecture was absorbed into Otsu Prefecture, and further into Shiga Prefecture the following year. The family of Inagaki was created viscount.