Buzen Province (豊前国,Buzen no Kuni;Japanese pronunciation:[bɯꜜ.(d)zeɴ,-(d)zennokɯ.ɲi][1]) was aprovince of Japan in the area of northeasternKyūshū, corresponding to part of southeasternFukuoka Prefecture and northwesternŌita Prefecture.[2] Buzen bordered onBungo to the south, andChikuzen to the north and west. Its abbreviated form name wasHōshū (豊州) (a name which it shared with Bungo Province), although it was also calledNihō (二豊). In terms of theGokishichidō system, Buzen was one of the provinces of theSaikaidō circuit. Under theEngishiki classification system, Buzen was ranked as one of the "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital.
During theKofun period, the area of Buzen had two main power centers: Toyouni in the northwest and Usa-kuni in the southeast (the area around what is nowUsa, each of which was ruled by akuni no miyatsuko. By theAsuka period, the area had been consolidated into a single province calledToyo Province, also calledToyokuni no Michi no Shiri. After theTaika Reforms and the establishment of theRitsuryō system in 701, Toyo Province was divided into Bungo and Buzen Provinces.
Thekokufu of Buzen was located inToyotsu, now part ofMiyako, Fukuoka, and its ruins have been located and are now a National Historic Site. TheBuzen Kokubun-ji was also located in the same area. The ofichinomiya of Buzen Province isUsa Jingū, commonly known as "Usa Hachimangū", located inUsa.
Buzen was largely dominated byKokura Domain, ruled by theOgasawara clan under theTokugawa shogunate, with a smaller area under the rule ofNakatsu Domain.
| Name | Clan | Type | kokudaka | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Kokura | Ogasawara | Fudai | 150,000koku | renamed Kawara Domain in 1869; Toyotsu Domain in 1850 |
.svg) Nakatsu | Okudaira | Fudai | 100,000koku | |
| Kokura Shinden | Ogasawara | Fudai | 10,000koku | Renamed Chizuka Domain in 1869 |
During theBoshin War, Kokura Castle was occupied by the forces ofChōshū Domain, and the seat of Kokura Domain was transferred to Kawara Domain (香春藩). It was renamed Toyotsu Domain (豊津藩) in 1870. In 1869, Kokura Shinden Domain was renamed Chizuka Domain (千束藩). The previous year,hatamoto territory in the province was transferred to Hita Prefecture, followed by Usa Jingu territory and Chōshū Domain in 1869. On the other hand, formertenryō in Shimoge District and Usa District became part ofTsushima Izuhara Domain (千束藩) in January 1870. With theabolition of the han system in August 1871, the former domains became Toyotsu, Senzoku, Nakatsu, and Izuhara prefectures, which were merged at the end of the year to formKokura Prefecture. In April 1876, Kokura Prefecture was incorporated into Fukuoka Prefecture, but in August of the same year, the two southernmost districts (Usa District and Shimoge District) of former Buzen Province were transferred to Ōita Prefecture.[3] The name "Buzen" continued to persist for some purposes. For example, Buzen is explicitly recognized in the 1894 treaties with theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom.[4]
Per the earlyMeiji periodKyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō (旧高旧領取調帳), an official government assessment of the nation's resources, Buzen Province had 776 villages with a totalkokudaka of 363,940koku. Bungo Province consisted of:
| District | kokudaka | villages | Controlled by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usa District (宇佐郡) | 77,483koku | 241 villages | Tenryō, Nakatsu, Shimabara, Usa Jingū | dissolved |
| Shimoge (下毛郡) | 47,593koku | 98 villages | Tenryō, Nakatsu | dissolved |
| Kiku (企救郡) | 45,797koku | 110 villages | Kokura | |
| Tagawa (田川郡) | 54,752koku | 64 villages | Kokura | |
| Miyako (京都郡) | 34,617koku | 71 villages | Kokura | absorbed Nakatsu District on February 26, 1896 |
| Nakatsu (仲津郡) | 42,586koku | 76 villages | Kokura | merged into Miyako District on February 26, 1896 |
| Tsuiki (築城郡) | 23,033koku | 41 villages | Kokura | merged with Kōge to become Chikujō District on February 26, 1896 |
| Kōge (上毛郡) | 38,074koku | 75 villages | Kokura. Nakatsu | merged with Tsuiki to becomeChikujō District on February 26, 1896 |
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