The Maeda Clan: Lords of Kaga Domain

How a warrior family from the Nobunaga and Hideyoshi era became the wealthiest lords in Japan and left Kanazawa a legacy of gardens, crafts and food.

Published October 22, 2026 at 12:58 AM JST | By Tokyo Paul

Quick answer: The Maeda clan ruled Kaga Domain from Kanazawa Castle for about three centuries, from 1583 until the end of the Edo period. Led by Maeda Toshiie, a trusted general of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the family held an official yield of over one million koku of rice, the largest of any domain outside the shogun's own lands, and used its wealth to nurture arts and crafts.

Anyone who visits Kanazawa soon meets the Maeda name, on castle walls, garden signs, festival banners and museum labels. The family is a major reason the city has its samurai streets, its crafts and much of its refined cuisine. This guide tells the story in a clear sequence, from the rise of Maeda Toshiie through his successors to the cultural legacy that visitors can enjoy today. It also suggests places in Kanazawa where each chapter of the story comes alive.

Who the Maeda Were

The Maeda were a samurai family from the Owari region, in what is now Aichi Prefecture, with a home place name in the area of Kaito District. Wikipedia notes they claimed descent from the Sugawara clan, though the exact line of descent is uncertain. They rose to national importance through service to Oda Nobunaga, one of the three great unifiers of Japan.

In the late sixteenth century they moved to the Hokuriku coast, the stretch of Japan facing the Sea of Japan. They were classed in the Edo period as tozama, a term for lords who had not been hereditary allies of the Tokugawa before the battle of Sekigahara. Despite that, they kept close ties with the Tokugawa through marriage and became one of the most respected families in the country.

Maeda Toshiie: The Founder

Maeda Toshiie, born in 1538, entered Nobunaga's service as a young page and rose to command a guard unit. He was known by the nickname Yari no Mataza, meaning Mataza of the Spear, for his skill with that weapon. He fought in several of Nobunaga's well-known campaigns before the death of his lord in 1582.

Toshiie then became a leading general of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who completed the work of unifying the country. Hideyoshi named him one of the Council of Five Elders, a group chosen to support his young heir. In 1583 Toshiie moved into Kanazawa Castle, which became the capital of the new domain. He died in 1599, and his son Toshinaga succeeded him. His wife, Matsu, is remembered as a strong-willed partner, and after his death she went to Edo to help secure the clan's standing with Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Toshinaga, Toshitsune and the Million Koku

Toshinaga, the second lord, supported Tokugawa Ieyasu at the time of Sekigahara in 1600, and the clan's lands grew to more than a million koku. A koku was a measure of rice of about 180 liters, and an official yield in koku was a way to rank a domain's wealth. The Kaga figure, known as hyakumangoku (one million koku), became a source of pride that survives in the region's modern festivals and local identity.

Toshinaga built Kanazawa Castle and retired in 1605, making way for his brother Toshitsune, who became the third head of the clan. Toshitsune married Tama-hime, a daughter of the shogun Tokugawa Hidetada, tying the Maeda to the ruling family. Later in life he divided the territory, creating the Toyama and Daishoji domains for his sons while the main domain stayed at Kanazawa.

A Domain Built on Culture

Government tourism material explains that the Maeda channeled much of their wealth into culture, reportedly so as not to look like a threat to the shogunate. They recruited top craftspeople to Kanazawa and paid them stipends. Another account says the family visited Kyoto often and invited Kyoto artisans to develop arts across the domain, a policy that flourished especially under the fifth lord, Tsunanori.

The results include Kaga yuzen silk dyeing, Kaga maki-e lacquer, Kaga inlay, mizuhiki paper cord art, Kutani and Ohi ceramics, and gold leaf. Ohi ware tea bowls, for example, grew out of the lords' interest in the tea ceremony. Wikipedia records that the Kaga lords were major patrons of early Kutani porcelain in the seventeenth century. Today Kanazawa still has working studios for every one of these crafts.

Noh, Tea and Food

The Maeda were enthusiastic patrons of Noh, the classical masked theater. A Japanese government database notes that Kaga was one of the few domains where ordinary townspeople, and not only retainers, were encouraged to learn it, and Kanazawa was said to be a place where Noh falls from the heavens. Visitors can learn more at the Kanazawa Noh Museum and attend performances at the Ishikawa Prefectural Noh Theater.

The lords also promoted the tea ceremony, which nurtured a culture of hospitality and refined sweets. That culture helped shape Kaga ryori, the regional cuisine, as local chefs received access to fine ingredients. Kanazawa is now counted among Japan's major centers for traditional confectionery. Eating a seasonal sweet with a bowl of matcha in a teahouse is a very Maeda way to spend an afternoon.

Castle, Gardens and Samurai Streets

Kanazawa Castle was the center of the domain's capital, and today its grounds are a public park. The Kenrokuen garden began in the seventeenth century as a smaller garden outside the castle gates and reached its present size in the mid-nineteenth century. Next to the castle grounds, the Gyokuseninmaru garden served as the lords' private retreat, and both gardens are open to the public.

Samurai estates covered nearly seventy percent of Kanazawa's land, and the Nagamachi district still shows the Edo-period layout of earthen walls and narrow lanes. Eight senior retainer families, known as the Kaga Hakka, held large estates of their own, and the Kaga-Honda Museum displays heirlooms of the wealthiest of them. Seisonkaku, a villa beside Kenrokuen built in 1863 for the mother of a Maeda lord, blends Japanese and Western touches.

The Family After the Samurai Age

The Kaga Domain formally ended in the early Meiji period, when the government abolished the domain system. According to Wikipedia, the former lord's main residence in Edo stood on the site that is now the Hongo campus of the University of Tokyo, so the family's footprint is still visible in the capital. The Maeda name continued in Japanese public life after the domains ended, with former branch heads joining the new peerage.

For travelers, the most vivid way to connect with the family is the Hyakumangoku Festival, held every June to commemorate Toshiie's arrival at Kanazawa Castle. Combine it with a visit to the castle, the garden and a craft studio, and the long Maeda story becomes easy to follow.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who were the Maeda clan?

The Maeda were a samurai family that ruled Kaga Domain from Kanazawa Castle from 1583 until the end of the Edo period. Maeda Toshiie, a general under Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, founded the domain. The family led fourteen generations and held an official yield of over one million koku of rice.

Why was Kaga Domain so wealthy?

Its official rice yield was more than one million koku, the highest among domains other than the shogunate's own lands. The territory covered most of Kaga, most of Etchu and all of Noto provinces. The Maeda invested heavily in crafts, gardens, Noh and tea culture, which still define Kanazawa today.

What does hyakumangoku mean?

Hyakumangoku means one million koku. A koku was about 180 liters of rice, used to measure a domain's wealth. The term refers to the Maeda domain's official yield and is now a mark of local pride, including the Hyakumangoku Festival held in Kanazawa every June.

Further Reading

To explore further, see Maeda clan, Kaga Domain and Samurai, Culture, and Art: The Power and Wealth of the Maeda Family, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Keep Exploring

More guides from Tokyo Paul: Kenrokuen: Kanazawa's Garden of Six Attributes, Kanazawa Castle Park and Ishikawa Gate: Walls, Roofs and Lawns and kanazawa hyakumangoku festival.