Niwase Domain (庭瀬藩, Niwase-han) was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now central Okayama Prefecture. It controlled a small portion of eastern Bitchū Province and was centered around Niwase jin'ya in what is now Kita-ku, Okayama. It was ruled for most its history by a branch of the Itakura clan. It was dissolved in the abolition of the han system in 1871 and is now part of Okayama Prefecture.^[1][2][3][4]Inukai Tsuyoshi, who became Prime Minister of Japan, was from Niwase Domain.

Location of Niwase jin'ya

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Niwase Domain (Japan)

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In 1600, Togawa Michiyasu, a vassal of Ukita Hideie had a falling out with his overlord and defected to the Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara. As a result, he was awarded a 29,200 koku domain by Tokugawa Ieyasu and established his seat at Niwase Castle. The clan ruled for four generations, with each generation whittling down its patrimony through donations to younger brothers, leaving the 4th daimyō, Togawa Yasukaze, with only 20,000 koku before the domain was dissolved through attainder after his death without heir in 1679.

Four years later, in 1683, Kuze Shigeyuki from the Sekiyado Domain in Shimōsa Province revived the domain at 50,000 koku but as his status was not that of a "castle-holding daimyō", he set up a jin'ya in the Ni-no-Maru Bailey of former Niwase Castle. In 1686, he was transferred to Tanba-Kameyama Domain in Tanba Province. Seven years later, in 1693, Matsudaira Nobumichi from Kodome Domain in Yamato Province revived the domain, albeit at a kokudaka of 30,000 koku. He was transferred to Kaminoyama Domain in Dewa Province in 1697.

In 1699, Itakura Shigetaka was transferred from Takataki Domain in Kazusa Province, but the kokudaka of the domain was reduced further to 20,000 koku. The Itakura clan ruled for the next 172 years until the end of the Edo period. The domain school, the Sei'ikan (誠意館), was founded in 1818.

In 1871, the domain became "Niwase Prefecture" due to the abolition of the han system. Later, it was incorporated into Okayama Prefecture via Fukatsu and Oda Prefectures. The Itakura family was made a viscount (shishaku ) in the kazoku peerage in 1884.

As with most domains in the han system, Niwase Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned kokudaka, based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields, g.^[5][6]

• Bitchū Province
  • 1 village in Tsuu District
  • 20 villages in Oda District
  • 10 villages in Kaya District

• List of Han
• Abolition of the han system