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Satsuma was one of the most powerful ''[[han]]'' in the [[Edo period]], and played a major role in the [[Meiji Restoration]] and in the government of the [[Meiji period]] which followed. Controlled throughout the Edo period by the ''[[tozama]] [[daimyo|daimyô]]'' of the [[Shimazu clan]], its territory spanned the [[Provinces of Japan|provinces]] of [[Satsuma province|Satsuma]], [[Osumi province|Osumi]] and the south-west region of [[Hyuga province|Hyûga]] on the island of [[Kyushu|Kyûshû]], and had the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] as a vassal state. The territory is largely contiguous with today's Kagoshima prefecture, plus parts of Miyazaki prefecture.  

Satsuma was one of the most powerful ''[[han]]'' in the [[Edo period]], and played a major role in the [[Meiji Restoration]] and in the government of the [[Meiji period]] which followed. Controlled throughout the Edo period by the ''[[tozama]] [[daimyo|daimyô]]'' of the [[Shimazu clan]], its territory spanned the [[Provinces of Japan|provinces]] of [[Satsuma province|Satsuma]], [[Osumi province|Osumi]] and the south-west region of [[Hyuga province|Hyûga]] on the island of [[Kyushu|Kyûshû]], and had the [[Kingdom of Ryukyu|Ryûkyû Kingdom]] as a vassal state. The territory is largely contiguous with today's Kagoshima prefecture, plus parts of Miyazaki prefecture. As one of only ten ''daimyô'' clans to control (at least) an entire province, the Shimazu were considered ''[[kunimochi|hon-kunimochi]]'' ("true country holders").<ref>*[[Mark Ravina]], ''Land and Lordship in Early Modern Japan'', Stanford University Press (1999), 19.</ref>

Officially called Kagoshima ''han'', the domain was ruled from [[Kagoshima castle]] in [[Kagoshima]]. Its ''[[kokudaka]]'', the official measure of the domain's production, and therefore its wealth and power, was assessed at 770,000 ''[[koku]]'' for most of the period, the second highest ''kokudaka'' after that of [[Kaga han]].

Officially called Kagoshima ''han'', the domain was ruled from [[Kagoshima castle]] in [[Kagoshima]]. Its ''[[kokudaka]]'', the official measure of the domain's production, and therefore its wealth and power, was assessed at 770,000 ''[[koku]]'' for most of the period, the second highest ''kokudaka'' after that of [[Kaga han]].