Tozama daimyō (外様大名,"outsidedaimyō") was a class of powerful magnates ordaimyō (大名) considered to be outsiders by the ruler ofJapan during theEdo period (江戸時代).[1]Tozama daimyō were classified in theTokugawa shogunate (江戸幕府) asdaimyō who becamehereditaryvassals of theTokugawa after theBattle of Sekigahara (関ヶ原の戦い).Tozama daimyō were discriminated against by the Tokugawa and opposed to thefudai daimyō, who were allies or vassals of Tokugawa before Sekigahara.
Originally, the concept oftozama daimyō emerged inJapan along with thedaimyō after the rise of theKamakura shogunate (鎌倉幕府) in the 12th century.Tozama applied to adaimyō who was considered an "outsider" by successiveShōguns,Emperors, andshikkens (執権) that ruled over Japan at any given time. Typically, atozama had a loose or indirect relationship with the current ruler, and this definition remained intact during the subsequentAshikaga shogunate (足利幕府, 1336–1573, also known as the Muromachi (室町幕府)), and theSengoku period (戦国時代, 1467–1615, "Age of Warring States").
The establishment of theTokugawa shogunate in 1600 redefinedtozama daimyō as thedaimyō who submitted asvassals to theTokugawa only after the decisiveBattle of Sekigahara, including those who fought for the Tokugawa at the battle but were not official vassals.Tokugawa Ieyasu had treated the greattozama amicably, but his grandsonTokugawa Iemitsu was less tolerant of them during his rule between 1623 and 1626.Tozama and their descendants were distrusted and the Tokugawa shogunate discriminated against them in favor of thefudai daimyō.Tozama were largely excluded from the shogunate government, theBakufu, and their numbers were limited compared to thefudai who filled the administration's ranks. Many of the largest and wealthiesthan—the personalfeudal domains of thedaimyō—were ruled bytozama, including theMaeda clan of theKaga Domain with a value of 1,000,000koku under theKokudaka system. However, this was a deliberate Tokugawa plan to keep thetozama in check, asfudai daimyō were stationed in smaller domains in strategic locations, including along major roads and near important cities. Many notabletozama families, including theShimazu, theMori, theDate, theHachisuka, and theUesugi, were based in western and northernHonshu andKyushu in contrast to the Tokugawa based in the eastern city ofEdo. Most, but not all, of these families had been living in roughly the same regions for centuries before the Tokugawa shogunate.Tozama daimyō heavily profited from trade in the 17th century, particularly in western Japan where most of the country's importantports were located. The shogunate responded inSakoku policies ofisolationism, preventing the ports of western Honshu andKyūshū from trading with foreigners and sending Japanese vessels abroad.
TheTozama daimyō had higher levels of independent power and local autonomy, and conducted their judicial, administrative and military affairs in the name of the local daimyos like sovereigns. TheTozama domains' relationship to the Shogun was one of paying tribute, military levy and guard duty obligations.[2]
The decline of the Tokugawa shogunate during theBakumatsu period from 1853 led to lessening discrimination againsttozama daimyō. In November 1864,Matsumae Takahiro, thetozama daimyō of theMatsumae clan, was appointed asrōjū, one of the highest-ranking government posts in the Tokugawa government.Tozama formed the nucleus of the growing anti-Tokugawa movement, with theSatsuma andChōshū (Shimazu and Mori clans respectively) primarily responsible for the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in theMeiji Restoration. Rallying othertozama and evenfudai to their cause in support of theImperial Court, they fought against the shogunate,Aizu Domain, and theŌuetsu Reppan Dōmei during theBoshin War of 1868 to 1869. Many people from Satsuma and Chōshū dominated politics of theEmpire of Japan in the ensuing decades, and well into the 20th century, as part of theMeiji oligarchy. The distinction betweentozama andfudai became obsolete when thedaimyō were morphed into the newkazoku aristocracy.