The is an area in the southwest of
Honshū
, historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island separa ...
, the main island of
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 ...
. It consists of the northern part of the
Chūgoku region, facing the
Sea of Japan.
Etymology
The name San'in in the
Japanese language is formed from two
kanji characters. The first, , "mountain", and the second, represents the "yin" of
yin and yang. The name means the northern, shady side of the mountains in contrast to the ''yang'' "southern, sunny"
San'yō region to the south.
History
Early history
The San'in region has numerous
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός ''palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
and
Jōmon period
The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...
(14,000 – 300 BC) remains, but its
Yayoi period (300 BC – 250 AD) remains are the largest in Japan. The
Mukibanda Yayoi remains
270px, Mukibanda Yayoi Settlement Site, Mukiyami area
is an archaeological site with a large Yayoi period settlement remains, straddling the border between the municipalities of Yonago] and Daisen, Tottori, Daisen, Tottori Prefecture in the San ...
in the low
foothill
Foothills or piedmont are geographically defined as gradual increases in elevation at the base of a mountain range, higher hill range or an upland area. They are a transition zone between plains and low relief hills and the adjacent topograp ...
s of
Mount Daisen in the cities of
Daisen and
Yonago,
Tottori Prefecture are the largest in Japan. The site is still only partially excavated, but indicates that the San'in was a regional center of power in the period. The mythology of the
Shinto religion is largely based in the Izumo area of the region,
and the
Izumo-taisha, or Izumo Grand Shrine in
Izumo,
Shimane Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguc ...
, is one of the most ancient and important
Shinto shrine
A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion.
Overview
Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings.
The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...
s in
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 ...
.
The eastern part of Shimane Prefecture also had cultural and economic connections to the Asian mainland from an early period.
San'indō
The San'in region corresponds to , one of the
gokishichidō, or five provinces and seven circuits established in the
Asuka period (538–710) under the
Ritsuryō legal system.
San'indō refers not only to the ancient geographic region, but also the main road through the region that connected it to the capitol in Kyoto. The San'in encompassed the pre-Meiji provincial areas of
Tanba,
Tango,
Tajima,
Inaba
Inaba (written: or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*, Japanese shogi player
*, Japanese singer
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japanese video game producer and designer
* Carrie Ann Inaba (born 1968), American da ...
,
Hōki,
Izumo,
Iwami and
Oki.
San'indō route
While the San'indō route was used for military logistics in numerous conflicts after the Asuka period, it more importantly served as a route for the transport of good to and from the region. The route reached its highest period of importance in the
Edo period (1603–1867) when the
Tokugawa shogunate formalized its route and
shukuba
were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called ''shuku-eki'' (宿駅). These post stations (or "post towns") were places where travelers could r ...
post stations. The ''
daimyō'' regional rulers used the San'indō for their ''
sankin-kōtai
''Sankin-kōtai'' ( ja, 参覲交代/参覲交替, now commonly written as ja, 参勤交代/参勤交替, lit=alternate attendance, label=none) was a policy of the Tokugawa shogunate during most of the Edo period of Japanese history.Jansen, M ...
'' mandatory journeys to
Edo
Edo ( ja, , , "bay-entrance" or "estuary"), also romanized as Jedo, Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of Tokyo.
Edo, formerly a ''jōkamachi'' (castle town) centered on Edo Castle located in Musashi Province, became the ''de facto'' capital of ...
(modern Tokyo).
Modern usage
The San'in region now has no administrative authority. In modern Japanese usage it generally refers to the prefectures of
Shimane
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Shimane Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geo ...
,
Tottori and northern area of
Yamaguchi.
The northern areas of
Hyōgo and
Kyōto prefectures are sometimes included in the region as well.
Japan Route 9, the
San'in Expressway, and the
JR West San'in Main Line follow the historical route of the San'indō, and remnants of the
shukuba
were post stations during the Edo period in Japan, generally located on one of the Edo Five Routes or one of its sub-routes. They were also called ''shuku-eki'' (宿駅). These post stations (or "post towns") were places where travelers could r ...
, some well preserved, remain throughout the region.
Geography
The San'in Region has a long coastline along the
Japan Sea that dramatically sweeps south to the
Chūgoku Mountains along the length of the region. The area is primarily mountainous with few plains.
While the climate of the San'in region is not as harsh as that of the
Hokuriku region
The was located in the northwestern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It lay along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region, which it is currently a part of. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern ...
to the north, winters are characterized by heavy snow and rainfall typical of areas on the Japan Sea.
Demographics
The San'in subregion is a subregion of
Chūgoku region that composes of the prefectures of Shimane, Tottori, and sometimes the northern portion of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The northern portion of Yamaguchi Prefecture composes of
Abu,
Hagi Hagi, Hadži, or Hadzhi (Хаджи) is a name derived from hajji, an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, which was later adopted by Christian peoples as a word for ''pilgrim''.
People Surname ...
, and
Nagato. The San'yo subregion is composed of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, and Yamaguchi in its entirety.
Per Japanese census data, and,
San'in subregion 1920-2000 population statistics
/ref> San'in subregion has had continual negative population growth since 1992.
Economy
The San'in region is far from the industrial and cultural heartlands of Japan, and the region is consequently economically undeveloped compared to the other regions of Japan.
Transportation
The San'in region is connected by several JR West rail lines and some highways, but transportation is relatively undeveloped compared to other regions of Japan. Projects to connect the region to the wider highway network of Japan continue.
See also
* Gokishichidō
* Tōkaidō
* Tōsandō
* Hokurikudō
* San'indō
* San'yōdō
* Nankaidō
* Saikaidō
Notes
References
* Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia''.
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
OCLC 58053128
* Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Nihon Ōdai Ichiran
, ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings.
According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...
''; ou
''Annales des empereurs du Japon.''
Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanin region
Regions of Japan
Chūgoku region
Geography of Shimane Prefecture
Geography of Tottori Prefecture