| Echizen Province 越前国 | |
|---|---|
| pre-Meiji period Japan | |
| 701 AD–1871 | |
 Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Echizen Province highlighted | |
| Capital | Echizen |
| Area | |
| • Coordinates | 36°24′N136°30′E / 36.400°N 136.500°E /36.400; 136.500 |
| History | |
• Ritsuryō system implemented | 701 AD |
• Disestablished | 1871 |
| Today part of | Fukui Prefecture |
Echizen Province (越前国,Echizen no Kuni;Japanese pronunciation:[e.tɕiꜜ.(d)zeɴ,-(d)zennokɯ.ɲi][1]) was aprovince of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion ofFukui Prefecture in theHokuriku region of Japan.[2] Echizen bordered onKaga,Wakasa,Hida, andŌmi Provinces. It was part ofHokurikudōCircuit. Its abbreviated form name was(Esshū; 越州).
Koshi Province (越国,Koshi-no-Kuni) was anancient province of Japan and is listed as one of the original provinces in theNihon Shoki.[3] The region as a whole was sometimes referred to asEsshū (越州). In 507, during a succession crisis, the king of Koshi was chosen to become the 26themperor of Japan,Emperor Keitai.
In 701 AD, per the reforms of theTaihō Code, Koshi was divided into three separate provinces: Echizen,Etchū, andEchigo. The original Echizen included all of what is nowIshikawa Prefecture. In 718 A.D., fourdistricts of northern Echizen (Hakui District,Noto District (also called Kashima District),Fugeshi District andSuzu District), were separated to form Noto Province. During theNara period, the poetNakatomi no Yakamori was exiled to Echizen, where he wrote some of his 40 poems collected in theMan'yōshū, including his love letters toSanuno Otogami no Otome. Another famousMan'yōshū poet,Ōtomo no Yakamochi, wrote many pieces about Echizen. .
In 823 AD, the two eastern districts of Echizen (Kaga and Enuma) were separated to form Kaga Province. Kaga was thus the last province to be created under theritsuryō system, and Echizen received its current borders at that time. During theHeian period, the provincial governor of Echizen,Fujiwara no Tametoki, was the father of the celebrated authorMurasaki Shikibu. Lady Murasaki left her hometown ofHeian-kyō only once in her life, to go to Echizen with her father. She stayed for just over one year, and then returned home to marryFujiwara no Nobutaka. Her experiences in Echizen are said to have had a major influence on her greatest work,The Tale of Genji, and many place names from Echizen appear in her stories and poems.
Echizen was a strategically important province due to its proximity toKyoto andNara and due to its location on theSea of Japan with contacts to the Asian continent. The province was traditionally famous for its production ofwashi paper. A text dated AD 774 mentions thewashi made in this area. Echizen is also well known for itsceramics. It is one of the so-called six oldkiln sites ofJapan (the others beingShigaraki,Bizen,Seto,Tanba, andTokoname).
The exact location of theprovincial capital andProvincial temple of Echizen are unknown, but are believed to have been in what is now the city ofEchizen.
For most of the war between theNorthern and Southern Courts, Echizen was under the control of theAshikaga shogunate and Northern Courts. The province was often used as a launching point for the shogunate's attack against the capital, and Echizen became the stage for a number of decisive battles of the war.
During most of theMuromachi period, theShiba clan ruled asshugo of Echizen. The Shiba were displaced by theAsakura clan towards the start of theSengoku period, who madeIchijōdani their headquarters. UnderAsakura Yoshikage, Echizen enjoyed a peace and stability far greater than the rest of Japan during this chaotic period, partly due to his negotiations with theIkkō-ikki. As a result, Echizen became a refuge for people fleeing the violence to the south.
WhenOda Nobunaga invaded Echizen, he defeated the Asakura clan,burned Ichijōdani Castle to the ground and re-established the provincial capital at Echizen-Fūchu, divided among his generalsFuwa Mitsuharu,Sassa Narimasa, andMaeda Toshiie. The province remained in their hands only for a short time, after which the three were granted larger fiefs of their own elsewhere. After the death of Nobunaga, control of Echizen passed on toShibata Katsuie, who built his castle atKitanosho Castle in what is now the city ofFukui. Shibata himself only held Echizen Province for a few years, after which he was defeated byToyotomi Hideyoshi.
After theBattle of Sekigahara and the establishment of theTokugawa shogunate, the entire province was awarded by the first shogunTokugawa Ieyasu to his second son,Yūki Hideyasu, who became thedaimyō ofEchizen Domain, from his base atFukui Castle.[4] During the early years of theTokugawa shogunate, manynobles and aristocrats moved to Fukui city in hopes to win the favor of Hideyasu, who was widely expected to become the new shōgun. There was great disappointment and resentment when the shogunate passed on to Ieyasu's third son,Tokugawa Hidetada. However, Echizen remained a strategically important military and political base; the Tokugawa shōguns needed loyaldaimyō in the provinces surrounding the imperial capital, and Echizen served as a powerful buffer between Kyōto and theMaeda clan ofKaga, who were not among thefudai (hereditary Tokugawa allies).
Much of the province remained in the control of theMatsudaira clan until theMeiji Restoration; however, due to internal conflicts, thekokudaka of Fukui Domain was much reduced from its initial size, and several newdomains were created. A large portion of the area of the province also becametenryo territory (shogunal demenses) administered directly by the shogunate.
During theBakumatsu period,Matsudaira Shungaku, the 17thdaimyō of Fukui Domain plays a major role in national politics, and acted as an intermediary to negotiate the surrender of pro-Tokugawa forces to theMeiji government at the end of theBoshin War. However, with the Meiji Restoration, the centre of political power shifted completely from Kyoto toTokyo, and Echizen increasingly became a backwater. On August 29, 1871,Fukui Prefecture andTsuruga Prefecture were established. However, on August 21, 1875 Fukui Prefecture was abolished, becoming part ofIshikawa Prefecture, whereas Tsuruga Prefecture became part ofShiga Prefecture. Fukui Prefecture was re-established on February 7, 1881.
Although Echizen no longer existed after 1871 and maps of Japan were reformed after that date[5] At the same time, Echizen continued to exist legally for certain purposes. For example, Echizen is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and theUnited States and (b) between Japan and theUnited Kingdom.[6]
In a border adjustment between Fukui prefecture andGifu Prefecture on October 15, 1958, the village of Itoshiro in Ōno District was transferred to Gifu.
Echizen Province consisted of four districts:
| # | Name | type | daimyō | kokudaka |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Fukui Domain | shinpan | Matsudaira clan | 320,000koku |
 | Maruoka Domain | fudai | Arima clan | 50,000koku |
 | Sabae Domain | fudai | Manabe clan | 40,000koku |
 | Ōno Domain | fudai | Doi clan | 50,000koku |
 | Echizen-Katsuyama Domain | fudai | Ogasawara clan | 22,000koku |
 | Tsuruga Domain | fudai | Sakai clan | 11,000koku |
Media related toEchizen Province at Wikimedia Commons
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
