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Encyclopedia > List of old provinces of Japan

Before the modern prefecture system was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of Kuni (国, Countries). The English-language term provinces is used to encompass all of these units. Each province was divided into Gun earlier Kori (郡, Counties).


The provinces were originally established as both administrative units and geographic regions. In the late Muromachi period however, their function as administrative units was effectively and gradually supplanted by each domains of sengoku-daimyo. Under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the provinces as administrative units were totally replaced with daimyos' territorries. In the Edo period, the territories became known as Han. The provinces remained as a geographical units and people referred often a certain place with a couple of province and Han.


At the Meiji restoration, the Han were legitimized as administrative units but quickly replaced by Fu (urban prefectures) and Ken (rural prefectures). Provinces as part of the address system, meanwhile, were not abolished but, on the contrary, augumented. As of 1871, the number of prefectures was 304, while the number of provinces was 68, not including Hokkaido and Ryukyu Province. The boundaries between the many prefectures were not only very complicated but they did not match those of the provinces. Prefectures were gradually merged to reduce the number to 37 by 1881; a few were then divided to give a total by 1885 of 45. Adding Hokkaido and Okinawa produces the current total of 47 prefectures.


To date, no official order has been issued abolishing provinces. Provinces are nonetheless today considered obsolete. However, their names are still widely used as parts of natural feature names, company names, and brands. In the early 2000s, the governor of Nagano Prefecture proposed the renaming of his prefecture as Shinshu (a name derived from Shinano Province).


Provinces are classified into Kinai (within the capital) and seven or eight do (routes, or circuits). Note that, however, do in this context should not be confused with modern traffic lines such as Tokaido from Tokyo to Kyoto or Kobe. Also, Hokkaido in this context should not be confused with Hokkaido Prefecture, although these two overlap geographically.

Contents
1 Early eighth century
2 Early ninth century to Meiji restoration
3 After Meiji restoration (1868)
4 Some brief periods
5 Today
6 See also

Early eighth century

  • Kinai 畿内　(Area.near.capital-Within)
    • Yamato 大和国 (then imperial seat) (written as 倭国 in ancient times until the reign of Genmei Tennō, who established Japan's first permanent capital at Nara, which is located within this province, in 710 CE)
    • Kawachi　河内国
    • Settsu　摂津国
    • Yamashiro　山城国 (formerly also written as 山背国 or 山代国; this is the province in which Kyoto is located)
  • Tosando 東山道　(East-Mountain-Route)
    • Omi　近江国 (literally "(Near) Freshwater Sea," see Lake Biwako)
    • Mino　美濃国
    • Hida　飛騨国
    • Shinano　信濃国
    • Kozuke 上野国 (literally "Upper Keno," part of ancient Keno Province)
    • Musashi　武蔵国
    • Shimotsuke 下野国 (literally "Lower Keno," part of ancient Keno Province)
    • Mutsu 陸奥国 (also called Michinoku　陸奥（みちのく）, literally "Obscure Recesses of the Land")
  • Tokaido 東海道 (East-Sea-Route)
    • Iga　伊賀国
    • Ise　伊勢国
    • Shima　志摩国
    • Owari　尾張国
    • Mikawa　三河国
    • Totomi 遠江国 (literally "Far Freshwater Sea," see Lake Hamanako)
    • Suruga　駿河国
    • Izu　伊豆国
    • Kai　甲斐国
    • Sagami　相模国
    • Kazusa 上総国 (literally "Upper Fusa," part of ancient Fusa Province)
    • Shimo-Usa 下総国 (literally "Lower Fusa," part of ancient Fusa Province)
    • Hitachi 常陸国 (literally "Sun-Rise," i.e. /hi-tachi/, implying the east end, but the Chinese characters used to write the name actually mean "Always-Land," i.e. /hita-chi/)
  • Hokurikudo 北陸道 (North-Land-Route)
  • San'indo 山陰道 (Mountain-Back-Route)
    • Tamba　丹波国
    • Tajima　但馬国
    • Inaba　因幡国
    • Hoki　伯耆国
    • Izumo　出雲国
    • Iwami　石見国
    • Oki　隠岐国 (a group of several islands in the Sea of Japan north of Shimane Prefecture)
  • San'yodo 山陽道 (Mountain-Front-Route)
  • Nankaido 南海道　(South-Sea-Route)
    • Kii 紀伊国 (also called Ki)
    • Awaji 淡路国 (literally Path to Awa Province; the largest island in the Seto Inland Sea, located between the Kii Peninsula of Honshu to the east and the island of Shikoku to the west)
    • Awa　阿波国
    • Sanuki　讃岐国
    • Iyo　伊予国
    • Tosa　土佐国
  • Saikaido 西海道　(West-Sea-Route)
    • Chikuzen　筑前国
    • Chikugo　筑後国
    • Buzen 豊前国　(part of ancient Toyo Province)
    • Bungo 豊後国　(part of ancient Toyo Province)
    • Hizen 肥前国　(part of ancient Hi Province)
    • Higo 肥後国　(part of ancient Hi Province)
    • Hyuga　日向国
    • Tane 多褹国 (small islands south of Kyushu)
    • Satsuma　薩摩国
    • Iki 壱岐国　(an island in the Genkai-Nada region of the Sea of Japan north of Kyushu)
    • Tsushima 対馬国　(a pair of islands between Japan and Korea, separating the Korea Strait from the Tsushima Strait)

Early ninth century to Meiji restoration

After Meiji restoration (1868)

Some brief periods

    • Chichibu (some time before 645, merged into Musashi)
    • Aizu (some time before 645, merged into Mutsu)
    • Ho (some time before 645, merged into Mikawa)
    • Shinaga (some time before 645, merged into Sagami)
    • Izumi Gen (circa 716 to circa 738, divided from Kawachi)
    • Yoshino Gen (circa 716 to circa 738, divided from Yamato)
    • Suwa (circa 721 to circa 738, divided from Shinano)
    • Iwaki (circa 718 to circa 724, divided from Mutsu)
    • Iwase (circa 718 to circa 724, divided from Mutsu)

Today

These province names are considered to be mainly of historical interest; however, there is no record that these names were ever officially abolished.


See also

Detailed maps of the provinces at different times can be found at:

  • maproom.org (http://www.maproom.org/maps/books/japan/murdoch/)
  • samurai archives (http://www.samurai-archives.com)

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