Nagato Province (長門国,Nagato no kuni), often calledChōshū (長州), was aprovince ofJapan. It was at the extreme western end ofHonshū, in the area that is todayYamaguchi Prefecture.[1] Nagato bordered onIwami andSuō Provinces.
Although the ancient capital of the province wasShimonoseki,Hagi was the seat of theChōshūhan (fief or domain) during theEdo period. Nagato was ruled by theMōri clan before and after theBattle of Sekigahara.
In 1871 with theabolition of feudal domains and the establishment ofprefectures (Haihan Chiken) after theMeiji Restoration, the provinces of Nagato andSuō were combined to eventually establish Yamaguchi Prefecture. At the same time, the province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Nagato is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and theUnited States and (b) between Japan and theUnited Kingdom.[2]
Historically, theoligarchy that came into power after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Chōshū province, asItō Hirobumi,Yamagata Aritomo, andKido Kōin were from there. Other natives famous for their role in the restoration includeYoshida Shōin,Takasugi Shinsaku, andKusaka Genzui among others.
The Japanese battleshipNagato was named after this province.
Sumiyoshi jinja was the chiefShinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Nagato.[3]
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Media related toNagato Province at Wikimedia Commons