other · Korea and Japan

Hirosaki Domain

1590 CE – 1871 CE · capital Hirosaki

The domain of the Tsugaru family at the northern tip of Honshu, founded by a vassal who broke away from the Nanbu.

Origins

Oura Tamenobu, a vassal of the Nanbu, seized the Tsugaru region in the 1570s and 1580s and won recognition directly from Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590, taking the name Tsugaru. His son Nobuhira completed Hirosaki castle in 1611.

Rule and society

The breakaway left lasting enmity with the Nanbu of Morioka. The domain opened new rice land, but its cold climate made harvests unreliable, and the Tenmei famine of the 1780s killed a large share of the population. The fourth lord, Tsugaru Nobumasa, carried out reforms, and the domain later provided guards for Ezo against Russian incursions.

Decline and legacy

In the Boshin War Hirosaki first joined the Ouetsu Reppan Domei but switched to the imperial side in 1868. After the abolition of domains in 1871 it became part of Aomori Prefecture; Hirosaki castle's keep survives.

Lineage

Hirosaki DomainEmpire of Japan 1868 CE – 1945 CE

Connections (2)

Hirosaki Domain was a vassal of Toyotomi regime1590 CE – 1598 CE
Hirosaki Domain was part of Tokugawa Shogunate1603 CE – 1867 CE

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Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Hirosaki Domain. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hirosaki-domain
MLA: “Hirosaki Domain.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hirosaki-domain. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Hirosaki Domain.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hirosaki-domain.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Hirosaki Domain’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/hirosaki-domain (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻