It was ruled by a cadet branch of the tozama daimyō Hosokawa clan for all of its history.

[1][2][3] The domain was headed by a cadet branch of the Hosokawa clan of Kumamoto.

[4] In 1624, the second daimyō of Kumamoto Domain, Hosokawa Mitsunao set aside estates in Uto District and Shimomashiki District in Higo Province with a kokudaka of 30,000 koku for his cousin, Hosokawa Yukitaka, and authorized him to establish a cadet branch of the Hosokawa clan.

[5] This was done partly as "insurance" to ensure the survival of the parent domain in the event that succession of the main lineage fail.

The headquarters for this new domain was near the ruins of Uto Castle, but as a subsidiary domain, Hosokawa Yukitaka was not authorized to rebuild the castle, but instead constructed a jin'ya as his stronghold and administrative center.