Ise Province (伊勢国,Ise no kuni) was aprovince of Japan in the area of Japan that is today includes most of modernMie Prefecture.[1] Ise bordered onIga,Kii,Mino,Ōmi,Owari,Shima, andYamato Provinces. Its abbreviated form name wasSeishū (勢州).
The name of Ise appears in the earliest written records of Japan, and was the site of numerous religious and folkloric events connected with theShinto religion andYamato court. Ise province was one of the original provinces of Japan established in theNara period under theTaihō Code, when the former princely state of Ise was divided into Ise, Iga and Shima. The original capital of the province was located in what is now the city ofSuzuka, and was excavated by archaeologists in 1957. The site was proclaimed a national historic landmark in 1986. The remains of the Isekokubunji have also been found within the boundaries of modern Suzuka. Under theEngishiki classification system, Ise was ranked as a "great country" (大国) and a "close country" (近国).
Two Shinto shrines in Ise Province compete for the title ofIchinomiya:Tsubaki Grand Shrine and the Tsubaki Jinja, both of which are located in Suzuka. TheIse Grand Shrine, located in what is now the city ofIse was the destination of pilgrims from theHeian period through modern times.
During theMuromachi period, Ise was ruled nominally by theKitabatake clan. After the establishment of theTokugawa shogunate, Ise was divided into severalfeudal han, the largest of which wasTsu Domain. During the Edo period, theTōkaidō road fromEdo toKyoto passed through northern Ise, withpost stations at several locations.
At the time of theBakumatsu period, the feudal domains within Ise Province included the following:
| Domain | Daimyō | Revenue (koku) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tsu Domain | Todo | 279,500 | fudai |
| Hisai Domain | Todo | 58,700 | fudai |
| Kuwana Domain | Matsudaira (Hisamatsu) | 113,000 | shimpan |
| Ise-Kameyama Domain | Ishikawa | 60,000 | fudai |
| Nagashima Domain | Masuyama | 20,000 | fudai |
| Kanbe Domain | Honda | 10,000 | fudai |
| Komono Domain | Hijikata | 10,000 | tozama |
| Tamaru Domain | Kunō | 10,000 | fudai |
After the start of theMeiji period, with theabolition of the han system in 1871, Ise was joined with former Iga and Shima provinces to form the newMie Prefecture formally created on April 18, 1876.
The name "Ise Province" continued to exist as a geographical anachronism for certain official purposes. For example, Ise is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and theUnited States and (b) between Japan and theUnited Kingdom.[2]
TheWorld War IIJapanese battleship Ise and modern helicopter carrierIse are named after this province.
Media related toIse Province at Wikimedia Commons