Dismantling feudalism: han, prefectures, and the samurai

In 1869 the daimyo of Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa, and Hizen voluntarily returned their domains to the emperor in the act known as hanseki hokan, though this was largely a formal gesture, since the former daimyo continued to administer their territories as state-appointed governors. In August 1871 the government decreed the definitive abolition of the han and their replacement by prefectures, haihan chiken: initially 302 prefectures were created, later consolidated to 47, roughly the number that survives today. The central government assumed direct control over taxation, justice, and administration throughout the country, while the former daimyo received lifetime pensions and hereditary titles (kazoku) as compensation. The measure was carried out with almost no significant armed resistance, and Okubo Toshimichi was its principal architect.