Shirakawa Domain

Shirakawa Domain (白河藩, Shirakawa-han^?) was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in southern Mutsu Province. It was centered on Komine Castle in what is now the city of Shirakawa, Fukushima. Its most famous ruler was Matsudaira Sadanobu, the architect of the Kansei Reforms. It was also the scene of one of the battles of the Boshin War of the Meiji restoration.

The Shirakawa Barrier was noted from the Nara period as the border between the “settled” regions of Japan proper, and the “frontier” regions of northern Japan, and was of great strategic importance. During the Sengoku period, the area around Shirakawa was controlled by the rulers of Aizu.

In 1627, Niwa Nagashige, one of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s generals, was transferred from Tanakura Domain to the newly established Shirakawa Domain, with revenues of 100,700 koku. He built Komine Castle, and established the surrounding castle town. He was followed by his son, Niwa Mitsushige in 1637, but the clan was transferred to Nihonmatsu Domain in 1647. The Niwa were replaced by Sasakibara Tadatsugu from Tatebayashi Domain, with an increase in revenues to 140,000 koku. Tadatsugu’s mother was one of Ieyasu’s concubines, and for a time he adopted the Matsudaira name. However, his tenure at Shirakawa was short, and he was transferred to Himeji Domain in 1649.

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