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Domains which maintained landed sub-fiefs included [[Kaga han|Kaga]], [[Choshu han|Chôshû]], [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]], [[Kumamoto han|Kumamoto]], [[Fukuoka han|Fukuoka]], [[Hirosaki han|Hirosaki]], [[Tokushima han|Tokushima]], and [[Yonezawa han|Yonezawa]]. The privileges and powers held by landed retainers varied from one domain to the next, however. In some domains, such as Tokushima, sub-fiefs were exempt from cadastral surveys conducted by the domain, and peasants living on those lands required permission from their lord (the landed retainer) to sell or transfer any plot of land. Further, in the 17th century, landed retainers in Tokushima were obliged to supply soldiers for military service to the domain, and had the power to demand corvée labor of their peasants otherwise. In some other domains, such as Yonezawa, tax rates were set not by the individual landed retainers, but by the domain, and the retainer's judicial powers over the people of his sub-fief were restricted in certain ways as well.
Domains which maintained landed sub-fiefs included [[Kaga han|Kaga]], [[Choshu han|Chôshû]], [[Satsuma han|Satsuma]], [[Kumamoto han|Kumamoto]], [[Fukuoka han|Fukuoka]], [[Hirosaki han|Hirosaki]], [[Tokushima han|Tokushima]], and [[Yonezawa han|Yonezawa]]. The privileges and powers held by landed retainers varied from one domain to the next, however. In some domains, such as Tokushima, sub-fiefs were exempt from cadastral surveys conducted by the domain, and peasants living on those lands required permission from their lord (the landed retainer) to sell or transfer any plot of land. Further, in the 17th century, landed retainers in Tokushima were obliged to supply soldiers for military service to the domain, and had the power to demand corvée labor of their peasants otherwise. In some other domains, such as Yonezawa, tax rates were set not by the individual landed retainers, but by the domain, and the retainer's judicial powers over the people of his sub-fief were restricted in certain ways as well.
In those domains with a significant population of ''[[goshi|gôshi]]'' (rural samurai), these formed a significant portion of the landed retainers. In some domains, such as Hirosaki, sub-fiefs were also used as a way for indebted samurai to regain their financial solvency. Life in the countryside was cheaper to begin with, and furthermore, retainers who brought new land under cultivation were permitted to keep 40% of that land as part of their fief, allowing them to gain income to help pay off debts.
In those domains with a significant population of ''[[goshi|gôshi]]'' (rural samurai), such as was he case in Satsuma, these formed a significant portion of the landed retainers. In some domains, such as Hirosaki, sub-fiefs were also used as a way for indebted samurai to regain their financial solvency. Life in the countryside was cheaper to begin with, and furthermore, retainers who brought new land under cultivation were permitted to keep 40% of that land as part of their fief, allowing them to gain income to help pay off debts.
In Chôshû, the Edo period opened with retainers of the [[Mori clan|Môri clan]] holding as much as two-thirds of the domain in sub-fief. In [[1625]], the Môri effected a series of cadastral surveys and reallocated many of these sub-fiefs, bringing more of the territory under their own direct control.<ref>Martin Dusinberre, ''Hard Times in the Hometown: A History of Community Survival in Modern Japan'', University of Hawaii Press (2012), 20.</ref>
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