history

By the way, in some cases, pronunciation of "koku" become "goku".
Pronunciation of ten thousand or more.
It is "goku".

Maybe it is like "a pen" and "an apple".


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Rulers of ten thousand or more.
They had been defined as lord by the Tokugawa regime.

Rulers of ten thousand or less.
They were defined as vassal of lords or the Tokugawa.

So lord of the ten thousand was the bottom line of lords.
Its obligations also had been kept low.

"Please downgrading our obligation to ten thousand."　

If it was a normal situation, Tokugawa would not have admitted this petition.
Because there was a possibility that lead to the abandonment of the obligation of lords.

But it was a state of emergency too.
At this time，the Tokugawa regime did aid 5000 ryo in only Soma clan.
(Roughly $ 5,000,000？)
East was the same situation everywhere.
There was a limit to relief as the Government of Japan.

"We should not block the way of their self-help."
This concept had became dominate inside the Tokugawa regime.　　

"A limited time."
They approved the petition in this condition.　
　

・・・・・・・・・
　

Also history of Soma clan might was acting on the positive.　
　
Small clan.
Many of it  were originally chief vassals of the Tokugawa clan.
After Japan unified by the Tokugawa clan they became lords.
　
Large lords who survived the Warring States period.
(For example、Sendai clan.)
　
They branched clan.
And they made ​​a small clan.
　
"When the pedigree of the head family extinct，we greet the lord from branch."
This was done in this concept of feudal era.
(Scale is different, but Tokugawa clan also performed the branch.)
　

・・・・・・・・・
　


Including large lords and the Tokugawa clan，most lords were moved from their home land.
Or they were ruined.

But Soma clan was the lord of their land from the 12th century.
(From the time of the samurai regime of the first.)　

This was unusual.
(Satsuma clan also was likely.)
　
They had been respected as a distinguished family.