Satsuma Province

Satsuma Province 薩摩さつま国こく
Province of Japan
7th century–1871
Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Satsuma Province highlighted
Capital	Satsuma District
History
• Established	7th century
• Disestablished	1871
Preceded by Succeeded by Satsuma kuni no miyatsuko Kagoshima Prefecture
Today part of	Kagoshima Prefecture

Satsuma Province (薩摩さつま国こく, Satsuma-no-Kuni) was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation was Sasshū (薩州).

History

Satsuma earthenware tea storage jar (chatsubo) with paulownia and thunder pattern, late Edo period, circa 1800-1850

Satsuma's provincial capital was Satsumasendai. During the Sengoku period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyō, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city. They were the initial patrons of Satsuma ware, which was later widely exported to the West.

In 1871, with the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures after the Meiji Restoration, the provinces of Satsuma and Ōsumi were combined to eventually establish Kagoshima Prefecture.

Satsuma was one of the main provinces that rose in opposition to the Tokugawa shogunate in the mid 19th century. Because of this, the oligarchy that came into power after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Satsuma province, with leaders such as Ōkubo Toshimichi and Saigō Takamori taking up key government positions.

Satsuma is well known for its production of sweet potatoes, known in Japan as 薩摩芋さつまいも (Satsuma-Imo or "Satsuma potato"). Satsuma mandarins (known as mikan in Japan) do not specifically originate from Satsuma but were imported into the West through this province in the Meiji era.

Historical districts

• Kagoshima Prefecture
  • Ata District (阿おもね多た郡ぐん) - merged into Hioki District on March 29, 1896
  • Ei District (頴娃えい郡ぐん) - merged into Ibusuki District (along with parts of Kiire District) on March 29, 1896
  • Hioki District (日置ひおき郡ぐん) - absorbed Ata District on March 29, 1896; now dissolved
  • Ibusuki District (揖宿いぶすき郡ぐん) - absorbed Ei and parts of Kiire Districts on March 29, 1896; now dissolved
  • Isa District (囎唹郡ぐん)
    • Kitaisa District (北きた伊佐いさ郡ぐん) - merged with Hishikari District (菱刈ひしかり郡ぐん) of Ōsumi Province to become the 2nd incarnation of Isa District (伊佐いさ郡ぐん) on March 29, 1896
    • Minamiisa District (東ひがし囎唹郡ぐん) - merged into Satsuma District (along with Koshikijima and Taki Districts) on March 29, 1896
  • Izaku District (伊作いさく郡ぐん) - merged into Ata District prior the Meiji period
  • Izumi District (出水いずみ郡ぐん)
  • Kagoshima District (鹿児島かごしま郡ぐん) - absorbed Kitaōsumi District (北大ほくだい隅すみ郡ぐん) of Ōsumi Province and Taniyama District of Satsuma Province on March 29, 1896
  • Kawanabe District (川辺かわべ郡ぐん) - absorbed remaining parts of Kiire District (the village of Chiran) on March 29, 1896; now dissolved
  • Koshikijima District (甑こしき島しま郡ぐん) - merged into Satsuma District (along with Minamiisa and Taki Districts) on March 29, 1896
  • Kiire District (給きゅう黎はじむ郡ぐん) - split and merged into Kawanabe and Ibusuki Districts on March 29, 1896
  • Satsuma District (薩摩さつま郡ぐん) - absorbed Koshikijima, Minamiisa and Taki Districts on March 29, 1896
  • Taki District (高城たかぎ郡ぐん) - merged into Satsuma District (along with Koshikijima and Minamiisa Districts) on March 29, 1896
  • Taniyama District (谿山郡ぐん) - merged into Kagoshima District (along with Kitaōsumi District of Ōsumi Province) on March 29, 1896

See also

• Shimazu clan
• Satsuma Domain
• Japanese battleship Satsuma
• History of Kagoshima Prefecture

References

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

External links

• Murdoch's map of provinces, 1903