, often called , was a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today

Yamaguchi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 km2 (2,359 sq mi). Yamaguchi Prefecture borders Shimane Prefecture t ...

. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces.

History

Although the ancient capital of the province was

Shimonoseki is a city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. With a population of 265,684, it is the largest city in Yamaguchi Prefecture and the fifth-largest city in the Chūgoku region. It is located at the southwestern tip of Honshu facing the Tsush ...

, Hagi was the seat of the Chōshū '' han'' (fief or domain) during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

. Nagato was ruled by the

Mōri clan The Mōri clan (毛利氏 ''Mōri-shi'') was a Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's pow ...

before and after the Battle of Sekigahara. In 1871 with the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures (''Haihan Chiken'') after the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

, the provinces of Nagato and Suō 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 the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and (b) between Japan and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Historically, the

oligarchy Oligarchy (; ) is a conceptual form of power structure in which power rests with a small number of people. These people may or may not be distinguished by one or several characteristics, such as nobility, fame, wealth, education, or corporate, r ...

that came into power after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Chōshū province, as

Itō Hirobumi was a Japanese politician and statesman who served as the first Prime Minister of Japan. He was also a leading member of the ''genrō'', a group of senior statesmen that dictated Japanese policy during the Meiji era. A London-educated samu ...

Yamagata Aritomo '' Gensui'' Prince , also known as Prince Yamagata Kyōsuke, was a senior-ranking Japanese military commander, twice-elected Prime Minister of Japan, and a leading member of the '' genrō'', an élite group of senior statesmen who dominated J ...

, and Kido Kōin were from there. Other natives famous for their role in the restoration include

Yoshida Shōin , commonly named , was one of Japan's most distinguished intellectuals in the late years of the Tokugawa shogunate. He devoted himself to nurturing many ''ishin shishi'' who in turn made major contributions to the Meiji Restoration. Early life ...

Takasugi Shinsaku was a samurai from the Chōshū Domain of Japan who contributed significantly to the Meiji Restoration. He used several aliases to hide his activities from the Tokugawa shogunate. Early life Takasugi Shinsaku was born in the castle town Hag ...

, and

Kusaka Genzui , (born Kusaka Hidezaburō; May 1840 – 20 August 1864) was a samurai of the Japanese domain of Chōshū who was active during the Bakumatsu period and a key proponent of the ''sonnō jōi'' movement. Early life He was born Kusaka Hide ...

among others. The Japanese battleship '' Nagato'' was named after this province.

Shrines and temples

'' Sumiyoshi jinja'' was the chief Shinto shrine (''

ichinomiya is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14. The term gave rise t ...

'') of Nagato. "Nationwide List of ''Ichinomiya''," p. 3
retrieved 2012-11-20.

Historical districts

** Abu District (阿武郡) - absorbed Mishima District on April 1, 1896 ** Asa District (厚狭郡) - dissolved ** Mine District (美祢郡) - dissolved ** Mishima District (見島郡) - merged into Abu District on April 1, 1896 ** Ōtsu District (大津郡) - dissolved ** Toyoura District (豊浦郡) - dissolved

Maps

Shōhō Kuniezu - Nagato Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, '' Shōhō Kuniezu'' - Nagato Province, with Suō in yellow and Iwami in blue ( Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives) Genroku Kuniezu - Nagato Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, ''

Genroku Kuniezu The were a series of Japanese provincial land maps, created during the Edo period, which the Tokugawa shogunate ordered be created by every province. They are sometimes contrasted with , which were national maps created by the shogunate. In 19 ...

'' - Nagato Province, with Suō in pink and Iwami in yellow ( Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives) Tenpō Kuniezu - Nagato Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, '' Tenpō Kuniezu'' - Nagato Province ( Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives) Yamaguchi Prefecture (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, 1878 map of

, marked with its two constituent provinces of and , as well as neighbouring and ( Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)

Notes

References

* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retir ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Papinot, Edmond. (1910). ''Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan.'' Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha
OCLC 77691250

External links

{{Japan Old Province Former provinces of Japan