Under
Toyotomi Hideyoshi,
Natsuka Masaie, one of the
Go-Bugyō entrusted with the succession of
Toyotomi Hideyori was granted a 50,000
koku fief in Ōmi Province. His
kokudaka was later raised to 120,000
koku and he was based at
Minakuchi Okayama Castle. However, he committed
seppuku after the defeat of the Western Army at the
Battle of Sekigahara and his territory was seized as
tenryō by the new
Tokugawa shogunate. In 1682, Minakuchi Domain was created for Kato Akitomo, a grandson of
Tokugawa Ieyasu's famed general,
Kato Yoshiaki and
daimyō of the 10,000
koku Yoshinaga Domain in
Iwami Province. He had amassed an additional 10,000
koku due to his own achievements, and was thus granted a total
kokudaka of 20,000
koku. He brought in
Kobori Enshū to help design the gardens of his new
Minakuchi Castle. His son, Kato Akihide, served as
jisha-bugyō followed by
wakadoshiyori with a raise in
kokudaka to 50,000
koku and a transfer to
Mibu Domain in
Shimotsuke Province in 1695. He was followed by
Torii Tadateru who followed the same career path and was likewise transferred to Mibu Domain in 1712. Minakuchi Domain was then awarded back to an adopted son of Kato Akihide, who was demoted back from Mibu Domain and reduced to 25,000
koku. His descendants continued to rule Minakuchi until the
Meiji restoration. In July 1871, with the
abolition of the han system, Minakuchi Domain became Minakuchi Prefecture, and was merged into the newly created Shiga Prefecture in September 1871. ==List of daimyō==