The Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei or was a Japanese military-political coalition established and disestablished over the course of several months in early to mid-1868 during the Boshin War

Boshin War

The was a civil war in Japan, fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and those seeking to return political power to the imperial court....

. Its flag was either a white interwoven five-pointed star

Pentagram

A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...

 on a black field, or a black interwoven five-pointed star on a white field.

History

Sometimes referred to as the "Northern Alliance," it centered around the Sendai, Yonezawa, and Nihonmatsu domains, and drew together nearly all domains from the provinces of Mutsu

Mutsu Province

was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...

 and Dewa

Dewa Province

is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...

, several domains of northern Echigo Province

Echigo Province

was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Etchū Provinces. Today the area is part of Niigata Prefecture, which also includes the island which was the old Sado Province. This province was the northernmost part of the...

, and even the Matsumae han of Ezo

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

 (modern-day Hokkaidō

Hokkaido

, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...

). Headquartered at Shiroishi Castle

Shiroishi Castle

is a Japanese castle in Shiroishi, Miyagi, within what was Mutsu Province. It was the castle of the Katakura clan, which was a family of retainers serving the Date clan of Sendai...

, the alliance's nominal head was Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa

Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa

of Japan, was the 2nd head of a collateral branch of the Japanese imperial family.- Early life :Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa was the ninth son of Prince Fushimi Kuniye . He entered the Buddhist priesthood under the title Rinnoji-no-miya...

, the onetime abbot of Kan'eiji Temple in Edo

Edo

, also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...

 who fled north following the Satsuma-Chōshū takeover of the city, who declared himself "Emperor Tobu", with Date Yoshikuni

Date Yoshikuni

was a Japanese daimyo lord of the late Edo period, known primarily for being the commander-in-chief of the Northern Alliance of Confederated Domains during the Boshin War.During his tenure as lord he was also known by his courtesy title, Matsudaira ....

 of Sendai as the head of the Alliance. Although heteroclitic in nature, the Alliance formed of a combination of modern and traditional forces, and mobilized a total of about 50,000 soldiers. Though the alliance did its best to support the Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

 domain, Aizu was not formally part of the alliance; neither was Shōnai.

In addition, though it technically no longer existed as a domain, the forces of the Hayashi clan

Hayashi clan (Jozai)

The ', onetime ruling family of the Jōzai Domain, is a Japanese clan which traces its origins to the Ogasawara clan, the shugo of Shinano Province. The family served the Matsudaira clan from its days in Mikawa Province...

 of the Jōzai Domain also fought on behalf of the Alliance.

While the alliance was a bold, innovative step that combined the military forces of several dozen domains, it was unable to fully act as a single, cohesive unit, and with the fall of Sendai and Aizu

Aizu

is an area comprising the westernmost third of Fukushima Prefecture in Japan. The principal city of the area is Aizuwakamatsu.During the Edo period, Aizu was a feudal domain known as and part of Mutsu Province.-History:...

, it effectively collapsed.

Members of the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei

Domain	Ruling Family	Province
Matsumae	Matsumae Matsumae clan The was a Japanese clan which was granted the area around Matsumae, Hokkaidō as a march fief in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and charged with defending it, and by extension all of Japan, from the Ainu 'barbarians' to the north. The clan was originally known as the Kakizaki clan who settled...	Ezo
Akita	Satake Satake clan The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. Its first power base was in Hitachi Province. The clan was subdued by Minamoto no Yoritomo in the late 12th century, but later entered Yoritomo's service as vassals...	Dewa
Morioka Morioka Domain The was a han or feudal domain that encompasses present-day the middle-northern part of Iwate Prefecture and eastern part of Aomori Prefecture. It is sometimes colloquially called . The domain was tozama daimyo and was governed by the Satake clan. Its income was 100,000...	Nanbu Nanbu clan The ' was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . The Nanbu claimed descent from the Minamoto clan, and its members first enter the historical record as residents of Kai Province during the Kamakura period. The clan later moved to Mutsu...	Mutsu
Yonezawa Yonezawa Domain Yonezawa Domain was a feudal domain of Tokugawa Japan, controlled by daimyō of the Uesugi clan. Covering the Okitama district of Dewa province, in what is today southeastern Yamagata Prefecture, the territory was ruled from Yonezawa castle in Yonezawa city...	Uesugi Uesugi clan The was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....	Dewa
Nihonmatsu Nihonmatsu Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo Period. For the majority of its history it was ruled by the Niwa clan. The Nihonmatsu domain also took part in the fighting of the Boshin War, and was disbanded in 1871.-List of Daimyo:*Matsushita clan...	Niwa Niwa clan The ' was a Japanese samurai clan which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period. Its members claimed descent from the medieval Kodama family. Famous clan members included Oda Nobunaga's senior retainer Niwa Nagahide, as well as Nagahide's 19th century descendants Niwa Nagatomi, Niwa Nagakuni, and...	Mutsu
Hirosaki Hirosaki Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in northern Mutsu Province . It was ruled by the Tsugaru clan...	Tsugaru Tsugaru clan The was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . A branch of the local Nanbu clan, the Tsugaru rose to power during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. It was on the winning side of the Battle of Sekigahara, and entered the Edo period as a family of lords ...	Mutsu
Shinjō	Tozawa	Dewa
Tanagura Tanagura Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Its headquarters was in modern-day Tanagura, Fukushima. It was founded in 1603, when Tachibana Muneshige was given the territory by Tokugawa Ieyasu.-List of lords:...	Abe	Mutsu
Sōma Soma Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Mutsu Province. It was ruled by the Sōma clan. The domain was also known as the -References:*http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~me4k-skri/han/mutudewa/souma.html...	Sōma	Mutsu
Sendai Sendai Domain was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Most of its holdings were contiguous, covering all of modern-day Miyagi Prefecture, small portions of southern Iwate Prefecture, and a portion of northeastern Fukushima Prefecture. The domain's capital, and the ruling family's castle, were located in what...	Date	Mutsu
Ichinoseki	Tamura	Mutsu
Miharu Miharu Domain Miharu han was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Mutsu Province. It was ruled by three different families over the course of its history: the Katō , the Matsushita , and for the remainder of the Edo period by the Akita...	Akita	Mutsu
Yamagata	Mizuno	Dewa
Kaminoyama	Matsudaira	Dewa
Iwakidaira	Ando	Mutsu
Fukushima Fukushima Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in southern Mutsu Province . Castle location was the . Feudal lords were the Honda clan, the Hotta clan, and the Itakura clan. All of them were Fudai daimyos....	Itakura	Mutsu
Honjo	Rokugo	Dewa
Moriyama	Matsudaira	Mutsu
Izumi	Honda	Mutsu
Kameda	Iwaki	Dewa
Hachinohe	Nanbu	Mutsu
Tendō Tendo Domain ' was a Japanese feudal domain of the Edo period, located in Dewa Province. Tendō was a tozama domain.Tendō was the site of a castle built in 1360 by Shiba Yorinao. In the 16th century, it was part of the territory controlled by the Satomi clan...	Oda Oda clan The was a family of Japanese daimyo who were to become an important political force in the unification of Japan in the mid-16th century. Though they had the climax of their fame under Oda Nobunaga and fell from the spotlight soon after, several branches of the family would continue on as daimyo...	Dewa
Yunagaya	Naito	Mutsu
Shimotedo	Tachibana	Mutsu
Yajima	Ikoma	Dewa
Shibata	Mizoguchi	Echigo
Nagaoka Nagaoka Domain The ' was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Echigo Province . It was ruled by the Makino clan for most of its history. It was also the center of some of the fiercest fighting of the Boshin War, during the summer of 1868. Nagaoka joined the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the war, and...	Makino	Echigo
Murakami	Naito	Echigo
Muramatsu	Hori	Echigo
Mineyama	Makino	Echigo
Kurokawa	Yanagisawa	Echigo

External links

• Background on the Ouetsu Reppan Domei
• More background information