was a province of Japan in the area of northern

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

. Tajima bordered on

Tango Tango is a partner dance and social dance that originated in the 1880s along the Río de la Plata, the natural border between Argentina and Uruguay. The tango was born in the impoverished port areas of these countries as the result of a combina ...

and Tanba to the east,

Harima or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During the ...

to the south, and Inaba to the west. Its abbreviated form name was . In terms of the

Gokishichidō was the name for ancient administrative units organized in Japan during the Asuka period (AD 538–710), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese. Though these units did not survive as administrative structures beyon ...

system, Tajimao was one of the provinces of the

San'indō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. ''San'in'' translates to "the shaded side of a mountain", while ''dō'', depending on the context, can mean either a road, o ...

circuit. Under the ''

Engishiki The is a Japanese book about laws and customs. The major part of the writing was completed in 927. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Engi-shiki''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 178. History In 905, Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of th ...

'' classification system, Tajima was ranked as one of the "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 Toyooka. The ''

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 is the

Izushi Shrine is a Shinto shrine in the Izushi neighborhood of the city of Toyooka in Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. It is the ''ichinomiya'' of former Tajima Province. The main festival of the shrine is held annually on October 20. Enshrined ''kami'' The ''ka ...

also located in Toyooka. The area of the province was 2099.01 square kilometers. 39 Tajiima

History

Early history

The early history of the Tajima region is uncertain. There appear to have been two power centers. The Tajima ''

Kuni no miyatsuko , also read as "kokuzō" or "kunitsuko", were officials in ancient Japan at the time of the Yamato court. Yamato period Kuni no miyatsuko governed small territories (), although the location, names, and borders of the provinces remain unclear. K ...

'' ruled in eastern Tajima (present-day Asago District and Yabu District) and are mentioned in the ''

Kujiki , or , is a historical Japanese text. It was generally believed to have been one of the earliest Japanese histories until the middle of the Edo period, when scholars such as Tokugawa Mitsukuni and Tada Yoshitoshi successfully contended that it wa ...

''. They tenuously claimed descent from then legendary

Emperor Kaika , also known as in the ''Kojiki'', and in the '' Nihon Shoki'' was the ninth legendary emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. Very little is known about this Emperor due to a lack of material available for further v ...

,and eventually took the surname of "Tajima". The Chasuriyama Kofun and the Miidani Kofun Cluster are located in their territory. Western Tajima (present-day Mita District) was under the control of the Futakata ''Kuni no miyatsuko'', who claimed descent from the rulers of Izumo. At some point, the two areas came under the control the ancient Tanba Kingdom, which was later divided into Tajima, Tango and Tanba. However, since the name "Tajima" appears in the '' Nihon Shoki'', in an entry dated 675 AD, this division occurred before the formalization of the Japanese provinces. The "

Wamyō Ruijushō The is a 938 CE Japanese dictionary of Chinese characters. The Heian period scholar Minamoto no Shitagō (源順, 911–983 CE) began compilation in 934, at the request of Emperor Daigo's daughter. This ''Wamyō ruijushō'' title is abbreviate ...

" states that the

provincial capital A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the g ...

was located in Keta District, possibly in the Izucho neighborhood of Toyooka city, but the precise location is uncertain. According to "

Nihon Koki 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 capital was related to a place called "Kodago", also in Keta District in the year 804. This appears to correspond the Nyogamori site which has been excavated near the former Hidaka town hall, which is also part of Toyooka city. The site of the

Tajima Kokubun-ji is a Jōdo-shū Buddhist temple located in the Hidaka-chō neighborhood of the city of Toyooka, Hyōgo, Japan. Its main image is a statue of Yakushi Nyorai. It is the modern successor of one of the provincial temples established by Emperor Shōm ...

(also in Toyooka) is known, and is a National Historic Site. The ''

'' records of 927 lists ten major and 106 minor

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, with Kono Jinja and Awaga Jinja vying for the title of the ''

'' of the province. During the early

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

, the

Yamana clan The was a Japanese samurai clan which was one of the most powerful of the Muromachi period (1336-1467); at its peak, members of the family held the position of Constable (''shugo'') over eleven provinces. Originally from Kōzuke Province, and late ...

were ''

shugo , commonly translated as “(military) governor,” “protector,” or “constable,” was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the ''shōgun'' to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The pos ...

'' of Tajima province and constructed

Konosumiyama Castle was a Muromachi to Sengoku period Japanese castle located in the Izushi neighborhood of the city of Toyooka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Its ruins, along with the ruins of nearby Arikoyama Castle have been protected as a National Historic Si ...

as their stronghold. They were later defeated by the forces of

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: Military Innovations that Changed the Cour ...

Edo Period

During the Edo Period, Tango province was somewhat of a backwater, due to its geographical location. The Ikuno silver mine was ''

tenryō The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

'' territory directly administered by the shogunate. Two small domains were established in Tajima under the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...

Toyooka Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Tajima Province in what is now the northern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered initially around Toyooka Castle, and later at Toyooka ''ji ...

was created for Sugihara Nagafusa, who had married a daughter of

Azai Nagamasa was a Japanese ''daimyō'' of the Sengoku period known as the brother-in-law and enemy of Oda Nobunaga. Nagamasa was head of the Azai clan seated at Odani Castle in northern Ōmi Province and married Nobunaga's sister Oichi in 1564, fathering h ...

. In 1658 the line went extinct, and in 1668 the shogunate transferred a cadet branch of the

Kyōgoku clan The were a Japanese ''daimyō'' clan which rose to prominence during the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Edo period, Edo periods. The clan descend from the Emperor Uda, Uda Minamoto clan, Genji through the Sasaki clan.Papinot, Jacques. (2003)''Nobi ...

from Tango-Tanabe Domain to Toyooka.

Izushi Domain was a feudal domain under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo period Japan, located in Tajima Province in what is now the northern portion of modern-day Hyōgo Prefecture. It was centered initially around Izushi Castle in what is now the Izushi ne ...

was established for Koide Yoshimasa, the son of one of Ieyasu's generals. In 1706, it was awarded to the

Sengoku clan was a Japanese samurai family which descended from the Seiwa-Genji. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Ina" at ''Nobiliare du Japon'', p. 54 retrieved 2013-4-11. Hist ...

, who ruled until the Meiji restoration. The Yamana clan, formerly rulers of 11 provinces had been reduced in status 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 ...

to a small ''

hatamoto A was a high ranking samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as ''gokenin.'' However ...

'' holding of 6700 ''koku'' in Shitsumi district.

Yamana Toyokuni was a Japanese samurai and commander of the Sengoku period. He was the head of the '' Inaba Yamana clan'' and Shugo of the Inaba. In 1574, Toyokuni allied with Amago Katsuhisa for attempt an invasion to captured Tajima and Inaba provinces ...

was allowed to construct a ''

jin'ya A was a type of administrative headquarters in the Tokugawa Shogunate during the Edo period of Japanese history. ''Jin'ya'' served as the seat of the administration for a small domain, a province, or additional parcels of land. ''Jin'ya'' hou ...

'' and although it was a poor territory, his descendants opened mines, new rice fields, fostered raising cattle and gradually raided their revenues until 1868, when the reached the 11,000 ''koku'' level and were allowed to become ''

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

'' by the new

Meiji government The was the government that was formed by politicians of the Satsuma Domain and Chōshū Domain in the 1860s. The Meiji government was the early government of the Empire of Japan. Politicians of the Meiji government were known as the Meiji o ...

. However, the title was abolished only a few months later, and the Yamana served as imperial governors of "Muraoka Prefecture" until the abolition of the

han system ( ja, 藩, "domain") is a Japanese historical term for the estate of a daimyo in the Edo period (1603–1868) and early Meiji period (1868–1912). Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Han"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 283. or (daimyo domain) s ...

in 1871. The final ruler, Yamana Yoshimichi, was ennobled with the ''

kazoku The was the hereditary peerage of the Empire of Japan, which existed between 1869 and 1947. They succeeded the feudal lords () and court nobles (), but were abolished with the 1947 constitution. Kazoku ( 華族) should not be confused with ' ...

'' title of baron (''danshaku'').

Meiji period

Following 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 ...

, each of the domains (Toyooka, Izushi and Muraoka) briefly became prefectures, which were annexed to Sasayama Prefecture in August 1871, transferred to Toyooka Prefecture in December 1871 and incorporated into Hyōgo Prefecture in August 1876. Nussbaum
"Provinces and prefectures"
at p. 780. Per the early

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, an official government assessment of the nation’s resources, the province had 620 villages with a total ''

kokudaka refers to a system for determining land value for taxation purposes under the Tokugawa shogunate of Edo-period Japan, and expressing this value in terms of ''koku'' of rice. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Koku"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 54 ...

'' of 144,312 ''

koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about . It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1000 gō. One ''gō'' is the volume of the "rice cup", the plastic measuring cup that is supplied ...

''. Tajima Province consisted of:

Gallery

Awaga-jinja, shaden.jpg, Awaga Jinja, ''ichinomiya'' of the province Izushi Jinja 02.JPG, Izushi Jinja, ''ichinomiya'' of the province Tajima Kokubunji-ato tou.JPG, Ruins of Tajima Kokubun-ji Konosumiyama Castle zenkei.JPG, Site of Konosumiyama Castle Flickr - Norio NAKAYAMA - takeda ruin castle (rituunkyo) by 7D.jpg, ruins of Takeda Castle

Notes

References

* 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 ...

. ; * Papinot, Edmond. (1910). ''Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan.'' Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha
OCLC 77691250

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tajima Province Former provinces of Japan History of Hyōgo Prefecture 1871 disestablishments in Japan States and territories disestablished in 1871