Musashi Province

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Map of Japanese provinces with province highlighted

Musashi Province (武蔵むさし国こく, Musashi-no-kuni) was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture.[1] It was sometimes called Bushū (武たけ州しゅう). The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, Shimōsa, and Shimotsuke Provinces.

Musashi was the largest province in the Kantō region.

History[edit]

Musashi had its ancient capital in modern Fuchū, Tokyo, and its provincial temple in what is now Kokubunji, Tokyo. By the Sengoku period, the main city was Edo, which became the dominant city of eastern Japan. Edo Castle was the headquarters of Tokugawa Ieyasu[2] before the Battle of Sekigahara and became the dominant city of Japan during the Edo period, being renamed Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration.

Hikawa-jinja was designated as the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of the province; [3] and there are many branch shrines.[4]

The former province gave its name to the battleship Musashi of the Second World War.

Timeline of important events[edit]

  • 534 (Ankan 1, 12th month): The Yamato court sends a military force to appoint Omi as the governor of Musashi Province, his rival, Wogi was executed by the court. Omi presented four districts of Musashi Province to the court as royal estates.[5]
  • July 18, 707 (Keiun 4, 15th day of the 6th month): Empress Genmei is enthroned at the age of 48.[6]
Wadōkaichin monument in Saitama
  • 707 (Keiun 4): Copper was reported to have been found in Musashi province in the region which includes modern day Tokyo.[7]
  • 708 (Keiun 5): The era name was about to be changed to mark the accession of Empress Gemmei; but the choice of Wadō as the new nengō for this new reign became a way to mark the welcome discovery of copper in the Chichibu District of what is now Saitama Prefecture.[7] The Japanese word for copper is dō (銅どう); and since this was indigenous copper, the "wa" (the ancient Chinese term for Japan) could be combined with the "dō" (copper) to create a new composite term—"wadō"—meaning "Japanese copper".
  • May 5, 708 (Wadō 1, 11th day of the 4th month): A sample of the newly discovered Musashi copper was presented in Gemmei's Court where it was formally acknowledged as Japanese copper.[7] The Wadō era is famous for the first Japanese coin (和同開珎わどうかいちん, wadokaiho or wadokaichin).
  • 1590 (Tenshō 18): Siege of Odawara. Iwatsuki Domain and Oshi Domain founded in Musashi Province.

Historical districts[edit]

Musashi Province had 21 districts and then added one later.

  • Saitama Prefecture
    • Chichibu District (秩父ちちぶ郡ぐん)
    • Hanzawa District (榛沢はんざわ郡ぐん) – merged into Ōsato District (along with Hatara and Obusama Districts) on March 29, 1896
    • Hatara District (幡羅はたら郡ぐん) – merged into Ōsato District (along with Hanzawa and Obusama Districts) on March 29, 1896
    • Hiki District (比企ひき郡ぐん) – absorbed Yokomi District on March 29, 1896
    • Iruma District (入間いるま郡ぐん) – merged into Koma District on March 29, 1896
    • Kami District (賀が美び郡ぐん, 加美かみ郡ぐん) – merged into Kodama District (along with Naka District) on March 29, 1896
    • Kodama District (児玉こだま郡ぐん) – absorbed Kami and Naka Districts on March 29, 1896
    • Koma District (高麗こうらい郡ぐん) – merged into Iruma District on March 29, 1896
    • Naka District (那珂なか郡ぐん) – merged into Kodama District (along with Kami District) on March 29, 1896
    • Niikura District (新座にいざ郡ぐん, 新倉あらくら郡ぐん, 新しん羅ら郡ぐん) – merged into Kitaadachi District on March 29, 1896
    • Obusuma District (男衾おぶすま郡ぐん) – merged into Ōsato District (along with Hanzawa and Hatara Districts) on March 29, 1896
    • Ōsato District (大里おおさと郡ぐん) – absorbed Hanzawa, Hatara and Obusama Districts on March 29, 1896
    • Saitama District (埼玉さいたま郡ぐん)
    • Yokomi District (横見よこみ郡ぐん) – merged into Hiki District on March 29, 1896
  • Tokyo ("Metropolis"/-to)=until 1943 Tokyo (Prefecture/-fu)
  • Kanagawa Prefecture
  • Mixed
    • Adachi District (足立あだち郡ぐん)
    • Katsushika District (葛飾かつしか郡ぐん) – Transfer from Shimōsa Province in 1683 (some say 1622–1643) for the river improvement of Naka River.
      • Kitakatsushika District (Saitama) (北葛飾きたかつしか郡ぐん) – absorbed Nakakatsushika District (Shimōsa, Saitama) on March 29, 1896
      • Minamikatsushika District (Tokyo) (南みなみ葛飾かつしか郡ぐん) – merged into the Tokyo City on October 1, 1932
    • Tama District (多摩たま郡ぐん, 多麻たま郡ぐん, 多磨たま郡ぐん)
      • Higashitama District (東ひがし多摩たま郡ぐん, Higashi-Tama-gun, "East Tama District") – part of Tokyo since its creation, merged with Minamitoshima District to become Toyotama District (豊ゆたか多摩たま郡ぐん) on April 1, 1896, in turn merged into Tokyo City in 1932
      • Kitatama District (北多摩きたたま郡ぐん, Kita-Tama-gun, "North Tama District") – was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893; North Tama's last towns became [by definition: district-independent] cities in 1970
      • Minamitama District (南多摩みなみたま郡ぐん, Minami-Tama-gun, "South Tama District") – was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893; South Tama's last towns were turned into cities in 1971
      • Nishitama District (西多摩にしたま郡ぐん, Nishi-Tama-gun, "West Tama District") – was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Musashi" in Japan Encyclopedia, pp. 669–671, p. 669, at Google Books.
  2. ^ "Map of Bushū Toshima District, Edo". World Digital Library. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  3. ^ "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 3.; retrieved 2011-08-09
  4. ^ Nussbaum, "Hikawa-jinja" at p. 311, p. 311, at Google Books.
  5. ^ Hall, John; Jansen, Marius; Kanai, Madoka; Twitchett, Denis. The Cambridge History of Japan. Vol. 1: Ancient Japan (1st ed.).
  6. ^ Brown, Delmer M. (1979). Gukanshō, p. 271.
  7. ^ a b c Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 63., p. 63, at Google Books

References[edit]

External links[edit]

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