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 ...

, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day

Nara Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara Prefecture has a population of 1,321,805 and has a geographic area of . Nara Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the north, Osaka Prefecture to the northwest, Wakayama P ...

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 ...

. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2005). "Yamato" in . It was also called . Yamato consists of two characters, 大 "great", and 和 " Wa". At first, the name was written with one different character (), but due to its offensive connotation, for about ten years after 737, this was revised to use more desirable characters () (see

Names of Japan The word ''Japan'' is an exonym, and is used (in one form or another) by many languages. The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon () and Nihon (). They are both written in Japanese using the kanji . During the third-century CE Three Kingdoms perio ...

). The final revision was made in the second year of the Tenpyō-hōji era (c. 758). It is classified as a great province in the '' Engishiki''. The Yamato Period in the

history of Japan The first human inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago have been traced to prehistoric times around 30,000 BC. The Jōmon period, named after its cord-marked pottery, was followed by the Yayoi period in the first millennium BC when new inven ...

refers to the late

Kofun Period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

(c. 250–538) and

Asuka Period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

(538–710). Japanese

archaeologists Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and historians emphasize the fact that during the early Kofun Period the Yamato Kingship was in close contention with other regional powers, such as

Kibi Province was an ancient province or region of Japan, in the same area as Okayama Prefecture and eastern Hiroshima Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Kibi''" in . It was sometimes called . It was divided into Bizen (備前), Bitchū (� ...

near present-day

Okayama Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Okayama Prefecture has a population of 1,906,464 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 7,114 Square kilometre, km2 (2,746 sq mi). Okayama Prefectur ...

. Around the 6th century, the local chieftainship gained national control and established the Imperial court in Yamato Province. The

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

, the flagship of the

Japanese Combined Fleet The was the main sea-going component of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Until 1933, the Combined Fleet was not a permanent organization, but a temporary force formed for the duration of a conflict or major naval maneuvers from various units norm ...

during

World War II 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 ...

, was named after this ancient province.

Capital

During the

Kofun period The is an era in the history of Japan from about 300 to 538 AD (the date of the introduction of Buddhism), following the Yayoi period. The Kofun and the subsequent Asuka periods are sometimes collectively called the Yamato period. This period is ...

(300 to 538) and the

Asuka period The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710 (or 592 to 645), although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after t ...

, many palace capitals were located in

Kashihara is a city located in Nara Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 124,829, with 52,034 households. Population density is around 3,176.79 persons per km2, and the total area is 39.52 km2. The city was founded on Februa ...

Asuka Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Province (now N ...

, and Sakurai. Yamato was the first central government of the unified country in the

Heijō-kyō was the Capital of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710 to 740 and again from 745 to 784. The imperial palace is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara (cf. Historic Monuments of Ancient ...

capital was placed in

Nara City is the capital city of Nara Prefecture, Japan. As of 2022, Nara has an estimated population of 367,353 according to World Population Review, making it the largest city in Nara Prefecture and sixth-largest in the Kansai region of Honshu. Nara is ...

during the Nara period. In the 14th century, the capital of the Southern Court was established in

Yoshino Yoshino may refer to: * Yoshino cherry, another name for ''Prunus × yedoensis'', a flowering cherry tree * Japanese cruiser Yoshino, Japanese cruiser ''Yoshino'', a protected cruiser of the Imperial Japanese Navy Places * Yoshino, Nara, a town ...

and Anou.

Temples

The

provincial temple were Buddhist temples established in each of the provinces of Japan by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794). History Shōmu (701 – 756?) decreed both a ''kokubun-ji'' for monks and a for nuns to be established in each ...

for monks is popularly thought to have been Tōdai-ji, but it may have in fact been a different one in Kashihara. The one for nuns was

Hokke-ji , is a Buddhist temple in the city of Nara, Japan. Hokke-ji was built by Empress Kōmyō in 745, originally as a nunnery temple on the grounds where her father Fujiwara no Fuhito's mansion stood. According to records kept by the temple, the ...

. The primary shrine was Sakurai's

Ōmiwa Shrine , also known as , is a Shinto shrine located in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The shrine is noted because it contains no sacred images or objects because it is believed to serve Mount Miwa, the mountain on which it stands. For the same reas ...

, but there have been no records stating as such found at the shrine itself. There were no secondary shrines. The

sōja is a city located in Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2020, the city has an estimated population of 69,343 and a population density of 322 persons per km2. The total area is 211.90 km2. History In the 7th century, Ki Castle was built atop ...

(or principal Shinto shrine in the province) was Kokufu Shrine (Takatori, Takaichi,

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

''
Kami are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
'' of Yamato

* Minamoto no Shigetoki * Minamoto no Suetō *

Utsunomiya Nobufusa is the prefectural capital city of Tochigi Prefecture in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 519,223, and a population density of . The total area of the city is . Utsunomiya is famous for its ''gyoza'' ...

* Oda Hidanaga * Oda Toshisada * Oda Tatsusada * Oda Tatsukatsu *

Mitsuki Naoyori is the Japanese language, Japanese word for . It is also a Japanese name, Japanese given name natively written in a variety of forms. While a unisex name, it is more commonly used by women. Possible writings Mitsuki can be written using different ...

Honjō Fusanaga Honjō or Honjo may refer to: Places * Honjō, Akita * Honjō, Nagano * Honjō, Ōita * Honjō, Saitama * Honjo, Tokyo * Honjo Stadium * Honjo, Yutaro People * , Japanese samurai * , Japanese general *, Japanese immunologist Fictional characters ...

* Tōyama Kagetō * Jushii-ge

Nakai Masakiyo Nakai may refer to: People * Nakai (surname) * In botany, an abbreviation for author Takenoshin Nakai Places * Nakai, Kanagawa, Japan * Nakai District, Laos * Nakai Misl, former principality of the Punjab Region Others * Nakai (Japanese vocation ...

*Jushii-ge Matsudaira Tomonori *Jushii-ge

Matsudaira Naotsune The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the m ...

* Jugoi-ge Kanō Hisachika *Jushii-ge

Matsudaira Naonobu The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of t ...

*Jushii-ge

Matsudaira Tsunenori The was a Japanese samurai clan that descended from the Minamoto clan. It originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province (modern-day Aichi Prefecture). During the Sengoku period, the chieftain of the main line of th ...

*Jushii-ge Matsudaira Naoyoshi

Districts

Domains

* Yagyū Domain *

Kōriyama Domain is a city in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 322,996 people in 141760 households, and a population density of 430 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Kōriyama is designated as a core city a ...

Koizumi Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, with its headquarters within the city limits of present-day Yamato-Kōriyama, Nara. It was ruled for the entirety of its history by the branch of the Katagiri family founded by Katagiri Sadataka, a youn ...

Yanagimoto Domain The was a Japanese domain of the Edo period. Its headquarters were located in what is now Tenri, Nara. List of lords *Oda clan, 1615-1871 ( Tozama; 10,000 koku The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. 1 koku is equivalent to 10 or a ...

* Kaijū Domain / Shibamura Domain *

Kujira Domain , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese voice actress from the Tokyo Metropolis area. She is employed by 81 Produce. Her best-known roles are Otose in ''Gin Tama'' and Orochimaru in ''Naruto''. She also voices Sakura Ogami in ''Danganro ...

* Uda-Matsuyama Domain *

Takatori Domain The Takatori Domain (高取藩, ''Takatori-han'') was a feudal domain located in Yamato Province, in what is now Takatori-cho, Takaichi-gun, Nara Prefecture. The domain's administrative center was Takatori Castle. file:Uemura Ieyasu.jpg, 270px, ...

* Okidome Domain *

Tatsuta Domain Tatsuta may refer to: * Tatsuta, Aichi, a former village in Japan, merged into the city of Aisai in 2010 * , a pre-war Japanese ocean liner of the NYK Line * , an unprotected cruiser in the early Imperial Japanese Navy * , the second vessel of the ...

* Tawaramoto Domain * Kishida Domain * Yamato-Shinjō Domain * Gose Domain * Yamato-Gojō Domain

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 ...

.
OCLC 58053128

External links

{{Gokishichidō Former provinces of Japan