Edo Period
A han refers to a territory during the Edo era with an agricultural output assessed at 10,000 koku or more (enough rice production to meet the yearly caloric needs of at least 10,000 people). The number of han varied, but typically there were around 300. Occasionally a han may establish another han from its own territories. Called a shihan, this is usually given to a son of the daimyo who was not expected to inherit. With approval from the shogun, some shihans became ruled by powerful daimyo in their own right, but often the shihan remained subservient to the main han.
The largest han besides the Shogunate was the Kaga Domain with slightly over 1 million koku. It was situated in Kaga, Etchu and Noto provinces.
In July 1871, all the han were disbanded in favor of the formation of prefectures. (see: abolition of the han system)
Read more about this topic: Han System
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