Nagato Province

Former province of Japan

Nagato Province (長門国, Nagato no kuni), often called Chōshū (長州), was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture.^[1] Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces.

History

Although the ancient capital of the province was Shimonoseki, Hagi was the seat of the Chōshū han (fief or domain) during the Edo period. Nagato was ruled by the Mōri clan 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 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 and (b) between Japan and the United Kingdom.^[2]

Historically, the oligarchy that came into power after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Chōshū province, as Itō Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, and Kido Kōin were from there. Other natives famous for their role in the restoration include Yoshida Shōin, Takasugi Shinsaku, and Kusaka Genzui among others.

The Japanese battleship Nagato was named after this province.

Shrines and temples

Sumiyoshi jinja was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Nagato. ^[3]

Historical districts

Yamaguchi Prefecture
- 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, with Suō in yellow and Iwami in blue (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)
Genroku Kuniezu - Nagato Province, with Suō in pink and Iwami in yellow (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)
Tenpō Kuniezu - Nagato Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)
1878 map of Yamaguchi Prefecture, marked with its two constituent provinces of Nagato (長門) and Suō (周防), as well as neighbouring Iwami (石見) and Aki (安藝) (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)

Notes

^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Nagato" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 684, p. 684, at Google Books.
^ US Department of State. (1906). A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements (John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759.
^ "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 3; retrieved 2012-11-20.

References

Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
Papinot, Edmond. (1910). Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha. OCLC 77691250