Honma family

The Honma family was a family of wealthy merchants who served as retainers to the lords of Shônai han, and made massive monetary contributions to the domain government.

Emerging in the 1700s as the largest landlord in the domain, the Honma donated over 200,000 ryô to the domain over the course of a thirty-year period from 1843 to 1873, and loaned an additional 200,000 ryô, which was never repaid. The family head was granted full samurai status, and came to be regularly consulted on financial matters.

References

• Mark Ravina, Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan, Stanford University Press (1999), 60.