Abolition of the han system facts for kids
The abolition of the han system (廃藩置県 (haihan-chiken)) in Japan was a big change. It happened in 1871. This change replaced the old han system with a new system of prefectures. It was the final step of the Meiji Restoration, which started in 1868.
During this reform, all daimyos (大名, daimyō), who were like feudal lords, had to give their power back to the Emperor Meiji. This process happened in a few steps. It created a new centralized government for Japan. It also replaced the old feudal system with a new group of leaders called the Meiji oligarchy.
End of the Shogun's Rule
After the Tokugawa shogunate was defeated in the Boshin War in 1868, the new Meiji government took control. They took all the lands that belonged to the Shogun. They also took lands from daimyos who supported the Shogun.
These lands made up about a quarter of Japan. The government turned these lands into prefectures. They appointed new governors to run them. These governors reported directly to the central government.
Lords Give Back Their Lands
The next big step in ending the han system happened in 1869. Kido Takayoshi was a key leader in this change. He had the support of important court nobles like Iwakura Tomomi.
Kido convinced the lords of Chōshū and Satsuma to give their lands back to the Emperor. These two domains were very important in overthrowing the Shogun. Many other daimyos followed their lead. Between July 25 and August 2, 1869, 260 other daimyos also gave up their lands. They did this because they didn't want their loyalty to be questioned. Only 14 domains didn't agree at first. The Emperor's court then ordered them to give up their lands. They faced military action if they refused.
When the daimyos gave up their old power, they got something in return. They were made non-hereditary governors of their former lands. These lands were now called prefectures. They also got to keep ten percent of the tax money from their old lands. This was based on how much rice was actually grown.
As governors, the former daimyos could choose their helpers. But these helpers had to meet standards set by the central government. Also, the samurai who worked for the daimyos were now paid by the central government. This helped to weaken the old feudal ties between the lords and their samurai. The term daimyō was officially stopped in July 1869. A new system of noble ranks called the kazoku was created.
Making Japan United
Even though the former daimyos were now government workers, they still had some power. They had some control over their military and money. Their old subjects still respected them a lot. This worried Ōkubo Toshimichi and other leaders of the new Meiji oligarchy. There were many revolts by former samurai around the country.
In August 1871, Okubo and others pushed for a new Imperial order. This order reorganized the 261 former feudal domains. They became three big cities (fu) and 302 prefectures (ken). The next year, the number of prefectures was reduced. They became three cities and 72 prefectures. By 1888, the number was further reduced to the current three cities and 44 prefectures.
The central government made this change by giving the former daimyos good payments. They also took over the old debts of the domains. They promised to exchange the old domain money (hansatsu) for the new national money.
However, the government couldn't afford all these payments. So, in 1874, the daimyos' payments were changed. They received government bonds instead. These bonds were worth five years of their payments. They also paid five percent interest each year. Samurai who served the former daimyos also received tradable government bonds. These bonds were based on their old salaries. The bond owners received interest until the bonds were paid back. This was decided by a yearly lottery. All samurai bonds were paid back within 30 years.
Makino Nobuaki, who was a student on the Iwakura Mission, later wrote about these changes. He said that ending the han system was one of the most important events. He believed it helped build the foundation of Japan after the Meiji Restoration.
See Also
- Meiji Restoration
- Han system
- Prefectures of Japan
