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''Kunimochi'', literally "province-holding", was the highest of five tiers of status for [[Edo period]] ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]''.<ref>[[William Beasley|Beasley, William]]. ''The Meiji Restoration''. Stanford University Press, 1972. pp23-24.</ref> The eighteen to twenty ''daimyô'' who enjoyed this level of status were the tier just below those of the ''[[Gosanke]]'', the three branch families of the shogun's own [[Tokugawa clan]]. While all ''daimyô'' enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy, with the shogunate generally not meddling in domain's internal affairs, the shogunate is said to have been particularly hesitant to interfere in the affairs of the powerful ''kunimochi daimyô''.<ref name=ravina3>[[Mark Ravina]], ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan'', Stanford University Press (1999), 3.</ref>

''Kunimochi'', literally "province-holding", was the highest of five tiers of status for [[Edo period]] ''[[daimyo|daimyô]]''.<ref>[[William Beasley|Beasley, William]]. ''The Meiji Restoration''. Stanford University Press, 1972. pp23-24.</ref> The eighteen to twenty ''daimyô'' who enjoyed this level of status were the tier just below those of the ''[[Gosanke]]'', the three branch families of the shogun's own [[Tokugawa clan]]. While all ''daimyô'' enjoyed a certain degree of autonomy, with the shogunate generally not meddling in domain's internal affairs, the shogunate is said to have been particularly hesitant to interfere in the affairs of the powerful ''kunimochi daimyô''.<ref name=ravina3>[[Mark Ravina]], ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan'', Stanford University Press (1999), 3.</ref>

In concept, these were the ''daimyô'' who possessed either an entire [[province]], or a contiguous [[han|domain]] of equivalent geographic size; these eighteen to twenty domains, combined, covered roughly 1/3 of the land area of the Japanese archipelago.<ref name=ravina3/> However, despite the literal meaning of the term ''kunimochi'', extremely few Edo period ''daimyô'' actually controlled an entire province. Some ''kunimochi daimyô'', furthermore, were granted the title honorarily, and in fact held domains considerably smaller and less wealthy than other ''kunimochi daimyô''. These weaker ''daimyô'' were known as ''jun-kunimochi'' (準国持), or "quasi-''kunimochi'', and held a status just slightly below that of other ''kunimochi daimyô'', but within the same tier of status ranking, above those without ''kunimochi'' or ''junkunimochi'' status.

In concept, these were the ''daimyô'' who possessed either an entire [[provinces|province]], or a contiguous [[han|domain]] of equivalent geographic size; these eighteen to twenty domains, combined, covered roughly 1/3 of the land area of the Japanese archipelago.<ref name=ravina3/> However, despite the literal meaning of the term ''kunimochi'', very few Edo period ''daimyô'' actually controlled an entire province. Those who did were known as ''honkunimochi'', while others who did not explicitly control a whole province but were of equivalent power were known as ''taishin kunimochi'', or "great country holders." Some ''kunimochi daimyô'', furthermore, were granted the title honorarily, and in fact held domains considerably smaller and less wealthy than other ''kunimochi daimyô''. These weaker ''daimyô'' were known as ''jun-kunimochi'' (準国持), or "quasi-''kunimochi'', and held a status just slightly below that of other ''kunimochi daimyô'', but within the same tier of status ranking, above those without ''kunimochi'' or ''junkunimochi'' status.

The term was also employed in the [[Muromachi period]], but in a different fashion. ''[[Shugo]]'' ("governors") of domains in Muromachi Japan were expected to use ''kunimochi'' individuals as their intermediaries when communicating with the [[Ashikaga shogunate]]. The ''kunimochi'' at this time were much fewer: the [[Hosokawa clan]] were the ''kunimochi'' for the [[Kanto region|Kantô region]] and [[Shikoku]], the [[Yamana clan]] were ''kunimochi'' for [[Ise province|Ise]], [[Kai province|Kai]], and [[Suruga province]]s, and the [[Hatakeyama clan]] were the ''kunimochi'' for [[Shinano province|Shinano]], [[Echigo province|Echigo]], [[Etchu province|Etchû]], and [[Kaga province]]s, while the ''[[Kyushu tandai]]'' served the role for the island of [[Kyushu]].<ref>Brinkley, Frank and Dairoku Kikuchi. ''A history of the Japanese people from the earliest times to the end of the Meiji era''. Encyclopedia Brittanica Co., 1915. p436.</ref>

The term was also employed in the [[Muromachi period]], but in a different fashion. ''[[Shugo]]'' ("governors") of domains in Muromachi Japan were expected to use ''kunimochi'' individuals as their intermediaries when communicating with the [[Ashikaga shogunate]]. The ''kunimochi'' at this time were much fewer: the [[Hosokawa clan]] were the ''kunimochi'' for the [[Kanto region|Kantô region]] and [[Shikoku]], the [[Yamana clan]] were ''kunimochi'' for [[Ise province|Ise]], [[Kai province|Kai]], and [[Suruga province]]s, and the [[Hatakeyama clan]] were the ''kunimochi'' for [[Shinano province|Shinano]], [[Echigo province|Echigo]], [[Etchu province|Etchû]], and [[Kaga province]]s, while the ''[[Kyushu tandai]]'' served the role for the island of [[Kyushu]].<ref>Brinkley, Frank and Dairoku Kikuchi. ''A history of the Japanese people from the earliest times to the end of the Meiji era''. Encyclopedia Brittanica Co., 1915. p436.</ref>

==Kunimochi Daimyô==

==Kunimochi Daimyô==

*[[Maeda clan]] of [[Kaga han]]

*[[Maeda clan]] of [[Kaga han]]

*[[Matsudaira clan]] of [[Fukui han]]

*[[Ikeda clan]] of [[Okayama han]]

*Ikeda clan of [[Tottori han]]

*[[Mori clan|Môri clan]] of [[Choshu han|Chôshû han]]

*[[Mori clan|Môri clan]] of [[Choshu han|Chôshû han]]

*[[Nabeshima clan]] of [[Saga han]]

*[[Hachisuka clan]] of [[Tokushima han]]

*[[Kuroda clan]] of [[Fukuoka han]]

*[[Shimazu clan]] of [[Satsuma han]]

*[[Shimazu clan]] of [[Satsuma han]]

*[[Uesugi clan]] of [[Yonezawa han]]

*[[Uesugi clan]] of [[Yonezawa han]]

*[[Yamauchi clan]] of [[Tosa han]]

*[[Arima clan]] of [[Kurume han]]

 

==Junkunimochi Daimyô==

===Junkunimochi Daimyô===

*[[Date clan]] of [[Uwajima han]]<ref>[[Luke Roberts|Roberts, Luke]]. ''Performing the Great Peace: Political Space and Open Secrets in Tokugawa Japan''. University of Hawaii Press, 2012. p114.</ref>

*[[Date clan]] of [[Uwajima han]]<ref>[[Luke Roberts|Roberts, Luke]]. ''Performing the Great Peace: Political Space and Open Secrets in Tokugawa Japan''. University of Hawaii Press, 2012. p114.</ref>