other · Korea and Japan

Morioka Domain

1600 CE – 1871 CE · capital Morioka

The domain of the Nanbu family in northern Honshu, known for its horses and for the frequent famines and peasant uprisings of its cold lands.

Origins

The Nanbu were an old warrior family of northern Mutsu. Nanbu Nobunao was confirmed in his lands by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590, though he lost the Tsugaru region to a breakaway vassal. He moved his seat to Morioka, where the castle was built in stages over several decades.

Rule and society

Assessed at 100,000 koku, later raised to 200,000 in 1808 to pay for guarding Ezo, the domain had poor rice yields and suffered repeated famines. It was famed for Nanbu horses and later for ironware. Heavy taxes provoked many peasant uprisings, culminating in the great Sanhei uprising of 1853, when thousands fled to the Sendai Domain. The feud with the Tsugaru of Hirosaki lasted the whole period.

Decline and legacy

Morioka joined the Ouetsu Reppan Domei in 1868 and surrendered; it was briefly transferred and reduced. After abolition in 1871 it became part of Iwate Prefecture.

Lineage

Morioka DomainEmpire of Japan 1868 CE – 1945 CE

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻