Suō Province (周防国,Suō no Kuni;Japanese pronunciation:[sɯꜜ.oː(nokɯ.ɲi)][1]) was aprovince of ancientJapan in the area that is today the eastern part ofYamaguchi Prefecture.[2] Suō bordered onAki,Iwami, andNagato Provinces.
Its abbreviated form name wasBōshū (防州). In terms of theGokishichidō system, Suō was one of the provinces of theSan'yōdō circuit. Under theEngishiki classification system, Suō 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 imperial capital, Kyoto. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city ofHōfu, Yamaguchi. Theichinomiya of the province is theTamanooya Shrine also located in Hōfu.[3]
Before the establishment of theRitsuryō system, the area of Suō was under control of various semi-independentkuni no miyatsuko: Ōshima Kuni (Suō-Ōshima), Suō Kuni (Kumage County, Kuga County), Hakuki Kuni (Kishiki County), Tsunu Kuni (Tono County), and Sawa Kuni (Sawa County) . These were united to form the Ritsuryo province, which initially consisted of five counties: Oshima, Kumage, Tsuno, Sawa, and Kisiki. Kuga County was divided from Kumage in 721 to form the sixth counties. In theAsuka period, theIwakisan Kōgoishimountain fortification was constructed against a possible invasion byTang dynastyChina and the Kingdom ofSilla in Korean peninsula. Wooden tally strips bearing the name of 'Suho Province', 'Shuyō Province' and 'Suō Province' have been found at the ruins ofFujiwara-kyō andHeijō-kyō and the names were used interchangeably inNara period records, such as theNihon Shoki.
During theKamakura period, the rulingHōjō clan were theshugo of the province, and were replaced in theMuromachi period by theŌuchi clan. During theSengoku period, theMōri clan supplanted the Ōuchi, and the province became part of the holdings ofChōshū Domain in theEdo Period. Following theMeiji restoration, the province became part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The area of former Suo Province is now divided between the cities of Hōfu,Kudamatsu,Iwakuni,Hikari,Yanai,Shūnan,Ōshima District,Kuga District,Kumage District, and most ofYamaguchi city (excluding the formerAto Town), and a portion ofUbe.
| Name | Clan | Type | kokudaka |
|---|---|---|---|
 Chōshū | Mōri clan | Tozama | 369,000koku |
| Tokuyama | Mōri clan | Tozama | 40,000koku |
 Iwakuni | Kikkawa clan | Tozama | 60,000koku |
Following theMeiji restoration, Suō was divided into six districts.[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 295 villages with a totalkokudaka of 548,861koku.
| District | kokudaka | Controlled by | at present | Currently |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ōshima (大島郡) | 35,446koku | 21 villages: Chōshū,Iwakuni | Suō-Ōshima | |
| Kuga (玖珂郡) | 119,966koku | 112 villages: Chōshū, Iwakuni | Iwakuni, Waki | |
| Kumage (熊毛郡) | 87,846koku | 39 villages: Chōshū, Tokuyama | Hikari, Kaminoseki, Tabuse, Hirano, parts of Shūnan, Yanai | |
| Tsuno (都濃郡) | 103,817koku | 47 villages: Chōshū, Tokuyama | dissolved | Kudamatsu, most of Shūnan |
| Saba (佐波郡) | 90,192koku | 41 villages: Chōshū, Tokuyama | dissolved | most of Hofu, part of Yamaguchi, Shūnan |
| Yoshiki (吉敷郡) | 111,591koku | 35 villages: Chōshū | dissolved | most of Yamaguchi, part of Hōfu, Ube |
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34°03′28″N131°35′11″E / 34.05778°N 131.58639°E /34.05778; 131.58639
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