The Wa(mainland Japan）people's control of the Ezo in Matsumae ~AUG, 2025~

The Matsumae clan, the only feudal lord in Ezo (Hokkaido) under the feudal domain system, originally called themselves the Kakizaki clan, but after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's death, they quickly pledged allegiance to Tokugawa Ieyasu and changed their surname to Matsumae. It is said that the name is of Ainu origin, or that it was taken from Matsudaira and Maeda, but despite living in a remote area, they made sound judgments during times of political upheaval, and during the Boshin War, although they initially belonged to the Ouetsu Alliance, they betrayed it and joined the Imperial Army.

In the NHK historical drama "Berabou," Enari Kazuki plays Matsumae Michihiro, who makes his living through exclusive trade with the Ainu people of Ezo. The Matsumae family was a feudal lord with a stipend of 10,000 koku, but they could not produce rice within their territory, so their main source of income was trading rights with the Ainu, and they provided their vassals with trading rights in specific locations as stipends.

Incidentally, Michihiro's younger brother Hirotoshi was played by comedian Hyoroku. The contrast between the cunning Michihiro and the naive and foolish Hirotoshi was amusing, and the story was set in Yoshiwara as the Tanuma father and son pursued their plan to develop Ezo, discovering the source of revenue for the Matsumae domain. In reality, the story was based on the fact that, in addition to the increasing power of the shogunate due to direct control, the importance of national defense was also increasing in order to counter the territorial expansion of the Qing dynasty and Russia.

Hirotoshi was actually a chief retainer of the Matsumae domain and also a famous painter who went by the name Kakizaki Hakyo, and he left behind many paintings of Ainu chieftains.

He has a grave at Hogenji Temple, but it is small and unassuming for a chief retainer and the younger brother of the feudal lord.

Hodouji Temple is the Matsumae family temple, and the graves of successive feudal lords are lined up here. Apparently, the ceiling of the mausoleum that houses the memorial tablets is decorated with a painting of the echoing waves.

The Oshu region had long been outside the country as the territory of the Emishi, but after the reign of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, it was gradually conquered. After the Battles of Zenkunen and Gosannen, and the rise and fall of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, during the Kamakura period, the Hojo clan sent vassals to northern Oshu to manage the territory, and the Ando clan, descendants of the Abe clan who fought against Minamoto no Yoriyoshi, established themselves in Tosaminato and Akita.

It seems that Japanese forces first arrived in southern Hokkaido as rulers in the 15th century, when the Abe clan and their vassals built castles along the Tsugaru Strait and began their rule in earnest. The Kakizaki clan was one of these lords who was sent to Kaminokuni by the Ando clan, and Takeda Nobuhiro, a visiting general, was adopted as a son-in-law and took the name Kakizaki. The Matsumae clan traces its roots back to Takeda Nobuhiro.

It is said that Nobuhiro was either from the Nanbu clan or the Wakasa Takeda clan, but the explanation at Matsumae Castle included a family tree from the Wakasa Takeda clan. Either way, it doesn't make much difference since they originated from the Kai Genji clan. Matsumae Shrine, dedicated to Takeda Nobuhiro, is located within Matsumae Castle.

Kakizaki Nobuhiro won a battle against the Ainu (Battle of Koshamain) and built Katsuyama Castle. Excavations that began in 1979 uncovered a huge amount of remains and artifacts, revealing that the castle was a major political, military and trading base in the Middle Ages, and it has been designated as one of the "another 100 Greatest Castles in Japan." Guidance equipment has also been installed, making it easy to climb up to the top of the mountain where the torii gate is located.

As a result of Hideyoshi's unification of Japan, the Imperial Court and the nobility, which had long been impoverished, regained a certain income and resumed important court customs. However, some young nobles and court ladies who were unaware of the hardships of the past disrupted the morals of the Imperial Court, and this came to light as the Inokuma Incident. One of the ringleaders, Kazanin Tadanaga, had been having repeated trysts with a court lady who was favored by the Emperor of the time (Emperor Goyozei), and was therefore exiled to the Matsumae Domain.

Their courteous response seems to have earned them the trust of the Kyoto aristocracy. The first lord, Yoshihiro, married his grandson and successor, Kimihiro, from the Oinomikado family, and continued to take wives from aristocratic families throughout the Edo period. Raising the family's status relative to Edo and Kyoto was an important issue for the domain. While the trading rights inherent in Ezo were lost with the land acquisition, by the end of the Edo period, the domain finally achieved a status of 30,000 koku, acquired rice-producing territory on the mainland (Yanagawa, Date City, Fukushima Prefecture), and was granted castle status by the shogunate under the pretext of strengthening coastal defenses. The tenth lord, Matsumae Takahiro, was fluent in foreign languages and military science. After inheriting the family headship in 1849, he held a number of important posts in the shogunate and became a senior councilor. However, it was too late; he fell from grace amid the political strife of the sonno joi movement and died of illness. Photographs reveal that he was a handsome man.

If you want to learn about Ainu culture and history, a facility called Upopoy in Shiraoi town near Noboribetsu is a good choice. It opened five years ago and includes the National Ainu Museum, where you can learn about the history and customs of the Ainu.

Although they look close on the map, Matsumae and Hakodate are about 100km apart. Traveling by car is convenient in Hokkaido, but if you don't check in advance, you'll often be shocked when you see the distance on a road sign. I relaxed at a hotel in Onuma, which is designated as a national park, and there was an option to walk around Onuma while eating breakfast, which I was able to enjoy thanks to the sunny weather. I was looking around so much that I can't remember what I had for breakfast, but the clusters of lotus flowers visible from the water were just like Monet's water lilies.

If you climb up to the Kijihiki Plateau from Lake Onuma, you will come to an observation deck where you can enjoy a 360-degree panorama. Mt. Komagatake seen from the lake was beautiful, but the view of Mt. Komagatake and Lake Onuma seen from the plateau is like a miracle. This mountain experienced a huge explosion 400 years ago, causing the summit to collapse and take on its current shape, but it seems that it was originally a stratovolcano like Mt. Fuji, and Lake Onuma was also formed at that time. Takeda Nobuhiro must have seen a completely different Mt. Komagatake.

From here you can see the town of Hakodate

You can also see Funka Bay. I think I'll start from here next time I visit Hakodate.