The Top 20 Richest Edo Period Daimyo Domains

Koku and Kokudaka

During the 265 years of the Tokugawa Shogunate, between 1603 and 1868, there were around 260 to 280 han, or domains of various size and financial strength across the nation, rising to over 400 in total by the end of the feudal period. These domains were held by three basic categories of daimyo, all with a degree of regional autonomy; Tozama daimyo — outsiders — being those not directly associated with the Tokugawa clan prior to the decisive Battle of Sekigahara, including former rival Toyotomi loyalists and other distant daimyo, such as the Maeda of Kaga, the Date of Sendai, Shimazu of Kagoshima, the Fukushima and Sanada clans. The fudai daimyo were longtime trusted allies of the Tokugawa, and included the Honda, Ii, Okubo, Torii, and Sakai clans amongst others.  Shinpan daimyo were those directly related to the Tokugawa clan, such as the Tokugawa roots, the Matsudaira clan, and the Gosanke, the three branch clans of the Tokugawa from which a shogun could be chosen if the Tokugawa main family line ever died out, or became incapacitated.