was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in what is now Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was centered around Takamatsu Castle, and was ruled throughout much of its history by a cadet branch of the Shinpan Matsudaira clan. Takamatsu Domain was dissolved in the abolition of the han system in 1871 and is now part of Kagawa Prefecture.
History
In 1587, after Toyotomi Hideyoshi's conquest of Shikoku, he assigned Sanuki Province to his general Ikoma Chikamasa with a kokudaka of 126,200 koku (later raised to 173,000 koku). Chikamasa's son Ikoma Kazumasa sided with Tokugawa Ieyasu's Eastern Army in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, so he was confirmed in his holdings with the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate. However, in 1640, during the tenure of Ikoma Takatoshi, the fourth daimyō, the clan was demoted to Yashima Domain in Dewa Province due to the "Ikoma Disturbance".
In 1642, Matsudaira Yorishige, the eldest son of Tokugawa Yorifusa, of Mito Domain, and daimyō of Shimodate Domain in Hitachi Province was transferred to Takamatsu Castle and given a fief of 120,000 koku, in eastern Sanuki. It is said that Yorishige was given this position at the express request of his cousin, Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, with whom he was on very good terms. Although they were cousins, Yorishige was allowed free access to the Shogun's private chambers in Edo Castle and he was given the honor of being seated (along with the Ii clan and the Aizu Matsudaira clans closest to the shogun during official councils. This allowed him to be able to listen to the political reports of the chief minister, and although prohibited from giving publicly giving opinions or intervening in politics, made him a major political figure within the Tokugawa shogunate. The location of Takamatsu was of great strategic importance and allowed Matsudaira Yorishige to monitor the movements of the domains in the western part of Japan on behalf of the shogunate. Thus, although the Takamatsu-Matsudaira family was a cadet branch family of the Mito-Tokugawa family, but they were not in a position to receive instructions from the Mito Domain and were highly independent. However, the domains remained bound closely together. Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second daimyō of Mito appointed Yorishige's second son as his heir, and sent his own son, Yoritsuna, to succeed Takamatsu Domain. This "exchange of heirs" took place several times over the domain's history, resulting in the last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu being a direct descendant of Matsudaira Yorishige.
The Matsudaira rulers of Takamatsu placed great emphasis on land improvement through building reservoirs, and reclaiming land along the coastline to develop new rice fields and salt fields. They also diverted the flow of the Koto River, which used to run through the center of Takamatsu, to the west for irrigation purposes and improved the water supply for Takamatsu Castle. The domain also encouraged production of lacquerware and pottery as local industries. The han school, Kodokan, produced numerous scholarly figures in the Edo Period, including Hiraga Gennai. Many of the Matsudaira daimyō excelled in academics, poetry, and the Japanese tea ceremony. Some gave lectures on Neo-Confucianism to the shogun. The 5th daimyō Matsudaira Yoriyasu, had a medicinal herb garden (now Ritsurin Park) built in line with Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune's policy of encouraging research into domestic production of medicines and agricultural products. In addition, he developed the manufacturing technology for "Sanuki wasanbon" sugar, which is still one of Kagawa's specialty products. The ninth daimyō, Matsudaira Yoritsugu, developed Japan's largest salt field on the beach of Sakaide. During the Edo period, the Takamatsu Domain was the largest producer of white sugar and salt in Japan.