Akō Domain

[1][2][3] During the Muromachi period, the area of Akō District was under the control of the Akamatsu clan, the shugo of Harima Province.

During the Battle of Sekigahara, Ukita Hideie sided with the losing Western Army, and his territories were confiscated by the victorious Tokugawa Ieyasu, who awarded the area to his general and son-in-law Ikeda Terumasa.

In order to alleviate the financial situation, he expanded on coastal salt production (which had been a speciality of the area since the Yayoi period to support the clan's finances.

The third daimyō, Asano Naganori was assigned to provide security for the 1682 Joseon missions to Japan and also had to handle a judicial case involving the assassination of Tairō Hotta Masatoshi by Inaba Masayasu.

During the Bakumatsu period, pro-Sonnō jōi samurai murdered the domain's karō in front of the gate of Akō Castle in 1861.