Editing March (territory) (section)

===Japan===
{{See also|Han system}} 
The European concept of ''marches'' applies just as well to the fief of [[Matsumae clan]] on the southern tip of Hokkaidō which was at Japan's northern border with the [[Ainu people]] of [[Hokkaidō]], known as [[Ezo]] at the time. In 1590, this land was granted to the Kakizaki clan, who took the name Matsumae from then on. The Lords of Matsumae, as they are sometimes called, were exempt from owing rice to the ''[[shōgun]]'' in tribute, and from the ''[[sankin-kōtai]]'' system established by [[Tokugawa Ieyasu]], under which most lords (''[[daimyō]]s'') had to spend half the year at court (in the capital of [[Edo]]).

By guarding the border, rather than conquering or colonizing Ezo, the Matsumae, in essence, made the majority of the island an Ainu reservation. This also meant that Ezo, and the [[Kurile Islands]] beyond, were left essentially open to Russian colonization. However, the Russians never did colonize Ezo, and the marches were officially eliminated during the [[Meiji Restoration]] in the late 19th century, when the Ainu came under Japanese control, and Ezo was renamed Hokkaidō, and annexed to Japan.