Site of the Kyoto Residence of the Daimyo of Fukui Domain

The area defined by the west side of Aburanokoji Street, south of Nijo Street (currently HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO), was the location of Kyoto residence of the lord of the Fukui domain during the latter part of the Edo period. It was built relatively late in the period, and can be seen in the 1831 Kyo O-ezu map. The residence also functioned as the Kyoto liaison office, staffed by a caretaker official and domain-appointed merchants, which took care of the domain’s local business.
An influential domain governed by a branch of the Tokugawa family, Fukui Domain was established in 1600 by Yuki Hideyasu, second son of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Its official rice yield reached a maximum of 680,000 koku (150 kg bushels), though from the middle of the Edo period it was 320,000 koku. After Matsudaira Yoshinaga became the daimyo, or lord, the domain started promoting people on the basis of talent and undertaking a reform of feudal administration. Alongside Mito Domain, Fukui worked on reforming the shogunate government, encouraging a union between the shogunate and the imperial court, thus providing key leadership in shogunal administration. The Kyoto Residence of the daimyo of Fukui Domain played an important role in the political movements in the last years of the shogunate system.
Kyoto City