Changes

These policies were considerably relaxed, however, for a brief period under ''daimyô'' [[Shimazu Shigehide]] (r. [[1755]]-[[1787]]). It is said that Shigehide desired to bring more commerce and trade into the domain, and believed that greater merchant activity was essential for a prosperous castle town; Satsuma residents were even allowed during this period to make the pilgrimage to [[Ise]]. It was during this time, as well, that [[Furukawa Koshoken|Furukawa Koshôken]] and [[Tachibana Nankei]], among other prominent scholar-travelers, were able to enter the domain and travel within it, Koshôken explicitly noting that it was then easier to enter Satsuma than it had been previously. Various precautions and procedures more strict than in most other domains were still in place, however, as he relates that the guards at the border searched all his possessions, and required him to prove he had enough coin to prevent himself from becoming any kind of burden for the domain.<ref name=barriers/>

These policies were considerably relaxed, however, for a brief period under ''daimyô'' [[Shimazu Shigehide]] (r. [[1755]]-[[1787]]). It is said that Shigehide desired to bring more commerce and trade into the domain, and believed that greater merchant activity was essential for a prosperous castle town; Satsuma residents were even allowed during this period to make the pilgrimage to [[Ise]]. It was during this time, as well, that [[Furukawa Koshoken|Furukawa Koshôken]] and [[Tachibana Nankei]], among other prominent scholar-travelers, were able to enter the domain and travel within it, Koshôken explicitly noting that it was then easier to enter Satsuma than it had been previously. Various precautions and procedures more strict than in most other domains were still in place, however, as he relates that the guards at the border searched all his possessions, and required him to prove he had enough coin to prevent himself from becoming any kind of burden for the domain.<ref name=barriers/>

Satsuma remained the second wealthiest domain (in terms of official ''kokudaka'' rating) and among the most powerful throughout the Edo period. This derived not only from their connection to Ryûkyû, but also from the size and productive wealth of Satsuma province itself, and from their extreme distance from [[Edo]], and thus from the [[Shogun]]'s armies. The Shimazu exercised their influence to exact from the shogunate a number of special exceptions. Satsuma was granted an exception to the shogunate's limit of one castle per domain, a policy which was meant to restrict the military strength of the domains. Satsuma had the highest proportion of samurai in its population of any domain, roughly 25%,<ref>Norman, E.H. ''Soldier and Peasant in Japan: The Origins of Conscription''. New York: Institute for Pacific Relations, 1945. p44.</ref> as compared to 6% in most parts of the archipelago.<ref>Hellyer, 25.</ref> Contrary to the policy of removing the samurai from the countryside and consolidating them in the domainal capital, as was standard in most domains, the Shimazu were able to form sub-fiefs within their domain, and to dole out castles to their retainers, administering the domain in a manner not entirely unlike a microcosm of the Tokugawa state(s) itself. Most of these rural samurai lived in separate samurai villages, watching over neighboring peasant villages and effecting tax collection; this was in contrast to the system in place in most domains, in which village heads were responsible, within a hierarchy of peasant and samurai officials, for the collection of taxes.<ref>Hellyer, 28.</ref> The Shimazu also received special exceptions from the shogunate in regard to the policy of ''[[sankin kotai|sankin kôtai]]'', another policy meant to restrict the wealth and power of the ''daimyô''. Under this policy, every feudal lord was mandated to travel to Edo at least once a year, and to spend some portion of the year there, away from his domain and his power base. The Shimazu were granted permission to make this journey only once every two years. These exceptions thus allowed Satsuma to gain even more power and wealth relative to the majority of other domains. Even so, ''sankin kôtai'' was expensive, and like most domains, by the 19th century, Satsuma found itself in heavy debt, having borrowed time and again from [[Osaka]] merchants to finance their trips to Edo. In fact, despite its high rank and ''kokudaka'', in terms of debts, Satsuma was the poorest domain in the realm in [[1827]], with roughly 320,000 ''[[currency|kan]]'' (a measure of [[silver]]) in debt. A number of agricultural policies put in place in the 1820s-1830s by domain official [[Zusho Shozaemon|Zusho Shôzaemon]] helped alleviate the domain's financial difficulties, but only somewhat.<ref>Hellyer, 126.</ref>

Satsuma remained the second wealthiest domain (in terms of official ''kokudaka'' rating) and among the most powerful throughout the Edo period. This derived not only from their connection to Ryûkyû, but also from the size and productive wealth of Satsuma province itself, and from their extreme distance from [[Edo]], and thus from the [[Shogun]]'s armies. The Shimazu exercised their influence to exact from the shogunate a number of special exceptions. Satsuma was granted an exception to the shogunate's limit of one castle per domain, a policy which was meant to restrict the military strength of the domains. Satsuma had the highest proportion of samurai in its population of any domain, roughly 25%,<ref>Norman, E.H. ''Soldier and Peasant in Japan: The Origins of Conscription''. New York: Institute for Pacific Relations, 1945. p44.</ref> as compared to 6% in most parts of the archipelago.<ref>Hellyer, 25.</ref> Contrary to the policy of removing the samurai from the countryside and consolidating them in the domainal capital, as was standard in most domains, the Shimazu were able to form sub-fiefs within their domain, and to dole out castles to their retainers, in a system known as the ''tojô seido'' (外城制度). There were around 113 of these "outside castle" administrative units, each of which might be considered a [[subinfeudation|sub-domain]] or sub-fief in certain important ways, making the Shimazu administration of their domain not entirely dissimilar from being a microcosm of the Tokugawa state(s) itself. Samurai lords of these "outside castle" sub-fiefs, known as ''[[jito|jitô]]'' (often translated as "stewards"), typically had a number of ''[[goshi|gôshi]]'' (rural samurai) retainers, who performed agricultural work in peacetime, but could be called up for military service when necessary.<ref name=reimei/>

Zusho also oversaw the creation of a system of smugglers, sanctioned and sometimes even supported financially by the domain. The most prominent of these, the [[Hamazaki family]], boasted agents in all the major port and market cities, and was involved in everything from Ryukyuan [[sugar]] to marine products from [[Ezo]], cutting into the trade volume or market share of the [[kitamaebune|Western]] and [[Eastern Sea Circuit]] trade routes. Satsuma had been condoning Chinese smuggling within its territory to varying extents throughout the period as well, receiving Chinese ships in violation of Tokugawa policy, instead of sending them on to Nagasaki. When the volume of trade at Nagasaki began to seriously decline in the 1830s, shogunate officials pointed the finger at Satsuma's smuggling; in fact, there were a variety of other causes for the decline in trade, including wars being fought by the Dutch Republic which severely weakened the [[Dutch East India Company]], and the growth of domestic products, including sugar from the [[Amami Islands]], which competed with imported goods. Nevertheless, in [[1837]], [[Mizuno Tadakuni]] declared a ban on the sale of Ryûkyû goods at Nagasaki for a ten-year period, from [[1839]]-[[1848]], and further that in the intervening time before the ban came into effect, the shogunate-run [[Nagasaki kaisho|Nagasaki customs house]] would take over the warehousing, sale, and transportation of Satsuma's goods. Satsuma complained almost immediately, citing once again the financial difficulties of the Ryûkyû Kingdom, but in the end, the ban was upheld, with the shogunate issuing a grant of 5,000 ''ryô'' annually for three years, directed specifically at benefiting the kingdom.<ref>Hellyer, 134-138.</ref>

 

 

 

A number of agricultural policies put in place in the 1820s-1830s by domain official [[Zusho Shozaemon|Zusho Shôzaemon]] helped alleviate the domain's financial difficulties, but only somewhat. Zusho also oversaw the creation of a system of smugglers, sanctioned and sometimes even supported financially by the domain. The most prominent of these, the [[Hamazaki family]], boasted agents in all the major port and market cities, and was involved in everything from Ryukyuan [[sugar]] to marine products from [[Ezo]], cutting into the trade volume or market share of the [[kitamaebune|Western]] and [[Eastern Sea Circuit]] trade routes. Satsuma had been condoning Chinese smuggling within its territory to varying extents throughout the period as well, receiving Chinese ships in violation of Tokugawa policy, instead of sending them on to Nagasaki. When the volume of trade at Nagasaki began to seriously decline in the 1830s, shogunate officials pointed the finger at Satsuma's smuggling; in fact, there were a variety of other causes for the decline in trade, including wars being fought by the Dutch Republic which severely weakened the [[Dutch East India Company]], and the growth of domestic products, including sugar from the [[Amami Islands]], which competed with imported goods. Zusho's policies in Amami were devastating for the people of those islands, but have been credited as playing a crucial role in effecting recovery for the domain's economy, and setting the stage for Satsuma's success in its industrializing efforts in the Bakumatsu era.<ref name=reimei/>

 

Meanwhile, in [[1837]], [[Mizuno Tadakuni]] declared a ban on the sale of Ryûkyû goods at Nagasaki for a ten-year period, from [[1839]]-[[1848]], and further that in the intervening time before the ban came into effect, the shogunate-run [[Nagasaki kaisho|Nagasaki customs house]] would take over the warehousing, sale, and transportation of Satsuma's goods. Satsuma complained almost immediately, citing once again the financial difficulties of the Ryûkyû Kingdom, but in the end, the ban was upheld, with the shogunate issuing a grant of 5,000 ''ryô'' annually for three years, directed specifically at benefiting the kingdom.<ref>Hellyer, 134-138.</ref>

==Relations with Ryûkyû==

==Relations with Ryûkyû==