other · Korea and Japan
Satsuma Domain
Origins
The Shimazu had fought against Tokugawa Ieyasu at Sekigahara in 1600, but by negotiation they kept Satsuma, Osumi and part of Hyuga, assessed at about 770,000 koku and ruled from Kagoshima. In 1609 the domain invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom and made it a vassal.
Rule and society
Satsuma had an unusually large samurai class, many living as rural warriors, and a strict youth training system. Its control of Ryukyu gave it a hidden window on Chinese trade, including sugar. Zusho Hiromichi restored its finances in the 1830s, and Shimazu Nariakira built Western-style furnaces, shipyards and factories at the Shuseikan.
Decline and legacy
After the Namamugi incident a British squadron bombarded Kagoshima in 1863. Satsuma then modernised, allied with Choshu in 1866, and its men Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi led the Restoration of 1868. It became Kagoshima Prefecture in 1871; Saigo's Satsuma Rebellion of 1877 was crushed.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (2)
- Satsuma Domain was part of Tokugawa Shogunate1603 CE – 1867 CE
- Ryukyu Kingdom was a vassal of Satsuma Domain1609 CE – 1871 CE
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Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Satsuma Domain. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/satsuma-domain
- MLA
- “Satsuma Domain.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/satsuma-domain. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Satsuma Domain.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/satsuma-domain.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Satsuma Domain’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/satsuma-domain (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻