Shotenroku (premium) (賞典禄)
Shotenroku was a premium which the government gave as a bonus in addition to a hereditary stipend to court nobles, Japanese feudal lords and members of the warrior class who contributed a great deal to Meiji Restoration. Depending on its benefit period, it is classified into three types including a permanent premium, a lifetime premium and a limited period premium.
Summary
The battles against the former Tokugawa troop and the supporting domains of the Shogun, from the Boshin War to the Battle of Hakodate, were assisted by not only the court nobles and samurai belonging to the Meiji Government but also domains waiting and seeing how things went at first. When it became an issue how to anchor them to the new government even after the battles, rewards for the domains, troop and individuals who respectively contributed to the battles were considered. Although due to the financial resources an opposing argument appeared inside the new government, it decided to give rewards for fear that the domains' financial aggravation caused by military expenses in the battles might create ill feeling against it.
On June 2, 1869, the government gave the premiums to 419 people who achieved distinguished military service at the Boshin War, troops, domains, and battleships. The total was 745,750 koku (a unit of volume: rice 1-koku is 180.39 liter) of rice and 203,376 ryo (a unit of gold currency) in cash. The highest amount was 100,000 koku given to the lord of Kagoshima Domain Tadayoshi SHIMAZU and his father Hisamitsu SHIMAZU and the lords of Yamaguchi Domain Takachika MORI and his son Motonori MORI, followed by 40,000 koku given to the lords of Kochi Domain Toyoshige YAMAUCHI and his adopted son Toyonori YAMAUCHI, while the highest amount among feudal retainers of domain was 2,000 koku given to Takamori SAIGO. On September 14 of the same year, a total of 35,220 koku was given to those who achieved meritorious services in the Battle of Hakodate and 85,500 koku of limited period premium for three years (28,500 koku per year) was given to nine people and nine battle ships. On the 26th of the same month, the premium was conferred on meritorious vassals in the Restoration of Imperial Rule. The total was 35,150 koku of rice (including 7,050 koku of lifetime premiums for eight people) and 1,500 ryo in cash. The highest amount was 5,000 koku given to each of Sanetomi SANJO and Tomomi IWAKURA followed by 1,800 koku given to each of Takayoshi KIDO, Toshimichi OKUBO and Saneomi HIROSAWA. All premiums mentioned above without notes are permanent premiums.
As a general rule, 2.5 to (a unit of volume, approx. 18 liters) of rice was given per koku except for premium money which was given as a one-time allowance. In some domains, feudal retainers got a part of their lords' premiums as reward grants. It is called a distributed premium. These premiums were funded through confiscated territories of domains that were defeated in the Boshin War. Premiums together with hereditary stipends brought about financial aggravation.
The total amount of premiums was 901,620 koku which was consisted of 809,070 koku for permanent premiums, 7,050 koku for life time premiums, and 85,500 for limited period premiums.
In 1876, government bonds of monetary salary caused the premium to be abolished.
Main receivers
100,000 koku... Hisamitsu SHIMAZU and Tadayoshi SHIMAZU (the lord of Kagoshima Domain), Takachika MORI and Motonori MORI (the lords of Yamaguchi Domain)
40,000 koku... Toyoshige YAMAUCHI and Toyonori YAMAUCHI (the lords of Kochi Domain)
30,000 koku... Sumihiro OMURA (the lord of Omura Domain), Yukimoto SANADA (the lord of Matsushiro Domain), Ujitaka TODA (the lord of Ogaki Domain), Tadahiro SHIMAZU (the lord of Sadowara Domain), Yoshinori IKEDA (the lord of Tottori Domain)
25,000 koku... Motonori MORI (the lord of Yamaguchi Domain)
23,000 koku... Takayuki TODO (the lord of Tsu Domain)
20,000 koku... Naohiro NABESHIMA (the lord of Saga Domain), Akimasa IKEDA (the lord of Okayama Domain), Naonori II (the lord of Hikone Domain), Mototoshi MORI (the lord of Chofu Domain), Yoshitaka SATAKE (the lord of Kubota Domain), Nagahiro MATSUMAE (the lord of Matsumae Domain)
15,000 koku... Masutoshi OZEKI (the lord of Kurobane Domain), Yoshikatsu TOKUGAWA and Yoshinari TOKUGAWA (the lords of Nagoya Domain), Yoshiyasu MAEDA (the lord of Kanazawa Domain), Nagakoto ASANO (the lord of Hiroshima Domain), Masazane TOZAWA (the lord of Shinjo Domain)
10,000 koku... Tadayuki TODA and Tadatomo TODA (the lords of Utsunomiya Domain), Hirotomo AKIMOTO (the lord of Tatebayashi Domain), Yoshinaga MATSUDAIRA and Mochiaki MATSUDAIRA (the lords of Fukui Domain), Nagatomo KURODA (the lord of Fukuoka Domain), Tsuguakira TSUGARU (the lord of Hirosaki Domain), Masataka SAKAKIBARA (the lord of Takada Domain), Masakane ROKUGO (the lord of Honjo Domain), Yorishige ARIMA (the lord of Kurume Domain)
8,000 koku... Motomitsu MORI (the lord of Tokuyama Domain)
6,000 koku... Masatake ABE (the lord of Fukuyama Domain)
5,000 koku... Sanetomi SANJO (a court noble), Tomomi IWAKURA (a court noble), Toyoshige YAMAUCHI (the lord of Kochi Domain), Tadanobu OGASAWARA (the lord of Kokura Domain), Toshiatsu MAEDA (the lord of Toyama Domain), Naoakira HORI (the lord of Suzaka Domain), Akitomo TACHIBANA (the lord of Yanagawa Domain)
3,500 koku... Akitake TOKUGAWA (the lord of Mito Domain)
3,000 koku... Toshitsune DOI (the lord of Ono Domain), Tadanari MATSUDAIRA (the lord of Ueda Domain), Mitsuhisa MATSUDAIRA (the lord of Matsumoto Domain)
2,000 koku... Takamori SAIGO (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain)
1,800 koku... Toshimichi OKUBO (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Takayoshi KIDO (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain), Saneomi HIROSAWA (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain)
1,500 koku... Imperial Prince Ninnajinomiya Yoshiakira, Tadayasu NAKAYAMA (a court noble), Munenari DATE (the lord of Uwajima Domain), Tsuneyuki NAKAMIKADO (a court noble), Masujiro OMURA (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain)
1,200 koku... Imperial Prince Arisugawanomiya Taruhito
1,000 koku... Taisuke ITAGAKI (a feudal retainer of Kochi Domain), Tatewaki KOMATSU (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Tomozane YOSHII (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Masaharu IJICHI (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Michihira IWASHITA (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Shojiro GOTO (a feudal retainer of Kochi Domain), Sanenaru SAGA (a court noble), Shigetomi OHARA (a court noble), Shigemi OHARA (a court noble), Michitomi HIGASHIKUZE (a court noble), Chikayuki IKOMA (the lord of Yashima Domain)
800 koku... Michitaka KUJO (a court noble), Nobuyoshi SAWA (a court noble), Tsunayoshi OYAMA (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Kimimasa YURI (a feudal retainer of Fukui Domain)
700 koku... Kiyotaka KURODA (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain)
600 koku... Aritomo YAMAGATA (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain), Issei MAEBARA (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain), Akiyoshi YAMADA (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain), Tadayuki DAIGO (a court noble)
500 koku... Masamitsu NARUSE (the lord of Inuyama Domain)
450 koku... Seiichiro KINASHI (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain), Sakuma KAWADA (a feudal retainer of Tottori Domain), Kiyoshi WATANABE (a feudal retainer of Omura Domain), Seiichiro MAEYAMA (a feudal retainer of Saga Domain)
400 koku... Takachika FUKUOKA (a feudal retainer of Kochi Domain)
300 koku... Kinmochi SAIONJI (a court noble), Takauta SHIJO (a court noble), Sakimitsu YANAGIWARA (a court noble), Tsugumichi SAIGO (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Tomosada IWAKURA (a court noble)
250 koku... Kinnaru SHIMIZUDANI (a court noble), Taro KATSURA (a feudal retainer of Yamaguchi Domain)
200 koku... Toshiaki KIRINO (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Takatoshi IWAMURA (a feudal retainer of Kochi Domain), Mamoru FUNAKOSHI (a feudal retainer of Hiroshima Domain), Takatoshi SHIJO (a court noble), Tamekazu SAWA (a court noble), Saneyana HASHIMOTO (a court noble), Michitsune KOGA (a court noble), Kiminari NISHIYOTSUTSUJI (a court noble), Motoosa MIBU (a court noble), Takatsumu WASHINOO (a court noble), Tomotsune IWAKURA (a court noble)
150 koku... Kuranosuke NAKAMUTA (a feudal retainer of Saga Domain), Sukenori SOGA (a feudal retainer of Yanagawa Domain), Motoharu YAMAJI (a feudal retainer of Kochi Domain)
100 koku... Hisamoto HIJIKATA (a feudal retainer of Kochi Domain), Shinpei ETO (a feudal retainer of Saga Domain), Yoshitake SHIMA (a feudal retainer of Saga Domain), Michifusa MADENOKOJI (a court noble), Tsunenori HONAMI (a court noble)
80 koku... Tateki TANI (a feudal retainer of Kochi Domain)
80 koku... Masayuki MAEDA (samurai from Totsugawa area in Nara)
50 koku... Kiminori KARASUMA (a court noble), Tokikoto HIRAMATSU (a court noble), Tameshige GOJO (a court noble)
35 koku... Akira AOYAMA (a feudal retainer of Nagoya Domain)
20 koku... Noriko TSUZAKI (a follower of a court noble)
10 koku... Murayoshi MURAGUCHI (a feudal retainer of Saga Domain)
8 koku... Shinsuke BEPPU (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Shiro IKENOUE (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Kunimoto SHINOHARA (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain), Shichinojo TAKI (a feudal retainer of Kagoshima Domain)
Premium money
5000 ryo... Tadakazu MATSUDAIRA (the lord of Shimabara Domain), Naotora NABESHIMA (the lord of Ogi Domain), Yuzuru OGYU (the lord of Tanokuchi Domain), Sadayasu MAKINO (the lord of Kasama Domain), Kazukiyo OTAWARA (the lord of Otawara Domain)
3000 ryo... Morihisa HOSOKAWA (the lord of Kumamoto Domain), Akira MATSURA (the lord of Hirado Domain)
2000 ryo... Mochiaki HACHISUKA (the lord of Tokushima Domain), Sadanori MATSUDAIRA (the lord of Imabari Domain), Masayuki OKUDAIRA (the lord of Nakatsu Domain), Yasunobu YANAGISAWA (the lord of Koriyama Domain), Ujiyoshi TODA (the lord of Ogaki Shinden domain), Naoyasu II (the lord of Yoita Domain), Yukiyoshi HORI (the lord of Shiiya Domain), Yorinao NAITO (the lord of Takato Domain), Yoshisato SATAKE (the lord of Kubota Shinden domain), Ujihiro ARIMA (the lord of Fukiage Domain), Tadabumi TORII (the lord of Mibu Domain), Chikahisa HONDO (the lord of Shizuku Domain)