Gose Domain (御所藩)
Gose Domain was a feudal domain that covered Katsujo-gun and Katsuge-gun in Yamato Province and part of Hine-gun, Izumi Province. It was located in present-day Gose, Gose City, Nara Prefecture.
History of the domain
Motoharu KUWAYAMA, the second son of Shigeharu KUWAYAMA, participated in the Battle of Sekigahara as part of the East camp in 1600 and received 2000 koku (an unit of assessed crop yields of the land [1 koku: about 180 liter], which was also used to express the size of the land) after the war in recognition of his military success against the troops of Yoshitsugu OTANI of the West camp. Combined with 10,000 koku received from his father Shigeharu, Motoharu became a daimyo (Japanese feudal lord) with 12,000 koku and founded Gose Domain. Later, the koku yield was reduced to 10,000, when 2,000 was given to his father as retirement stipend.
After his father's death in 1606, he received 6000 koku from the late father's retirement stipend. Furthermore, Gose Domain acquired 10,000 more koku with the forfeiture of Izumi Tanigawa Domain that had been held by the eldest son Kiyoharu KUWAYAMA in 1609, growing to 26,000 koku.
Motoharu also fought with the Tokugawa camp in the Siege of Osaka and served after the war in hunting down survivors of Osaka (Toyotomi) side, together with Tadafusa KORIKI. Motoharu died in 1620, leaving the family heritage to his second son Sadaharu KUWAYAMA, who in turn died in 1629 without leaving an heir. Although Sadaharu in his deathbed tried to have his younger brother Hideharu KUWAYAMA adopted as his son, this was not accepted, resulting in Gose Domain being closed and becoming shogunate property.
Later, Hideharu was granted preservation of the family name and given status as hatamoto with 500 bales of rice.
Successive lords of the domain
Kuwayama family
Fudai daimyo (a daimyo in hereditary vassal to the Tokugawa family)
12,000 koku to 10,000, 16,000 and eventually 26,000 koku.
Motoharu KUWAYAMA
Sadaharu KUWAYAMA