, also called Ifuri, was a short-lived

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 ...

located in

Hokkaidō is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel. The la ...

. It corresponds to modern-day

Iburi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Geography Located in south-central Hokkaido, Iburi stretches East-West and North-South. Iburi covers an area of . Iburi borders Oshima Subprefecture to the West, Shiribeshi, Ishikari, an ...

, Yamakoshi District of Oshima, Abuta District in

Shiribeshi Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The subprefecture's capital is Kutchan. As of July 31, 2004, the estimated population was 256,184 and the area was 4,305.65 km2. Geography Municipalities Mergers History ...

, the cities of Chitose and Eniwa in Ishikari Subprefecture and Shimukappu Village in

Kamikawa Subprefecture is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. The name is derived from Kamikawa no hitobito no Shūraku (Village of the Upstream People), a translation of the Ainu Ainu or Aynu may refer to: *Ainu people, an East Asian ethnic group of Japa ...

History

After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)
"Hokkaido,"
''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 343. and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Iburi Province. In 1882, the

Hokkaido region is Japan, Japan's Japanese archipelago, second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost Prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own List of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; th ...

was separated into three prefectures — , , and . In 1886, the three prefectures were abolished, and Hokkaido was put under the .Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau
"History of Development in Hokkaido,"
; retrieved 2013-3-22. At the same time, Iburi Province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Iburi is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and (b) between Japan and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

.US Department of State. (1906)
''A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements'' (John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759

Timeline

*1869—use of the name Hokkaido started *August 15, 1869 Iburi Province established with 8

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

*1872 Census shows a population of 6,251 * 1882—prefectures established * 1886—Hokkaido Agency established * 1947—Hokkaido Prefecture established

Districts

* Yamakoshi (山越郡) * Abuta District (虻田郡) * Usu (有珠郡) *

Muroran is a city and port located in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Iburi Subprefecture. As of February 29, 2012, the city has an estimated population of 93,716, with 47,868 households and a population density of . The ...

(室蘭郡) Dissolved February 1, 1918 when four towns and villages merged to form Muroran-''ku'' *Yoribetsu (幌別郡) Dissolved August 1, 1970 when

Noboribetsu is a city in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. Part of Shikotsu-Toya National Park, it is southwest of Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo ...

Town became Noboribetsu City * Shiraoi (白老郡) * Yūfutsu (勇払郡) *Chitose (千歳郡) Dissolved November 11, 1970 when Eniwa Town became a city

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

Other websites

1869 establishments in Japan 1882 disestablishments in Japan Former provinces of Japan {{Hokkaido-geo-stub