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33-558: Chūgoku literally means "middle country", but the origin of the name is unclear. Historically, Japan was divided into a number of provinces called koku , which were in turn classified according to both their power and their distances from the administrative center in Kansai . Under the latter classification, most provinces are divided into "near countries" ( 近 国 , kingoku ) , "middle countries" ( 中国 , chūgoku ) , and "far countries" ( 遠 国 , ongoku ) . Therefore, one explanation

66-513: A daimyō of the Sengoku period. He established Okayama as his stronghold. His successor, Ukita Hideie was defeated at the 1600 Battle of Sekigahara and dispossessed by Tokugawa Ieyasu , who awarded Okayama to Kobayakawa Hideaki . When Kobayakawa Hideaki died without heir, Okayama Castle and all of Bizen Province was awarded to Ikeda Tadatsugu , the second son of Ikeda Terumasa . The Ikeda clan continued to rule all of Bizen Province until

99-725: A few were then divided to give a total of 45 by 1885. Adding Hokkaidō and Okinawa produced the current total of 47 prefectures. Provinces are classified into Kinai (in or near the capital, then Kyoto) and seven or eight dō (routes, or circuits ), collectively known as the Gokishichidō . However, dō in this context should not be confused with modern traffic lines such as the Tōkaidō from Tokyo to Kyoto or Kobe . Also, Hokkaidō in this context should not be confused with Hokkaidō Prefecture , although these two overlap geographically. No order has ever been issued explicitly abolishing

132-680: A region of England. However, before the end of the WW2 , China was more commonly called shina ( 支那/シナ , which shares the same etymology of the word "China" in English) in order to avoid confusing the Chūgoku region. Due to the extensive use of this word during the Sino-Japanese War , the term shina has become an offensive word and was abandoned thereafter, and Chūgoku has since then been used instead of shina . In modern times, primarily in

165-607: Is based on the Gokishichidō ( 五畿七道 ) , which includes short-lived provinces. Provinces located within Hokkaidō are listed last. Equivalent to Shikoku and its surroundings, as well as a nearby area of Honshu Equivalent to Kyushu and its surroundings Equivalent to Hokkaido and its surroundings. Originally known as the Ezo Region , before being renamed and organized as 11 provinces (1869–1882). Detailed maps of

198-445: Is divided into two distinct parts by mountains running east and west through its center. The two largest metropolitan areas in Chūgoku region are Hiroshima and Okayama whose total population of the two metropolitan areas amount to 2.808 million as of 2020. Their Urban Employment Area amounts to around 3 million people for the Chūgoku region. The rest of Chūgoku region is sparsely populated and very rural. Per Japanese census data,

231-448: Is that Chūgoku was originally used to refer to the collection of "middle countries" to the west of the capital. However, only five (fewer than half) of the provinces normally considered part of Chūgoku region were in fact classified as middle countries, and the term never applied to the many middle countries to the east of Kansai. Therefore, an alternative explanation is that Chūgoku referred to provinces between Kansai and Kyūshū , which

264-600: Is true for some city names, for example to distinguish Yamato-Koriyama, Nara from Koriyama, Fukushima . Simplified names of provinces ( -shū ) are also used, such as Shinshū soba and Kishū dog . Some of the province names are used to indicate distinct parts of the current prefectures along with their cultural and geographical characteristics. In many cases these names are also in use with directional characters, e.g. Hoku-Setsu ( 北摂 ) meaning Northern ( 北 ) Settsu ( 摂津 ) area. The districts are still considered prefectural subdivisions, but following mergers or divisions of

297-556: The Fuhanken sanchisei during the Meiji Restoration from 1868 to 1871, except for Hokkaido , which was divided into provinces from 1869 to 1882. No order has ever been issued explicitly abolishing the provinces, but they are considered obsolete as administrative units. The provinces are still used in general conversation, especially in navigation and transportation, and referenced in products and geographical features of

330-682: The Edo period , the fiefs became known as han . Imperial provinces and shogunal domains made up complementary systems. For example, when the shōgun ordered a daimyō to make a census or to make maps, the work was organized in terms of the boundaries of the provincial kuni . At the Meiji Restoration , the han were legitimized as administrative units by the reform known as the Fuhanken Sanchisei , but they were gradually replaced by prefectures between 1868 and 1871 (urban prefectures were called fu and rural prefectures ken ). Provinces as part of

363-608: The Meiji restoration . Under the Meiji government , on August 29, 1871, Bizen Province became part of Okayama Prefecture , with the exception of its islands in the Seto Inland Sea, which were transferred to Kagawa Prefecture and Ehime Prefecture . A small area of former Bizen Province was transferred to Akō, Hyōgo in 1963 at the request of is local inhabitants. Per the early Meiji period Kyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō ( 旧高旧領取調帳 ) , an official government assessment of

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396-506: The Nara period (710 to 794), but remained unchanged from the Heian period (794 to 1185) until the Edo period (1603 to 1868). The provinces coexisted with the han (domain) system, the personal estates of feudal lords and warriors, and became secondary to the domains in the late Muromachi period (1336 to 1573). The Provinces of Japan were replaced with the current prefecture system in

429-863: The Seto Inland Sea , which also provided for convenience of marine transportation to the Kinai region Shikoku and Kyushu . The province was economically prosperous, and although its area as not large, it was ranked as a "superior country" under the Ritsuryō classification system. The location of the Bizen kokufu is uncertain. Per the Wamyō Ruijushō it was located in Mino District. However, ruins discovered in Joto District in what his now

462-451: The 600s to 1868. Provinces were established in Japan in the late 7th century under the Ritsuryō law system that formed the first central government . Each province was divided into districts ( 郡 , gun ) and grouped into one of the geographic regions or circuits known as the Gokishichidō (Five Home Provinces and Seven Circuits). Provincial borders often changed until the end of

495-469: The Chūgoku region as a whole has experienced a steady population decline since 1992, with some prefectures within the region experiencing declines since 1985. The region reached a peak population of roughly 7.8 million in 1991. 35°03′N 134°04′E  /  35.050°N 134.067°E  / 35.050; 134.067 Provinces of Japan Provinces of Japan ( 令制国 , Ryōseikoku ) were first-level administrative divisions of Japan from

528-629: The Chūgoku region in modern usage. In Japanese , the characters 中国 and the reading Chūgoku began to be used to mean " China " after the founding of the Republic of China . The same characters are used in Chinese to refer to China, but pronounced Zhōngguó , lit. "Middle Kingdom" or "Middle Country" ( Wade Giles : Chung-kuo ). It is similar to the use of the West Country in English for

561-472: The Chūgoku region, was rebuilt after being destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945, and is now an industrial metropolis of more than one million people. Overfishing and pollution reduced the productivity of the Inland Sea fishing grounds; and San'yo is an area concentrated on heavy industry . In contrast, San'in is less industrialized with an agricultural economy . The Chūgoku region consists of

594-471: The Kokufuichi neighborhood of Naka-ku, Okayama ( 34°41′31.56″N 133°57′23.14″E  /  34.6921000°N 133.9564278°E  / 34.6921000; 133.9564278  ( 備前国庁跡 ) have been officially designated by the government as an Okayama Prefectural Historic Site. The designation is controversial as it was largely based on the geographic name of the site, which may or may not date to

627-588: The Nara period. The location of the Bizen Kokubun-ji is well defined, and is located in the city of Akaiwa, Okayama . It is located about 6.5 kilometers northeast of the estimated location of Bizen Kokufu . The foundations of the main temple buildings have been discovered, and the site is a National Historic Site . The presumed ruins of the Bizen Kokubun-niji are located 300 meters south of

660-802: The Osafune school and the Ichimonji schools. Bizen ware pottery also developed during this period, but did not reach national prominence for several centuries. In the Muromachi period , the Akamatsu clan , based in Harima Province , came to serve as shugo . When the power of the Akamatsu clan declined, the power of the Yamana clan increased, and Bizen gradually became a battlefield between

693-463: The following prefectures: Hiroshima , Yamaguchi , Shimane , and Tottori . Okayama is also included, although only Bitchū Province was considered a "middle country" (中国); Mimasaka Province and Bizen Province , the other two components of modern-day Okayama, were considered "near countries" (近国). Kyūshū , Shikoku , and Kansai neighbor the Chūgoku region. The Chūgoku region is characterized by irregular rolling hills and limited plain areas and

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726-610: The monastery site. The details are not clear because no full-scale investigation has been conducted and the site is not covered by the National Historic Site designation, The ichinomiya of the province is Kibitsuhiko Shrine , located in Kita-ku, Okayama . Many shōen landed estates developed in the province during the Heian and Kamakura periods , and during this time the province also became famous for its production of Japanese swords , especially that of

759-562: The northern part of the Naoshima Islands . In 713, the six northern counties of Eita, Katsuta, Tomata, Kume and Mashima were separated from Bizen to form Mimasaka Province. Bizen, with much flat land and many rivers of reasonable size for flood control and water transportation, has been suitable for agriculture since ancient times. It has been an iron production area since the Kofun period , and also had salt fields along its coast with

792-491: The prefectures covering their former territories. The provinces were originally established by the Ritsuryō reforms as both administrative units and geographic regions. From the late Muromachi period , however, they were gradually supplanted by the domains of the sengoku daimyō . Under the rule of Toyotomi Hideyoshi during Azuchi–Momoyama period, the provinces were supplemented as primary local administrative units. The local daimyōs ' fiefs were developed. In

825-448: The provinces at different times can be found at: Bizen Province Bizen Province ( 備前国 , Bizen-no-kuni ) was a province of Japan in the area that is eastern Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. Bizen bordered Bitchū , Mimasaka , and Harima Provinces . Its abbreviated form name was Bishū ( 備州 ) . In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Bizen

858-532: The provinces they may be shared among several prefectures (such as the original Adachi District of Musashi , which is now divided between Adachi Ward in Tokyo and Kita-Adachi District in Saitama ). Many of these old provincial districts have been dissolved as their chief towns have been merged into larger cities or towns. See individual prefecture pages for mergers and abolitions of districts. The following list

891-625: The provinces, but they are considered obsolete. Nevertheless, their names are still widely used in names of natural features, company names, and brands. These province names are considered to be mainly of historical interest. They are also used for the names of items, including family names , most of which were popularized in or after the Edo period . Examples include sanuki udon , iyokan , tosa ken , Chikuzenni , and awa odori . Japan Rail and other railway stations also use them in names to distinguish themselves from similarly named stations in other prefectures, such as Musashi-Kosugi Station . The same

924-459: The system of addresses were not abolished but, on the contrary, augmented. As of 1871, the number of prefectures was 304, while the number of provinces was 68, not including Hokkaidō or the Ryūkyū Islands . The boundaries between the many prefectures were not only very complicated, but also did not match those of the provinces. Prefectures were gradually merged to reduce the number to 37 by 1881;

957-448: The tourism industry, for the same purpose, the Chūgoku region is also called the "San'in‐San'yō region". San'in ("yin of the mountains ") is the northern part facing the Sea of Japan . San'yō ("yang of the mountains") is the southern part facing the Seto Inland Sea . These names were created using the yin and yang ‐based place‐naming scheme . The city of Hiroshima , the "capital" of

990-669: The two clans and their proxies. During the Sengoku period , the Urakami clan, the shugodai , tried to rule Bizen Province by usurping the power of the Akamatsu clan, but were defeated by Amago Haruhisa , a powerful warlord from the San'in region . However, when the Amago clan declined, Ukita Naoie , a vassal of the Urakami clan, drove out the remnants of Urakami clan, and conquered Mimasaka Province and parts of Bitchū and Bizen Province to become

1023-480: Was divided into Bizen (備前), Bitchū (備中), and Bingo (備後) Provinces in the Ritsuryō administrative reforms in the late 7th century, with "Bizen" taking the first kanji of its name from "Kibi" and the second from its geographic position closest to the capital. Bizen Province at this time included the territory of what would later become Mimasaka Province , Tsurashima (Torago, Kojima County), Shōdoshima , and

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1056-452: Was historically important as the link between Japan and mainland Asia. Historically, Chūgoku referred to the 16 provinces of San'indō ( 山陰道 ) and San'yōdō ( 山陽道 ) , which led to the region's alternative name described below. However, because some of the easternmost provinces were later subsumed into prefectures based primarily in Kansai, those areas are, strictly speaking, not part of

1089-465: Was one of the provinces of the San'yō circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Bizen was ranked as one of the 35 "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "near countries" (近国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city of Okayama . After its conquest, the ancient Kingdom of Kibi became Kibi Province . It

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