great man

[Miyagi Prefecture during the Boshin War] What was the decision of the Sendai domain, the great domain of Ou?

The Sendai Domain became the leader of the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance and played a central role in the battle against the Imperial Army, but little is known about its actions during the Boshin War

The reality of this powerful domain, the largest in the Tohoku region and said to have a total military strength of 35,000, was that it was constantly torn between the shogunate and the new Meiji government

The Sendai domain had the highest kokudaka and family status in Oshu

Although the Sendai domain at the end of the Edo period was an outside daimyo, it controlled the entire Miyagi prefecture and southern Iwate prefecture, including its branch domains. Its official kokudaka of 620,000 koku was the third highest at the time, but it is said that its actual kokudaka exceeded 1 million koku due to the development of the Sendai Plain

Sendai castle ruins
Sendai castle ruins

Furthermore, the lord of the domain, Date Yoshikuni, was the 13th generation from the founder of the domain, Masamune, and the 29th head of the Date clan. He was given the high rank of Junior Fourth Rank Upper Left Middle Captain of the Imperial Guard and the official title of "Mutsu no Kami", and was allowed to use the Matsudaira name by the Shogun family, making it an extremely large domain that was treated differently from other domains in Oshu

The family wavered between reverence for the Emperor and expulsion of foreigners and support for the shogunate and the opening of the country

Before the war, the domain was in conflict between the pro-imperial, anti-foreign faction led by Endo Sanenobu, who sought to get closer to the Imperial Court and intervene in central politics, and the faction led by Tadaki Tosa, who opposed the new government and advocated supporting the shogunate and opening the country to the outside world

However, when Endo lost the political struggle and Tadaki Tosa took control of the domain, the Sendai domain turned towards supporting the shogunate

Lord Yoshikuni works hard to avoid war

After the Battle of Toba-Fushimi in 1868, the Aizu clan was declared an enemy of the imperial court, and its lord, Matsudaira Katamori, returned to Aizu

The Sendai domain was ordered by the new government to attack Aizu, and the Aizu domain was asked to intercede with the Imperial Court

Yoshikuni requested that the expedition be stopped and sent his retainers to Tokyo to propose to the new government that the Aizu and Shonai domains be pardoned, but the expeditionary force had already departed and it was too late

He then sent a proposal to other domains in the Oshu region, requesting cooperation from the Aizu and Shonai domains in petitioning for pardon, and held a meeting in Shiroishi, within the Sendai domain

On the other hand, Yoshikuni only went to war in response to the order to carry out the expedition, and instead urged the Aizu clan to surrender

However, although the Aizu clan initially agreed to surrender, they ultimately refused, and Yoshikuni gave up trying to persuade them

The Oshu Pacification General Headquarters and Imperial Army Enter Sendai

In March 1868, the Oshu Pacification General Headquarters (Governor General Kujo Michitaka) and 500 government troops entered Sendai to invade Aizu and Shonai

The government forces were counting on the military strength of the various Oshu domains, but becoming impatient with the domains' slow response, they attacked the Shonai domain alone, only to be repelled

As calls grew within the domain for them to fight against the government forces together with the Aizu and Shonai domains, the Shiraishi Conference was held, bringing together 14 domains from the Oshu region and submitting a joint petition for pardon

However, this was rejected by the Governor-General's Office, and the various feudal domains became enraged and withdrew their troops from the pursuit

The assassination of the Imperial Army's lower staff officer and the establishment of the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance

While the government forces in Sendai were attacking the Shonai domain, an incident occurred in which Sera Shuzo, a staff officer at the Governor-General's Office, was captured and beheaded in Fukushima City by Sendai domain samurai

The flag of the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance at Shiroishi Castle
The flag of the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance at Shiroishi Castle

Sera's arrogant behavior mocked the Sendai domain for not taking action to attack Aizu, earning him the resentment of the Sendai domain's samurai

This incident and the rejection of the petition prompted the establishment of the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance, which was further joined by six other domains from Hokuetsu, including the Nagaoka Domain, and the Oshu-Uetsu Alliance was established

Sera Shuzo Official Tomb <Information>

Google Map

The Sendai clan marches out to battle at the Battle of Shirakawaguchi

The Sendai domain, which had become the leader, placed Governor Kujo and others under house arrest in Sendai Castle, and in cooperation with the Aizu domain, recaptured Komine Castle in Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, which had been in the hands of the government forces, but it was soon recaptured by the government forces

Shirakawa-Komine Castle Ruins
Shirakawa-Komine Castle Ruins

The Aizu-Sendai allied forces subsequently attacked Komine Castle seven times, but were unable to take it

Shirakawa Komine Castle Ruins＜Information＞

  • Name: Shirakawa Komine Castle Ruins
  • Address: Kakuuchi, Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture 961-0074
  • URL: Shirakawa City HP

Google Map

Fukushima's Hamadori region is being pushed back by the government forces

In July 1868, 750 government troops landed at Hiragata in Hitachi (Ibaraki Prefecture). The Alliance of the Feudal Clans, led by the Sendai Domain, tried to stop them but was defeated. The government army, now swelled to 1,500 with reinforcements, headed north

Iwakidaira Castle Main Keep Site
Iwakidaira Castle Main Keep Site

In the Battle of Iwaki, Iwakihira Castle fell, and the government forces suffered further defeats at the hands of reinforcements. When the Nakamura Domain of Soma showed signs of surrendering, the Sendai Domain retreated to Komagamine, on the border with the Nakamura Domain

Iwakidaira Castle Main Keep Site <Information>

Google Map

The Battle of Komagamine and Hatamaki Pass, which determined the fate of the Sendai Domain

The Sendai domain stationed 2,000 soldiers at Komagamine, a fortress on the domain border, and 1,200 at Hatamaki Pass to the west, to face off against the 3,000-strong government army, which included soldiers from the Soma Nakamura domain

In fact, the Sendai domain, which was said to have a military strength of 35,000, could only mobilize around 7,000 troops, with only 3,200 stationed at strongholds on the domain border. Eventually, Komagamine was taken by the government forces, allowing them to invade the domain's territory

After repeatedly failing to recapture Komagamine and the fall of Hatamaki Pass, the government forces, now with no worries about their future, attacked Aizu, but the Sendai domain was unable to act

Hatamaki Pass <Information>

  • Name: Hatamaki Pass
  • Address: Hatsunouchizawa, Soma City, Fukushima Prefecture, 976-0051
  • URL:ー

Google Map

The Sendai Domain's stance shifts to submission, as determined by the decision of its lord, Yoshikuni

As defeats continued in every battle, calls for surrender gradually grew within the Sendai domain

Then he received news that the Yonezawa domain, which he had relied on, was planning to surrender, and Yoshikuni, who was bedridden at the time, finally decided to surrender

Sendai Castle Ruins <Information>

Google Map

summary

After the war, the Sendai domain ordered the lord, Yoshikuni, to be placed under house arrest and his territory confiscated, but his eldest son, Munemoto, was allowed to inherit the domain, although his fief was later reduced to 280,000 koku

However, the domain's economy was strained due to the reduction in its fief, and the vassals returned to farming. In addition, the Date clan's lord of Watari, Kunishige, and his vassals migrated en masse to Hokkaido, where they developed the present-day city of Date

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