Coal mining began in 1738, during the era of the 4th daimyō, Tachibana Yasunaga. This industry evolved into the Mitsu-Miike Coal Mine, which remained in operation until 1997. The 6th daimyō, Tachibana Tanechika, served in various positions in the administration of the Tokugawa shogunate, including Ōbangashira, Sōshaban and Jisha-bugyō, eventually becoming a Wakadoshiyori. However, he belonged to the anti-Matsudaira Sadanobu faction and was defeated in a political conflict, and in November 1805, he was dismissed for the charge of leaking secrets by the shogunate, and in December, he was forced to retire and was put under house arrest. HIs successor, Tachibana Taneyoshi, was deprived of Miike Domain in 1806, and was transferred to Shimotedo Domain (下手渡藩) in Mutsu Province in 1806 (currently part of the city of Date, Fukushima). Although his nominal kokudaka remained at 10,000 koku, this was considered as a demotion.
In 1850, Tachibana Taneyoshi's grandson, Taneyuki, managed to trade 5000 koku of his holding for 5000 koku in former Miike Domain. In 1868, during the final years of the Bakumatsu period, he was appointed Gaikoku-bugyō and then a Rōjū; however, by this time the Boshin War had started and after hearing of the defeat of the Shogunate forces at the Battle of Toba-Fushimi, he immediately resigned his positions. He pledged fealty to the Meiji government in Edo, but simultaneously sent the domain's karō, Okuyama Tsuguatsu, to pledge support for the pro-Tokugawa Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei. When he was discovered that he was playing both sides, the outraged Sendai Domain sent 200 soldiers to burn down the Shimotedo Domain jin'ya and to occupy the territory. Tachibana Taneyuki was forced to move his seat to Miike, although his holdings continued to be divided between Chikugo and Mutsu. In the following year, in 1868, with the establishment of the Meiji government, he was appointed imperial governor of Miike. With the abolition of the feudal domains and establishment of prefectures in 1871, the territory of Miike was incorporated into Fukuoka Prefecture through "Mizuma Prefecture".
Tachibana Taneyuki became a viscount under the kazoku peerage system in 1884.
Holdings at the end of the Edo period
As with most domains in the han system, Miike Domain consisted of several discontinuous territories calculated to provide the assigned kokudaka, based on periodic cadastral surveys and projected agricultural yields.[4][5]
