was an old province of
JapanJapan 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...
in the area of
Fukushimais a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
,
Miyagiis a prefecture of Japan in the Tōhoku Region on Honshu island. The capital is Sendai.- History :Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu. Mutsu Province, on northern Honshu, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous Emishi, and became the...
,
Iwateis the second largest prefecture of Japan after Hokkaido. It is located in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island and contains the island's easternmost point. The capital is Morioka. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido...
and
Aomoriis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
prefectureThe prefectures of Japan are the country's 47 subnational jurisdictions: one "metropolis" , Tokyo; one "circuit" , Hokkaidō; two urban prefectures , Osaka and Kyoto; and 43 other prefectures . In Japanese, they are commonly referred to as...
and the municipalities of
Kazunois a city located in Akita, Japan.As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 33,664 and the density of 47.6 persons per km². The total area is 707.34 km².The city was founded on April 1, 1972.-External links:...
and
Kosakais a town located in Kazuno District, Akita, Japan.As of 2011, the town has an estimated population of 6,046 and a density of 29.9 persons per km². The total area is 178.00 km²....
in
Akita Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region of northern Honshu, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Akita.- History :The area of Akita has been created from the ancient provinces of Dewa and Mutsu....
. It was also known as or , and the term Ōu is often used to refer to combined area of Mutsu and the neighboring
Dewais 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:...
, which comprise the Japanese Tohoku.
History
Mutsu, on northern
Honshūis the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
, was one of the last provinces to be formed as land was taken from the indigenous
EmishiThe 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...
and became the largest as it expanded northward. The ancient capital was in modern Miyagi Prefecture.
- 709 (Wadō
was a after Keiun and before Reiki. This period spanned the years from January 708 through September 715. The reigning empress was .-Change of era:...
2, 3rd month), an uprising against governmental authority took place in Mutsu and in nearby Echigo Provincewas an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Etchū Provinces. Today the area is part of Niigata Prefecture, which also includes the island which was the old Sado Province. This province was the northernmost part of the...
. Troops were dispatched to subdue the revolt.
- 712 (Wadō 5), Mutsu was separated from 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:...
. Empress Gemmei, also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession.Gemmei's reign spanned the years 707 through 715....
's Daijō-kan made cadastral changes in the provincial map of the Nara PeriodThe of the history of Japan covers the years from AD 710 to 794. Empress Gemmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō . Except for 5 years , when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capital of Japanese civilization until Emperor Kammu established a new capital, Nagaoka-kyō, in 784...
, as in the following year when Mimasaka Provinceor was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today northeastern Okayama Prefecture. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū, Bizen, Harima, Hōki, and Inaba Provinces....
was split from Bizen Provincewas a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of Honshū, in what is today the southeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bitchu and Bingo Provinces. Bizen borders Mimasaka, Harima, and Bitchū Provinces....
; Hyūga Provincewas an old province of Japan on the east coast of Kyūshū, corresponding to the modern Miyazaki Prefecture. It was sometimes called or . Hyūga bordered on Bungo, Higo, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Province.The ancient capital was near Saito.-Historical record:...
was sundered from Osumi Provincewas an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Ōsumi bordered on Hyūga and Satsuma Provinces.Osumi's ancient capital was near modern Kokubu...
; and Tamba Provincewas an old province of Japan. The ambit of its borders encompassed both the central part of modern Kyoto Prefecture and the east-central part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Tango Province...
was severed from Tango Provincewas an old province in the area that is today northern Kyoto Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called , with Tamba Province. Tango bordered on Tajima, Tamba, and Wakasa provinces....
.
- 801 Mutsu was conquered by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro
was a general and shogun of the early Heian Period of Japan. He was the son of Sakanoue no Karitamaro.-Military career:Serving Emperor Kammu, he was appointed shogun and given the task of conquering the Emishi , a people native to the north of Honshū, which he subjugated...
.
- 869 (Jōgan
was a after Ten'an and before Gangyō. This period spanned the years from April 859 through April 877. The two reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:* February 7, 859 : The new era name was created to mark an event or series of events...
10, 5th month): A terrible earthquakeThe struck the area around Sendai in the northern part of Honshu on 9 July 869 . The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 8.6 on the surface wave magnitude scale...
struck Mutsu, more than 1,000 people lost their lives in the disaster.
During the
Sengoku PeriodThe 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...
, various clans ruled different parts of the province. The
Uesugi clanThe was a Japanese samurai clan, descended from the Fujiwara clan and particularly notable for their power in the Muromachi and Sengoku periods ....
had a castle town at
Wakamatsuis a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.As of May 2011, the city has an estimated population of 125,341. The total area is 383.03 km².-History:...
in the south, the
Nanbu clanThe ' was a Japanese samurai clan originating in northern Japan, specifically Mutsu Province . The Nanbu claimed descent from the Minamoto clan, and its members first enter the historical record as residents of Kai Province during the Kamakura period. The clan later moved to Mutsu...
at
Moriokais the capital city of Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and a population density of 588.11 persons per km². The total area is 489.15 km²....
in the north, and
Date Masamunewas a regional strongman of Japan's Azuchi-Momoyama period through early Edo period. Heir to a long line of powerful daimyo in the Tōhoku region, he went on to found the modern-day city of Sendai...
, a close ally of the
TokugawaThe was a powerful daimyo family of Japan. They nominally descended from Emperor Seiwa and were a branch of the Minamoto clan by the Nitta clan. However, the early history of this clan remains a mystery.-History:...
, established Sendai, which is now the largest city in the
Tōhoku RegionThe is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
.
Meiji era
On December 7, 1868 (January 19, 1869 in the
Gregorian calendarThe Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
), four additional provinces (
Rikuchūwas an old province in the area of Iwate and Akita prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Rikuzen and Mutsu Provinces.Rikuchu covered most of modern-day Iwate Prefecture, with the exceptions of Kesen District, Rikuzentakata City, Ōfunato City, and Kamaishi City, and also including Kazuno City...
,
Rikuzenis an old province of Japan in the area of Miyagi and some parts of Iwate prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Rikuchū and Mutsu Provinces.-History:...
,
Iwakithumb|Map of the former Japanese provinces with Iwaki highlighted was an old province in the area that is today Fukushima Prefecture. It was sometimes called .-History :This iteration of Iwaki Province was established in Meiji Era...
, and
Iwashirois 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...
) were separated from Mutsu, leaving only a rump corresponding to today's
Aomori Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku Region. The capital is the city of Aomori.- History :Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
. At the same time, while the characters of the name were unchanged, the official reading was changed to the
on'yomi version
Rikuō.
[（岩手大学]is a national university in Morioka, Iwate, Japan. This university has been called "Gandai" in Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1876, and was chartered as a university in 1949.-External links:*...
教育学部）
Under Ritsuryō
- Iwase District
is a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 31,847 and a density of 83.50 persons per km². The total area is 381.38 km².-Merger:...
(磐瀬郡)
- Aizu District (会津郡)
- Yama District
is a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2008, the district has an estimated population of 31,175 and a density of 31.6 persons per km². The total area is 986.763 km².-Towns and villages:*Bandai*Inawashiro*Kitashiobara*Nishiaizu-Merger:...
(耶麻郡)
- Asaka District (安積郡)
- Adachi District
is a district located in Fukushima, Japan. As of January 2007, the district has a population of 8,577 and an area of 79.46 km², for a population density of 107.9 per km².- History :...
(安達郡)
- Shinobu District (信夫郡)
- Katta District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 15,266 and a population density of 36.71 persons per km². The total area is 415.85 km²....
(刈田郡)
- Shibata District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 86,405 and a population density of 201.79 persons per km². The total area is 428.20 km².- Towns and villages :*Kawasaki*Murata*Ōgawara*Shibata...
(柴田郡)
- Natori District
is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 72,757 and a population density of 727 persons per km². The total area is officially 100.07 km²....
(名取郡)
- Kikuta District (菊田郡) (now within Iwaki
is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
, Fukushima Prefectureis a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region on the island of Honshu. The capital is the city of Fukushima.-History:Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Fukushima prefecture was known as Mutsu Province....
)
- Iwaki District
is a city located in the southern part of the Hamadōri coastal region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.A designated "core city", Iwaki is also one of the growing number of hiragana cities. Its area is 1,231.35 km², making it the 10th largest city in Japan...
(磐城郡)
- Shineha District (標葉郡)
- Namegata District
was a district located in Ibaraki, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 40,930 and a density of 246.08 persons per km². The total area is 166.33 km²....
(行方郡)
- Uda District (宇多郡)
- Esashi District (江刺郡)
- Igu District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 17,139 and a population density of 62.70 persons per km². The total area is 273.34 km².-Towns and villages:*Marumori...
(伊具郡)
- Watari District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 53,076 and a population density of 385.47 persons per km². The total area is 137.69 km².- Towns and villages :*Watari*Yamamoto...
(亘理郡)
- Miyagi District
is a district located in past Mutsu Province and today's Miyagi, Japan. The name of the prefecture was from this district.The original territory was east-west long from Ōu Mountains to Pacific Ocean, including current Sendai, Shiogama, Tagajō cities. As of 2003, the district has an estimated...
(宮城郡)
- Kurokawa District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 80,214 and a population density of 192.39 persons per km². The total area is 416.93 km²....
(黒川郡)
- Kami District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2010, the district has an estimated population of 33,240 and a population density of 58,3 persons per km². The total area is 570.05 km².-History:...
(賀美郡)
- Shikama District
is a town located in Kami District, Miyagi, Japan.As of 2010, the town has an estimated population of 7,531 and a population density of 68.9 persons per km². The total area is 109.23 km².-External links:*...
(色麻郡)
- Tamatsukuri District
Tamatsukuri was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 22,240 and a density of 47.50 persons per km²...
(玉造郡)
- Shida District
Shida was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2003, the district had an estimated population of 29,126 and a density of 226.17 persons per km²...
(志太郡)
- Kurihara District
Kurihara District was a district in Japan belonging to Mutsu Province or the Miyagi Prefecture. Established in the 8th century AD as Korehari or Koreharu District and abolished in 2005, the territory is identical to the city of Kurihara today....
(栗原郡)
- Iwai District (磐井郡) (split into Higashiiwai
Higashiiwai was a district located in Iwate, Japan.As of September 1, 2005, the district had an estimated population of 10,026...
and Nishiiwaiis a district located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the district has an estimated population of 8,782. The total area is 63.39 km².After the 3rd city of Ichinoseki creation on September 20, 2005, the district has only one town left.*Hiraizumi...
districts in Iwate Prefecture)
- Isawa District
is a district located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of October 31, 2006, the district has an estimated population of 16,433 and a density of 91 persons per km²...
(膽沢郡)
- Nagaoka District (長岡郡) (distinct from the one in Kōchi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
)
- Niita District (新田郡) (distinct from the one in Gunma Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the northwest corner of the Kantō region on Honshu island. Its capital is Maebashi.- History :The remains of a Paleolithic man were found at Iwajuku, Gunma Prefecture, in the early 20th century and there is a public museum there.Japan was without horses until...
)
- Oda District (小田郡) (now in the city of Tome
is a city located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.Previously a district consisting of eight towns, on April 1, 2005, they, along with the town of Tsuyama formerly of Motoyoshi District, merged to form a new city. As of 2010, Tome city had an estimated population of 84,070 and a population density of...
, Miyagi Prefecture)
- Tōda District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of the Tajiri merger but with 2003 population estimates, the district had an estimated population of 45,374 and a population density of 289 persons per km²...
(遠田郡)
- Kesen District
is a district located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. Kesen consists of the cities of Ōfunato and Rikuzentakata and the town of Sumita. The area of Sanriku, home to Kitasato University of Fishery Sciences, was an independent town within Kesen until 2001, when it amalgamated with Ofunato.Ofunato is a...
(気仙郡)
- Oshika District
is a district located in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan.As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 16,069 and a population density of 115.80 persons per km²...
(牡鹿郡)
- Tome District (登米郡)
- Monou District
Monou was a district located in Miyagi, Japan.As of 2005, this district no longer exists.* On April 1, 2005 the towns of Yamoto and Naruse merged to form the city of Higashimatsushima....
(桃生郡)
- Ōnuma District
is a district located in Fukushima, Japan.As of 2008, the district has an estimated population of 29,787 and a density of 34.2 persons per km². The total area is 870.51 km².-Towns and villages:*Aizumisato*Kaneyama*Mishima*Shōwa-Mergers:...
(大沼郡)
Districts during the Meiji Era
- Tsugaru District
Tsugaru was a district located in Iwate, Japan. The district once had a land in Southern Hokkaido but in 1878, the district dissolved by splitting up the district.-Description:...
(津軽郡)
- Kita District (北郡)
- Sannohe District
is a district located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the southeast corner of the prefecture, bordering Iwate Prefecture.As of 2010, the district has an estimated population of 73,955 and a density of 76.3 persons per km². The total area was 969.38 km².- Towns and villages :The...
(三戸郡)
- Ninohe District
is a district located in Iwate Prefecture, Japan. As of May 2008, the district has an estimated Population of 14,880 and a population density of 49.6 persons/km²...
(二戸郡)
See also
- Sanriku
is a historical region of Japan on the northeastern side of the island of Honshu, corresponding to today's Aomori, Iwate and parts of Miyagi Prefecture...
- Tōhoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
- Tōsandō
was an old Japanese geographical region that made up the gokishichidō system and was situated along the central mountains of northern Honshū, Tōhoku region....
, the World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Imperial Japanese NavyThe Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
warship named after the province.