was a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, which today comprises

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, most of

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

and part of

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kana ...

. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke,

Sagami Sagami may refer to: * Sagami, an 11th-century ''waka'' poet *Sagami Province, an old province in Japan *Sagami River, a river in Kanagawa and Yamanashi *Sagami Bay, a bay south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshū *Sagami Line, a railway roughly along ...

, Shimōsa, and

Shimotsuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Tochigi Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''SHimotsuke''" in . Shimotsuke was bordered by Kōzuke, Hitachi, Mutsu and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was ...

s. Musashi was the largest province in the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

History

Musashi had its ancient capital in modern

Fuchū, Tokyo 260px, Fuchū City Hall is a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. Fuchū serves as a regional commercial center and a commuter town for workers in central Tokyo. The city hosts large scale manufacturing facilities for Toshiba, NEC ...

, and its provincial temple in what is now

Kokubunji, Tokyo file:Kondoato.JPG, 250px, Ruins of Musashi Kokubun-ji temple is a Cities of Japan, city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 126,791, and a population density of 11,000 persons per km ...

. By the

Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...

, the main city was Edo, which became the dominant city of eastern Japan. Edo Castle was the headquarters of

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the founder and first ''shōgun'' of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, which ruled Japan from 1603 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. He was one of the three "Great Unifiers" of Japan, along with his former lord Oda Nobunaga and fellow ...

before the

Battle of Sekigahara The Battle of Sekigahara (Shinjitai: ; Kyūjitai: , Hepburn romanization: ''Sekigahara no Tatakai'') was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 (Keichō 5, 15th day of the 9th month) in what is now Gifu prefecture, Japan, at the end of ...

and became the dominant city of Japan during the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, being renamed

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

during the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

. ''Hikawa-jinja'' was designated as the chief Shinto shrine (''

ichinomiya is a Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth. ''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retrieved 2013-5-14. The term gave rise t ...

'') of the province; and there are many branch shrines. The former province gave its name to the battleship of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Timeline of important events

* 534 (''

Ankan (466 — 25 January 536) was the 27th legendary Emperor of Japan,Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 安閑天皇 (27)/ref> according to the traditional order of succession. No firm dates can be assigned to this Emperor's life or reign, ...

1, 12th month''): The Yamato court sends a military force to appoint Omi as the governor of Musashi Province, his rival, Wogi was executed by the court. Omi presented four districts of Musashi Province to the court as royal estates. * July 18, 707 (''

Keiun , also known as Kyōun, was a following '' Taihō'' and preceding '' Wadō''. The period spanned the years from May 704 through January 708. The reigning emperors were and . Change of era * 704 : The new era name was created to mark an event or ...

4, 15th day of the 6th month''):

Empress Genmei , also known as Empress Genmyō, was the 43rd monarch of Japan, Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'') 元明天皇 (43) retrieved August 22, 2013. according to the traditional order of succession. Genmei's reign spanned the years 707 throu ...

is enthroned at the age of 48. Brown, Delmer M. (1979)
''Gukanshō,'' p. 271
Wadoukaichin monument2

* 707 (''Keiun 4''): Copper was reported to have been found in Musashi province in the region which includes modern day Tokyo. Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). * 708 (''Keiun 5''): The era name was about to be changed to mark the accession of Empress Gemmei; but the choice of ''Wadō'' as the new ''

nengō The , also known as , is the first of the two elements that identify years in the Japanese era calendar scheme. The second element is a number which indicates the year number within the era (with the first year being ""), followed by the literal ...

'' for this new reign became a way to mark the welcome discovery of copper in the

Chichibu District is a district located in Saitama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population 755 and a density of 77.58 persons per km2. The total area is 796.03 km2. History According to text in the ''Sendai Kuji Hongi'' (''Ku ...

of what is now

. The Japanese word for copper is ''dō'' (銅); and since this was indigenous copper, the ''"wa"'' (the ancient Chinese term for Japan) could be combined with the ''"dō"'' (copper) to create a new composite term—''"wadō"''—meaning "Japanese copper". * May 5, 708 ('' Wadō 1, 11th day of the 4th month''): A sample of the newly discovered Musashi copper was presented in Gemmei's Court where it was formally acknowledged as ''Japanese copper.'' The Wadō era is famous for the first Japanese coin (和同開珎, ''wadokaiho'' or ''wadokaichin''). *1590 (''Tenshō 18''): Siege of Odawara.

Iwatsuki Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, in Musashi Province (modern-day Saitama Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Iwatsuki Castle in what is now part of Iwatsuki-ku, Saitama. History Iwatsuki was an important ...

and

Oshi Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Musashi Province (modern-day Saitama Prefecture), Japan. It was centered on Oshi Castle in what is now part of the city of Gyōda, Saitama. History Oshi Castle ...

founded in Musashi Province.

Historical districts

Musashi Province had 21 districts and then added one later. *

(秩父郡) ** Hanzawa District (榛沢郡) – merged into Ōsato District (along with Hatara and Obusama Districts) on March 29, 1896 ** Hatara District (幡羅郡) – merged into Ōsato District (along with Hanzawa and Obusama Districts) on March 29, 1896 ** Hiki District (比企郡) – absorbed Yokomi District on March 29, 1896 ** Iruma District (入間郡) – merged into Koma District on March 29, 1896 ** Kami District (賀美郡, 加美郡) – merged into Kodama District (along with Naka District) on March 29, 1896 ** Kodama District (児玉郡) – absorbed Kami and Naka Districts on March 29, 1896 ** Koma District (高麗郡) – merged into Iruma District on March 29, 1896 ** Naka District (那珂郡) – merged into Kodama District (along with Kami District) on March 29, 1896 ** Niikura District (新座郡, 新倉郡, 新羅郡) – merged into Kitaadachi District on March 29, 1896 ** Obusuma District (男衾郡) – merged into Ōsato District (along with Hanzawa and Hatara Districts) on March 29, 1896 ** Ōsato District (大里郡) – absorbed Hanzawa, Hatara and Obusama Districts on March 29, 1896 ** Saitama District (埼玉郡) *** Kitasaitama District (埼玉郡) – dissolved *** Minamisaitama District (埼玉郡) ** Yokomi District (横見郡) – merged into Hiki District on March 29, 1896 * Tokyo ("Metropolis"/''-to'')=until 1943 Tokyo (Prefecture/''-fu'') ** Ebara District (荏原郡) – merged into Tokyo (City/''-shi'') in 1932 ** Toshima District (豊嶋郡) *** Kitatoshima District (北豊島郡) – merged into Tokyo City in 1932 *** Minamitoshima District (南豊島郡) – merged with Higashitama District to become Toyotama District on April 1, 1896, merged into Tokyo City in 1932 *

** Kuraki District (久良岐郡) – dissolved ** Tachibana District (橘樹郡) – dissolved ** Tsuzuki District (都筑郡) – dissolved * Mixed ** Adachi District (足立郡) *** Kitaadachi District (Saitama) (北足立郡) – absorbed Niikura District on March 29, 1896 *** Minamiadachi District (Tokyo) (南足立郡) – merged into

Tokyo City was a municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo-fu which existed from 1 May 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on 1 July 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by the Special Wards of Tokyo. The new merged gove ...

on October 1, 1932 **

Katsushika District is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The ward calls itself Katsushika City in English. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 444,356, and a population density of 12,770 people per km². The total area is 34.80 ...

(葛飾郡) – Transfer from

Shimōsa Province was a province of Japan in the area modern Chiba Prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Shimōsa''" in . It lies to the north of the Bōsō Peninsula (房総半島), whose name takes its first ''kanji'' from ...

in 1683 (some say 1622–1643) for the river improvement of Naka River. *** Kitakatsushika District (Saitama) (北葛飾郡) – absorbed Nakakatsushika District (Shimōsa, Saitama) on March 29, 1896 *** Minamikatsushika District (Tokyo) (南葛飾郡) – merged into the Tokyo City on October 1, 1932 ** Tama District (多摩郡, 多麻郡, 多磨郡) *** Higashitama District (東多摩郡, ''Higashi-Tama-gun'', "East Tama District") – part of Tokyo since its creation, merged with Minamitoshima District to become Toyotama District (豊多摩郡) on April 1, 1896, in turn merged into Tokyo City in 1932 *** Kitatama District (北多摩郡, ''Kita-Tama-gun'', "North Tama District") – was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893; North Tama's last

towns A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

became y definition: district-independent

cities A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in 1970 *** Minamitama District (南多摩郡, ''Minami-Tama-gun'', "South Tama District") – was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893; South Tama's last towns were turned into cities in 1971 *** Nishitama District (西多摩郡, ''Nishi-Tama-gun'', "West Tama District") – was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893

Notes

References

* Brown, Delmer M. and Ichirō Ishida, eds. (1979)
''Gukanshō: The Future and the Past''.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
OCLC 251325323
* Kōta Kodama and Kitajima Masamoto. (1966). 物語藩史. 第2期第2卷, 関東の諸藩 (''Monogatari hanshi. 2(2), Kantō no shohan''). Tokyo: Shin Jinbutsu Ōraisha
OCLC 673172166
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia''.
Cambridge:

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is a publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University, and focused on academic publishing. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses. After the retirem ...

.
OCLC 58053128
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''
('' Nihon Ōdai Ichiran''). Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691

External links