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.; Gallery labels, [[Shokoshuseikan|Shôkoshûseikan]], Kagoshima.</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/>

Satsuma remained the second wealthiest domain (in terms of official ''kokudaka'' rating) and among the most powerful throughout the Edo period. This derived in part from their connection to Ryûkyû: the Shimazu performed a land survey in [[1610]] which determined the productivity of the kingdom to be 89,086 ''koku'', and then reported to the shogunate a ''kokudaka'' of 123,700, which was then incorporated into the Shimazu's ''omote-daka'' rating.<ref>Futaki Ken'ichi (ed.), ''Han to jôkamachi no jiten'', Tôkyôdô (2004), 634.</ref> This accounted for only one-sixth of the domain's rating, however, the majority of which derived from the size and productive wealth of Satsuma and Ôsumi provinces themselves, while the historical strength of the Shimazu, their historical claims to those lands, esteemed lineage, and extreme distance from [[Edo]], and thus from the [[Shogun]]'s armies, were powerful factors towards the elite status of the Shimazu as well. 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.; Gallery labels, [[Shokoshuseikan|Shôkoshûseikan]], Kagoshima.</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/>

Most of these rural samurai lived in separate samurai villages, watching over neighboring peasant villages and effecting tax collection, which was done through a system known as ''kadowari'' ("dividing into gates"); villages or homes were grouped together into groups known as ''kado'', each of which owed a certain amount of taxes to the samurai.<ref name=reimei/> 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>

Most of these rural samurai lived in separate samurai villages, watching over neighboring peasant villages and effecting tax collection, which was done through a system known as ''kadowari'' ("dividing into gates"); villages or homes were grouped together into groups known as ''kado'', each of which owed a certain amount of taxes to the samurai.<ref name=reimei/> 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>