Early modern Sasayama

In the fifth year of the Keicho era (1600), Tokugawa Ieyasu, who won the Battle of Sekigahara, considered making the Sasayama region, a strategic point on the San'in Road, a military base to counter the remaining powerful western daimyōs and the Toyotomi clan at Osaka Castle.

For this reason, Ieyasu moved his biological son Matsudaira Yasushige to Tamba Hachikyo Castle and instantly ordered the construction of a new castle. This new castle was built utilizing a hill called Sasayama, and it is said that the castle town 'Sasayama' is derived from this name. In the 14th year of the Keicho era (1609), Sasayama Castle was constructed through the efforts of over twenty lords from the western countries as part of a national construction project.

For this reason, Ieyasu moved his biological son Matsudaira Yasushige to Tanba Yakami Castle and instantly ordered the construction of a new castle. This new castle was built utilizing a hill called Sasayama, and the castle town 'Sasayama' is said to be derived from this name. In the fourteenth year of Keichō (1609), Sasayama Castle was constructed with the assistance of over twenty feudal lords from the western provinces and was built through a nationwide public works initiative.

The lord of the castle, Matsudaira Yasushige, was in residence for ten years, and after his transfer in the fifth year of Genna (1619), for about 260 years until the abolition of the feudal domain in the fourth year of Meiji (1871), the loyal vassal daimyos succeeded one another (Fujii Matsudaira clan for two generations, Katanohara Matsudaira clan for five generations, Aoyama clan for six generations).

Matsudaira (Matsui) Yasushige, year 14 of the Keichō era (1609)～

Matsudaira (Fujii) Nobuyoshi, Year of Genwa 5 (1619) ～

Matsudaira (Fuji) Tada-kuni, Genwa 6th year (1620) ～

Matsudaira (Katanohara) Yasunobu, 2nd year of Keian (1649) ～

Matsudaira (Katanohara) Sukenobu, Kanbun year nine (1669)～

Matsudaira (Katanohara) Nobutoshi, The first year of Enpo (1673)～

Matsudaira (Katanohara)Nobutsune, The fifth year of Enpo (1677)～

Matsudaira (Katanohara) Nobumine, Year 2 of the Kyoho era (1717)～

Aoyama Tadatomo, Kan'en era, year one (1748) ～

Tadataka Aoyama, Year Ten of Horeki (1760)～

Aoyama Taku's lecture, the first year of Tenmei (1781)～

Aoyama Tadayasu, Year Ten of the Tenmei Era (1785)～

Aoyama Tadanaga, Year of Tenpo 6 (1835)～

Aoyama Tadayuki, Year two of Bunkyu (1862)～

The fourth year of Meiji: Abolition of the Han System

The lord was always at the center of the shogunate, and particularly, Aoyama Tadayasu held the position of roju for thirty-one years, receiving an increase of 10,000 koku in the tenth year of Bunsei (1827).

The Sasayama region flourished as a key transportation hub throughout the medieval and early modern periods, establishing a unique culture while being influenced by Kyoto.