Tango Province (丹後国,Tango-no kuni) was aprovince of Japan in the area of northernKyoto Prefecture.[1] Tango bordered onTanba to the south,Tajima to the west, andWakasa to the east. Its abbreviated form name wasTanshū (丹州). It was also referred to asHokutan (北丹) orOkutan (奥丹). In terms of theGokishichidō system, Tango was one of the provinces of theSan'indō circuit. Under theEngishiki classification system, Tango was ranked as one of the "middle countries" (中国) in terms of importance, and one of the "near countries" (近国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city ofMiyazu. Theichinomiya of the province is theKono Shrine also located in Miyazu. The province had an area of 1,283.43 square kilometres (495.54 sq mi).
The Tango region prospered around the Takeno River basin (present-dayKyōtango city) during theKofun period, during which time many keyhole-shapedburial mounds were constructed. As coins from theXin dynasty of northern China have been found in the from theHakoishihama Site in Kumihama, Kyōtango, it is clear that the area had trade connections with the Asian continent. Also, in theNihon Shoki, when the Yamato Kingdom sent four generals in four directions to conquer the country, ancientTanba was the only specific destination mentioned, highlighting its importance to the Yamato rulers as a transportation center towards Asia.
The province of Tango was created in 713 during the reign ofEmpress Genmei by separating the northern five districts (Kasa District, Yoza District, Tamba District (later Naka District), Takeno District, and Kumano District) of northern Tanba Province.[2] InWadō 5 (712),Mutsu Province had been severed fromDewa Province.[2] The "Wamyō Ruijushō" lists 35 townships in the area, and states that the area was ruled by the Tanba-no-atai clan, who were theKuni no miyatsuko. Per theKujiki, this clan claimed descent from thekamiAmenohoakari,who was either the younger brother or son ofNinigi-no-mikoto. Theprovincial capital was located in Kasa District, possibly in the Fuchū neighborhood ofMiyazu, but the precise location is uncertain. The site of theTango Kokubun-ji (also in Miyazu) is known, and is aNational Historic Site. TheEngishiki records of 927 list seven major and 58 minorShinto shrines, withKono Jinja as theichinomiya of the province.[3]
During the earlyMuromachi period, theYamana clan wereshugo of Tango province, but they were supplanted by theIsshiki clan in 1392. The Isshiki ruled until replaced byHosokawa Fujitaka in 1579, who constructedTanabe Castle, also known as “Maizuru Castle” under orders ofOda Nobunaga.
In 1600, the Hosokawa clan was transferred toKyushu and all of Tango Province was awarded toKyōgoku Takatomo, who establishedMiyazu Domain under theTokugawa shogunate. In 1622, he divided his 123,000koku holdings, with 35,000koku going to his third son, Kyōgoku Takamitsu,who established a cadet branch atTango-Tanabe Domain and 10,000koku to a grandson,Kyōgoku Takamichi,who establishedMineyama Domain. This proved a wise decision, as in 1666 The Kyōgoku clan was dispossessed of Miyazu Domain for bad administration, and reduced tohatamoto status. Miyazu Domain was reduced in size and passed to a number offudai daimyō clans until 1758 when it came under the control of the Honjō-Matsudaira clan. Tango-Tanabe Domain fared better in that it remained in Kyōgoku hands until 1668, when the clan was transferred toToyooka Domain inTajima Province and replaced by a cadet branch of theMakino clan. Mineyama Domain remained with the Kyōgoku until theMeiji restoration. Territory directly controlled by the shogunate was administered by Kumihamadaikanshō. During the Edo Period, Tango province was somewhat of a backwater, due to its geographical location. In the mid-Edo period, Mineyama Domain brought in craftsmen fromNishijin to introduce the technique of producing silkcrepe cloth, which was namedTango chirimen. This became a regional speciality and a source of income for both Miyazu and Mineyama Domains.
| Name | Clan | Type | kokudaka |
|---|---|---|---|
 Miyazu | Honjō-Matsudaira clan | Fudai | 70,000koku |
 Tango-Tanabe | Makino clan | Fudai | 35,000koku |
 Mineyama | Kyōgoku clan | Tozama | 13,000koku |
Following theMeiji restoration, each of the domains (Miyazu, Tango-Tanabe and Mineyama) briefly became prefectures, which were annexed to Toyooka Prefecture in November 1871 and incorporated into Kyoto Prefecture in 1876.[4] Per the earlyMeiji periodKyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō (旧高旧領取調帳), an official government assessment of the nation's resources, the province had 409 villages with a totalkokudaka of 146,724koku. Tango Province consisted of:
| District | kokudaka | Controlled by | at present | Currently |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kumano (熊野郡) | 18,333koku | Tenryō (52 villages) | dissolved | part ofKyōtango |
| Naka (中郡) | 21,911koku | Tenryō (9 villages) Mineyama (1 town, 19 villages) Miyazu (5 villages) joint Mineyama/Miyazu (1 village) jointTenryō/Miyazu (1 village) | dissolved | part of Kyōtango |
| Takeno (竹野郡) | 25,223koku | Tenryō (47 villages) Miyazu (27 villages) joint Tenryo/Miyazu (1 village) | dissolved | part of Kyōtango |
| Yosa (与謝郡) | 42,175koku | Tenryō (9 villages) Miyazu (3 towns, 82 villages) jointTenryō/Miyazu (1 village) | Ine,Yosano, most ofMiyazu, part of Kyōtango andFukuchiyama | |
| Kasa (加佐郡) | 39,079koku | Tenryō (3 villages) Tango-Tanabe (1 town, 134 villages) Miyazu (11 villages) jointTenryō/Tango-Tanabe (1 village) | dissolved | Maizuru, part of Fukuchiyama, Miyazu |
Although the province no longer officially existed after 1871, the name continued to be used for some purposes. For example, Tango is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 between Japan and theUnited States and between Japan and theUnited Kingdom.[5]
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