| Satsuma Province 薩摩国 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Province of Japan | |||||||||
| 702–1871 | |||||||||
 Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Satsuma Province highlighted | |||||||||
| Capital | Satsuma District | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 702 | ||||||||
• Disestablished | 1871 | ||||||||
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| Today part of | Kagoshima Prefecture | ||||||||
Satsuma Province (薩摩国,Satsuma no Kuni;Japanese pronunciation:[saꜜ.tsɯ.ma(nokɯ.ɲi),sa.tsɯ.maꜜ-][1]) was anold province ofJapan that is now the western half ofKagoshima Prefecture on the island ofKyūshū.[2] Its abbreviation wasSasshū (薩州).
Satsuma's provincial capital wasSatsumasendai. During theSengoku period, Satsuma was afief of theShimazudaimyō, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from theircastle atKagoshima city. They were the initial patrons ofSatsuma ware, which was later widely exported to the West.
In 1871, with theabolition of feudal domains and the establishment ofprefectures after theMeiji Restoration, the provinces of Satsuma andŌsumi were combined to eventually establish Kagoshima Prefecture.
Satsuma was one of the main provinces that rose in opposition to theTokugawa shogunate in the mid 19th century. Because of this, theoligarchy that came into power after theMeiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Satsuma province, with leaders such asŌkubo Toshimichi andSaigō Takamori taking up key government positions.
Satsuma is well known for its production ofsweet potatoes, known in Japan as 薩摩芋 (Satsuma-Imo or "Satsuma potato"). Satsuma mandarins (known asmikan in Japan) do not specifically originate from Satsuma but were imported into the West through this province in the Meiji era.
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