| Hyūga Province 日向国 | |
|---|---|
| pre-Meiji period Japan | |
| 7th century–1871 | |
 Map of Japanese provinces (1868) showing the location of Hyūga Province (red) in theSaikaidō (green) | |
| Capital | Saito |
| History | |
• Established | 7th century |
• Satsuma Province separates from Hyūga | 702 |
• Ōsumi Province separates from Hyūga | 713 |
• Disestablished | 1871 |
| Today part of | Miyazaki Prefecture |
Hyūga Province (日向国,Hyūga no Kuni;Japanese pronunciation:[çɯꜜː.ɡa(nokɯ.ɲi),çɯꜜː.ŋa-][1]) was aprovince of Japan in the area of southeasternKyushu, corresponding to modernMiyazaki Prefecture[2] Hyūga bordered onŌsumi to the south,Higo to the west, andBungo to the north. Its abbreviated form name wasKōshū (向州), although it was also calledNisshū (日州). In terms of theGokishichidō system, Hyūga was one of the provinces of theSaikaidō circuit. Under theEngishiki classification system, Hyūga was ranked as one of the "middle countries" (中国) in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital.
Ruins from theJapanese Paleolithic period have been discovered in the Hyūga area, and red-colored pottery made fromcinnabar has been excavated from the Tsukahara ruins from theJōmon period. The Hyūga region of theYayoi period is characterized by the lack of bronze tools and the presence of gouged squarestone knives, while imported ironware from the central Kyushu region have been unearthed. Many stories about Hyūga during this period appear in theKojiki andNihon Shoki, particularly in the early "Age of the Gods" period in which the descendants of thekami, includingAmaterasu,Amenohoakari,Hikohohodemi,Hoderi and others, descended on the peak ofTakachiho, bringing to the primitive inhabitants the secrets ofrice cultivation, metals working and advanced fishing and agricultural technologies, which later spread from this area to theKinai region.
It is also noteworthy thatEmperor Jimmu departed from Hyūga on his expedition to conquer what later becameYamato although ancient texts and mythology remain vague as to whether or not he was originally the ruler of Hyūga. During theKofun period, influences of culture from the Asian continent became stronger and from the 4th century,burial mounds similar to those found in theKinai region began to appear in the area, including theSaitobaru Kofun Cluster. In theKojiki and theNihon Shoki, Hyūga is called the “land of theKumaso” (熊曽国) ofTsukushi-no-shima (Kyushu), which is named along with the provinces ofTsukushi,Toyo andHi. The Kumaso people were subjugated either byYamato Takeru or his fatherEmperor Keikō. Also according to theNihon Shoki, Emperor Keiko's son, Prince Toyokuni was appointed HyūgaKuni no miyatsuko in the reign ofEmperor Ojin.
The existence ofkofun clusters indicates that there was a political relationship between the local rulers and the Yamato Kingdom before theAsuka period. However, even into theNara period the exact status of the area vis-a-vis Yamato remains unclear. In the time ofEmperor Suiko, horses from Hyūga were famous with the court. The name “ Hyūga Province” appears in an article dated September 28, 698, in the second year ofEmperor Monmu’s reign in theShoku Nihongi, but it is unclear when this country was established, and with the establishment of theRitsuryō system from the end of the 7th century, Hyūga initially included what later becameSatsuma Province andŌsumi Province. In 702, Satsuma was separated from Hyūga, followed by Ōsumi in 713.[3] However, the localHayato tribes of the area rebelled four times between the end of the 7th century and the early 8th century, which indicates that rule by Yamato was tenuous during this period. This cumulated in theHayato rebellion of 720-721. TheHyūga-no-kuni Fudoki was compiled in the first half of the 8th century byFujiwara no Umakai, who may have visited the area in person.
Theprovincial capital during the Nara andHeian period was located in Koyu District, but the exact location is uncertain. It is presumed to be the Terasaki ruins, in what is now the city ofSaito, but this identification is uncertain. Thekokubun-ji of the province was theHyūga Kokubun-ji, which was also located in Saito. Theichinomiya of the province is theTsuno Shrine, located inTsuno, Miyazaki, and thesōja of the province is theTsuma Shrine, located in Miyazaki city. Per theEngishiki records of the mid-Heian period, only four shrines are listed, all of which were classified as "minor".
In 1185,Tadahisa Koremune, possibly an illegitimate son ofMinamoto no Yoritomo was appointed to the position ofjitō of Shimazu-shō (a largeshōen estate located in southern Kyushu) belonging to theKonoe family. He took the name of "Shimazu" and his clan would rule southern Kyushu for the next 800 years. In 1197, Tadahisa was appointed as theshugo of Hyūga, along with Satsuma and Ōsumi. However, in 1203, Tadahisa was reduced to only Satsuma Province, and Hyūga was passed on to theHōjō clan; althoughUsa Hachiman-gu controlled the entire northern area of Hyūga. In theNanboku-chō period, the area had devolved into numerous semi-independent feudal estates with constantly shifting loyalties between theNorthern Court and theSouthern Court, with Hyūga as a battleground between theŌtomo clan fromBungo in the north, the Shimazu clan in the south, and theItō clan ruling fromObi in the center. However, in 1587, following Hideyoshi'sconquest of Kyūshū, the Shimazu clan surrendered, and Hyūga Province was divided among the feudal lords who had distinguished themselves under Hideyoshi.
Unlike many of the provinces of Kyushu, Hyūga was not dominated by a singledaimyō; rather, it was divided intotenryō territory directly governed by theTokugawa shogunate and a few small domains. In addition,Satsuma Domain andHitoyoshi Domain had many scattered holdings, especially in the southern and western parts of the province.
| Name | Clan | Type | kokudaka |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nobeoka | Naitō | Fudai | 70,000koku |
 Takanabe | Akizuki | Tozama | 27,000koku |
_inverted.svg) Sadowara | Shimazu | Tozama | 27,000koku |
 Obi | Itō | Fudai | 51,000koku |
Following theMeiji restoration, each of the feudal domains briefly became prefectures. In December 1871, the area roughly north of theŌyodo River became Mimisu Prefecture, and areas to the south became Miyakonojō Prefecture. On January 15, 1873, the two prefectures were merged to form Miyazaki Prefecture. However, Miyazaki Prefecture was merged with Kagoshima Prefecture on August 21, 1876, but was reconstituted as Miyazaki Prefecture again on May 9, 1883, excluding some border areas which remained with Kagoshima.[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 377 villages with a totalkokudaka of 417,393koku. Hyūga Province consisted of:
| District | kokudaka | villages | Controlled by | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usuki (臼杵郡) | 42,290koku | 73 villages | Tenryō, Hitoyoshi, Nobeoka, Takanabe | later divided intoHigashiusuki andNishiusuki |
| Naka (那珂郡) | 107,494koku | 80 villages | Tenryō, Obi, Sadowara, Takanabe | later divided intoKitanaka andMinaminaka |
| Koyu (児湯郡) | 59,552koku | 52 villages | Tenryō, Sadowara, Takanabe | |
| Miyazaki (宮崎郡) | 39,982koku | 31 villages | Tenryō, Nobeoka, Obi | absorbed Kitanaka District on April 1, 1896; now dissolved |
| Morokata (諸県郡) | 168,073koku | 41 villages | Tenryō, Takanabe, Satsuma | later divided intoHigashimorokata,Kitamorokata andNishimorokata, all of which were absorbed into Miyazaki District on May 9, 1883, andMinamimorokata, which was transferred toKagoshima Prefecture on May 9, 1883 |
Media related toHyuga Province at Wikimedia Commons
