Provinces of Japan (令制国,Ryōseikoku) were first-leveladministrative divisions ofJapan from the 600s to 1868.
Provinces were established in Japan in the late 7th century under theRitsuryō law system that formed the firstcentral government. Each province was divided intodistricts (郡,gun) and grouped into one of the geographic regions orcircuits known as theGokishichidō (Five Home Provinces and Seven Circuits). Provincial borders often changed until the end of theNara period (710 to 794), but remained unchanged from theHeian period (794 to 1185) until theEdo period (1603 to 1868). The provinces coexisted with thehan (domain) system, the personal estates offeudal lords and warriors, and became secondary to the domains in the lateMuromachi period (1336 to 1573).
The Provinces of Japan were replaced with the currentprefecture system in theFuhanken sanchisei during theMeiji Restoration from 1868 to 1871, except forHokkaido, which wasdivided into provinces from 1869 to 1882. No order has ever been issued explicitly abolishing the provinces, but they are consideredobsolete as administrative units. The provinces are still used in general conversation, especially in navigation and transportation, and referenced in products and geographical features of the prefectures covering their former territories.
The provinces were originally established by theRitsuryō reforms as both administrative units and geographic regions. From the lateMuromachi period, however, they were gradually supplanted by the domains of thesengokudaimyō. Under the rule ofToyotomi Hideyoshi during Azuchi–Momoyama period, the provinces were supplemented as primary local administrative units. The localdaimyōs'fiefs were developed.[clarification needed][1]
In theEdo period, the fiefs became known ashan. Imperial provinces and shogunal domains made up complementary systems. For example, when the shōgun ordered a daimyō to make a census or to make maps, the work was organized in terms of the boundaries of the provincialkuni.[2]
At theMeiji Restoration, thehan were legitimized as administrative units by the reform known as theFuhanken Sanchisei, but they were gradually replaced by prefectures between 1868 and 1871 (urban prefectures were calledfu and rural prefecturesken). Provinces as part of the system of addresses were not abolished but, on the contrary, augmented. As of 1871, the number of prefectures was 304, while the number of provinces was 68, not includingHokkaidō or theRyūkyū Islands. The boundaries between the many prefectures were not only very complicated, but also did not match those of the provinces. Prefectures were gradually merged to reduce the number to 37 by 1881; a few were then divided to give a total of 45 by 1885. AddingHokkaidō andOkinawa produced the current total of 47 prefectures.
Provinces are classified intoKinai (in or near the capital, then Kyoto) and seven or eightdō (routes, orcircuits), collectively known as theGokishichidō. However,dō in this context should not be confused with modern traffic lines such as theTōkaidō fromTokyo toKyoto orKobe. Also,Hokkaidō in this context should not be confused withHokkaidō Prefecture, although these two overlap geographically.
No order has ever been issued explicitly abolishing the provinces, but they are considered obsolete. Nevertheless, their names are still widely used in names of natural features, company names, and brands. These province names are considered to be mainly of historical interest. They are also used for the names of items, includingfamily names, most of which were popularized in or after theEdo period. Examples includesanuki udon,iyokan,tosa ken,Chikuzenni, andawa odori.Japan Railways and other railway companies also use them in station names to distinguish between similarly named stations in other prefectures, such asMusashi-Kosugi Station. The same is true for some city names, for example to distinguishYamato-Kōriyama, Nara fromKōriyama, Fukushima. Simplified names of provinces (-shū) are also used, such as Shinshūsoba andKishū dog.
Some of the province names are used to indicate distinct parts of the current prefectures along with their cultural and geographical characteristics. In many cases these names are also in use with directional characters, e.g. Hoku-Setsu (北摂) meaning Northern (北) Settsu (摂津) area.
Thedistricts are still considered prefectural subdivisions, but following mergers or divisions of the provinces they may be shared among several prefectures (such as the original Adachi District ofMusashi, which is now divided betweenAdachi Ward inTokyo andKita-Adachi District inSaitama). Many of these old provincial districts have been dissolved as their chief towns have been merged into larger cities or towns. See individual prefecture pages for mergers and abolitions of districts.
The following list is based on theGokishichidō (五畿七道), which includes short-lived provinces. Provinces located withinHokkaidō are listed last.
| Kinai | ||
| Tōkaidō | Tōsandō | Hokurikudō |
| San'indō | San'yōdō | Nankaidō |
| Saikaidō |
Equivalent toShikoku and its surroundings, as well as a nearby area ofHonshu
Equivalent toKyushu and its surroundings
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Equivalent toHokkaido and its surroundings. Originally known as theEzo Region, before being renamed and organized as11 provinces (1869–1882).
Detailed maps of the provinces at different times can be found at: