Chikuma District was a district located in
Shinano Province
or is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, whi ...
.
The district was centered at the current city of
Matsumoto, then capital of Shinano, but on January 14, 1879, the district split off into
Higashi-chikuma and
Nishi-chikuma Districts (
Nishichikuma District was later renamed
Kiso District). Until the Meiji Era, the district was known as "Tsukama" but the pronunciation was changed to "Chikuma". However, people in Matsumoto still pronounce it "Tsukama", as in Tsukama Elementary School (筑摩小学校-つかましょうがっこう).
Chikuma District once encompassed the present municipalities of
Matsumoto (excluding parts of
Nagawa,
Azusagawa and
Azumi
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yū Koyama. It was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine ''Big Comic Superior'' from 1994 to 2008, with its chapters collected in 48 volumes. A sequel series with the same title ...
areas),
Shiojiri, the areas of Tazawa, Hikari, and Kawate from
Azumino
is a city located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 97,761 in 39744 households, and a population density of 290 persons per km2. Its total area is .
Etymology of Azumino
Azumino is a combination of two word ...
,
Higashichikuma District,
Kiso District, and the areas of Yamaguchi, Magome, and Kamisaka areas in the city of
Nakatsugawa
Magome-juku on the Nakasendō
is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 78,930, and a population density of 120 persons per km2 in 30,788 households. The total area of the city was .
Geography
Nakatsugawa is in ...
in
Gifu Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,910,511 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture ...
.
The district acquired the Kiso Region from
Ena District in
Mino Province
was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviated fo ...
during the
Kamakura Period
The is a period of History of Japan, Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura, Kanagawa, Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the G ...
. But the district still has the Maseki area once located in
Sarashina District. The district seat is unknown but the city of
Matsumoto is a possibility.
References
Districts in Nagano Prefecture
{{Nagano-geo-stub