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 ...
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 ...
.
[ Satow, Ernest. (1882). "The Geography of Japan" in ] It corresponded to
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
*18 ...
minus
Abuta District plus the northern part of
Hiyama Subprefecture
is a subprefecture of Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan located on the Oshima Peninsula on the Sea of Japan side. It includes Okushiri Island. It was established in 1897.
Geography
Mergers
History
*1897: Hiyama Subprefecture was established.
*20 ...
.
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 Shiribeshi 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, the Shiribeshi Province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Shiribeshi 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 ...
.
Timeline
*659—the area named "Shiribeshi" first appears in Japanese historical records. The
Nihon Shoki records that
Abe no Hirafu
was a Japanese military strategist and commander of the Asuka period.
Some sources say he lived from c.575-664
Biography
Events in his life are accounted in the Nihon Shoki and Kojiki, both written several decades after his death. His father ...
(fl. 7th century) was dispatched by the imperial government in Kyoto to subdue the aboriginal inhabitants of the area, referred to as ''
emishi
The (also called Ebisu and Ezo), written with Chinese characters that literally mean "shrimp barbarians," constituted an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in parts of Honshū, especially in the Tōhoku region, referred to as in contemp ...
''.
*1869—use of the Hokkaido name started
*August 15, 1869—Shiribeshi Province established with 17 districts
*1872—Census finds 19,098 inhabitants of Shiribeshi Province
* 1882—prefectures established
* 1886—Hokkaido Agency established
* 1947—Hokkaido Prefecture established
Districts
*
Kudō (久遠郡)
*
Okushiri (奥尻郡)
*Futoru (太櫓郡) Dissolved April 1, 1955 when Futoru Village merged with Tōsetana Town from Setana District to form
Kitahiyama Town
*
Setana
is a town located in Hiyama Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 8,501, and a density of 13 persons per km². The total area is 638.67 km².
Geography
Setana is located on the northe ...
(瀬棚郡)
*
Shimamake (島牧郡)
*
Suttsu (寿都郡)
*Utasutsu (歌棄郡) Dissolve January 15, 1955 when Utasutsu Village was incorporated into
Suttsu Town, Suttsu District, Neppu Village merged with Suttsu District's Kuromatsunai Village and part of Tarukishi Village to form Sanwa Village (now
Kuromatsunai Town)
*
Isoya (磯屋郡, later respelled 磯谷郡)
*
Iwanai (岩内郡)
*
Furuu (古宇郡)
*
Shakotan (積丹郡)
*Bikuni (美国郡) Dissolved September 30, 1956 when Bikuni Town was incorporated into
Shakotan Town, Shakotan District.
*
Furubira (古平郡)
*
Yoichi (余市郡)
*Oshoro (忍路郡) Dissolved April 1, 1958 when Shioya? Village was incorporated into
Otaru
is a city and port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical buildings, Otaru is a popular tou ...
City
*Takashima (高島郡) Dissolved September 1, 1940 when Takashima Town was incorporated into Otaru
*Otaru (小樽郡) Dissolved September 1, 1940 when Asato? Village was incorporated into Otaru
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
{{Japan Old Province
Former provinces of Japan