Echigo Province
Encyclopedia
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, on the shores of the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
. It was sometimes called , with Echizen
Echizen Province
was an old province of Japan, which is today the northern part of Fukui Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Etchū and Echigo Provinces.Echizen is famous for washi . A text dated AD 774 mentions the washi made in this area. Echizen-produced Washi is still the most commonly sold traditional...
and Etchū
Etchu Province
was an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces...
Provinces. Today the area is part of Niigata Prefecture
Niigata Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Honshū on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The capital is the city of Niigata. The name "Niigata" literally means "new lagoon".- History :...
, which also includes the island which was the old Sado Province
Sado Province
was a province of Japan until 1871; since then, it has been a part of Niigata Prefecture. It was sometimes called or . It lies on the eponymous Sado Island, off the coast of Niigata Prefecture ....
. This province was the northernmost part of the Hokurikudō
Hokurikudo
is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through the old Japanese geographical region. Both were situated along the northwestern edge of Honshū. The name literally means 'North Land Way'...
(北陸道）) Circuit. It bordered on Uzen
Uzen Province
is an old province of Japan in the area of Yamagata Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Ugo Province.This province was in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island. It was the place where the Mogami clan was established.-References:...
, Iwashiro
Iwashiro Province
is an old province in the area of Fukushima Prefecture. It was sometimes called .The province occupies the western half of the central part of Fukushima Prefecture; the eastern half is Iwaki Province. More precisely, Date and Adachi Districts in the north belong to Iwashiro and Higashishirakawa and...
, Kōzuke
Kozuke Province
was an old province located in the Tōsandō of Japan, which today comprises Gunma Prefecture. It is nicknamed as or .The ancient provincial capital was near modern Maebashi. During the Sengoku period, Kōzuke was controlled variously by Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, the late Hōjō clan, and...
, Shinano
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces...
, and Etchū
Etchu Province
was an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces...
Provinces.
Echigo was established by the division of in the end of 7th century AD with Iwafune
Iwafune District, Niigata
is a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of May 1, 2008, the district has an estimated population of 7,137. The total area is 309.47 km².The district currently has two villages.* Awashimaura* Sekikawa...
and Nutari District. It occupied the northeast part of Niigata Prefecture today and was one of two border provinces with Emishi
Emishi
The constituted a group of people who lived in northeastern Honshū in the Tōhoku region. They are referred to as in contemporary sources. Some Emishi tribes resisted the rule of the Japanese Emperors during the late Nara and early Heian periods...
(the other is Mutsu
Mutsu Province
was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture...
). Echigo was given four districts of Kubiki, Koshi
Koshi District, Niigata
Koshi was a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 2,035 and a density of 51.09 persons per km². The total area is 39.83 km².-Merger and dissolution:...
, Uonuma and Kanbara in 702. When Japan extended the territory a little northward in 708, Dewa District was established under Echigo. But this district transformed to Dewa Province
Dewa Province
is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...
in 712. Temporarily Sado Province
Sado Province
was a province of Japan until 1871; since then, it has been a part of Niigata Prefecture. It was sometimes called or . It lies on the eponymous Sado Island, off the coast of Niigata Prefecture ....
had been merged between 743 and 752. Since the division of Sado in 752, the territory of Echigo had never been changed.
Echigo was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin
Uesugi Kenshin
was a daimyo who ruled Echigo province in the Sengoku period of Japan.He was one of the most powerful lords of the Sengoku period. While chiefly remembered for his prowess on the battlefield, Kenshin is also regarded as an extremely skillful administrator who fostered the growth of local industries...
and his heirs during the Sengoku Period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
; later it became a fief of Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
's Matsudaira relatives.
Former Districts
- Dewa District (出羽郡, later broke off to become Dewa ProvinceDewa Provinceis an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:...
) - Iwafune DistrictIwafune District, Niigatais a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of May 1, 2008, the district has an estimated population of 7,137. The total area is 309.47 km².The district currently has two villages.* Awashimaura* Sekikawa...
(岩船郡) - Kanbara District (蒲原郡)
- Kariwa DistrictKariwa District, Niigatais a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of April 1, 2005, the district has an estimated population of 4,836 and a density of 184.02 persons per km². The total area is 26.28 km²....
(刈羽郡, once part of Etchū ProvinceEtchu Provincewas an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces...
, formerly Mishima District) - Koshi DistrictKoshi District, NiigataKoshi was a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 2,035 and a density of 51.09 persons per km². The total area is 39.83 km².-Merger and dissolution:...
(古志郡, once part of Etchū ProvinceEtchu Provincewas an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces...
) - Kubiki District (頸城郡, once part of Etchū ProvinceEtchu Provincewas an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces...
) - Nutari District (沼垂郡, later merged into Kanbara District)
- Santo DistrictSanto District, Niigatais a district located in Niigata, Japan.- History :* Before the Edo Period, Santō District was part of the now-defunct Koshi District.* On April 1, 2005 the towns of Koshiji and Mishima merged into the city of Nagaoka....
(三島郡, broke of from Koshi DistrictKoshi District, NiigataKoshi was a district located in Niigata, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 2,035 and a density of 51.09 persons per km². The total area is 39.83 km².-Merger and dissolution:...
during Edo PeriodEdo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
) - Uonuma District (魚沼郡, once part of Etchū ProvinceEtchu Provincewas an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces...
)