was a
province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of ancient
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
in the area that is today the eastern part of
Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). ...
. Suō bordered on
Aki,
Iwami, and
Nagato Provinces.
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, Suō was one of the provinces of the
San'yōdō
is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The San'yōdō corresponds for the most part with the modern conception of the San'yō region. This name derives from the i ...
circuit. Under the ''
Engishiki
The is a Japanese book of 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
Emperor Daigo ordered the compilation of the ''Engishi ...
'' classification system, Suō was ranked as one of the "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the imperial capital, Kyoto. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city of
Hōfu, Yamaguchi. The ''
ichinomiya
is a Japanese language, Japanese historical term referring to the Shinto shrines with the highest rank in a Provinces of Japan, province. Shrines of lower rank were designated , , , and so forth.''Encyclopedia of Shinto'' ''Ichi no miya'' retr ...
'' of the province is the
Tamanooya Shrine also located in Hōfu.
History
Before the establishment of the ''
Ritsuryō
is the historical Japanese legal system, legal system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Legalism (Chinese philosophy), Chinese Legalism in Feudal Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (). ''Kya ...
'' system, the area of Suō was under control of various semi-independent ''
kuni no miyatsuko
, also read as ''kokuzō'' or ''kunitsuko'', were officials in ancient Japan during the Yamato period who governed provinces called ''kuni''.
Yamato period
''Kuni no miyatsuko'' governed provinces called ''kuni'' (国), although the location, nam ...
'': Ōshima Kuni (Suō-Ōshima), Suō Kuni (Kumage County, Kuga County), Hakuki Kuni (Kishiki County), Tsunu Kuni (Tono County), and Sawa Kuni (Sawa County) . These were united to form the Ritsuryo province, which initially consisted of five counties: Oshima, Kumage, Tsuno, Sawa, and Kisiki. Kuga County was divided from Kumage in 721 to form the sixth counties. In the
Asuka period
The was a period in the history of Japan lasting from 538 to 710, although its beginning could be said to overlap with the preceding Kofun period. The Yamato period, Yamato polity evolved greatly during the Asuka period, which is named after the ...
, the
Iwakisan Kōgoishi mountain fortification was constructed against a possible invasion by
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and the Kingdom of
Silla
Silla (; Old Korean: wikt:徐羅伐#Old Korean, 徐羅伐, Yale romanization of Korean, Yale: Syerapel, Revised Romanization of Korean, RR: ''Seorabeol''; International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA: ) was a Korean kingdom that existed between ...
in Korean peninsula. Wooden tally strips bearing the name of 'Suho Province', 'Shuyō Province' and 'Suō Province' have been found at the ruins of
Fujiwara-kyō
280px, Map of Fujiwara-kyō
was the Imperial capital of Japan for sixteen years, between 694 and 710. It was located in Yamato Province (present-day Kashihara in Nara Prefecture), having been moved from nearby Asuka, and remained the capital u ...
and
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 ...
and the names were used interchangeably in
Nara period
The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...
records, such as the ''
Nihon Shoki
The or , sometimes translated as ''The Chronicles of Japan'', is the second-oldest book of classical Japanese history. It is more elaborate and detailed than the , the oldest, and has proven to be an important tool for historians and archaeol ...
''.
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 ...
, the ruling
Hōjō clan
The was a Japanese samurai family who controlled the hereditary title of '' shikken'' (regent) of the Kamakura shogunate between 1203 and 1333. Despite the title, in practice the family wielded actual political power in Japan during this perio ...
were the ''
shugo
, commonly translated as ' ilitarygovernor', 'protector', or 'constable', was a title given to certain officials in feudal Japan. They were each appointed by the shogun to oversee one or more of the provinces of Japan. The position gave way to th ...
'' of the province, and were replaced in the
Muromachi period
The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...
by the
Ōuchi clan
was one of the most powerful and important families in Western Japan during the reign of the Ashikaga shogunate in the 14th to 16th centuries. Their domains, ruled from the castle town of Yamaguchi in the western tip of Honshu island, compris ...
. During the
Sengoku period
The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...
, the
Mōri clan
The was a Japanese clan, Japanese samurai clan descended from Ōe no Hiromoto. Ōe no Hiromoto was descended from the Fujiwara clan. The family's most illustrious member, Mōri Motonari, greatly expanded the clan's power in Aki Province. Durin ...
supplanted the Ōuchi, and the province became part of the holdings of
Chōshū Domain
The , also known as the , was a domain (''han'') of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan during the Edo period from 1600 to 1871.Deal, William E. (2005) ''Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan,'' p. 81
The Chōshū Domain was based ...
in the
Edo Period
The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
. 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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
, the province became part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. The area of former Suo Province is now divided between the cities of Hōfu,
Kudamatsu,
Iwakuni
file:20100724 Iwakuni 5235.jpg, 270px, Kintai Bridge
file:Iwakuni city center area Aerial photograph.2008.jpg, 270px, Iwakuni city center
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of ...
,
Hikari
may refer to:
Places
* Hikari Station, a station on Sanyō Main Line in Hikari, Yamaguchi
* Hikari, Chiba, a former town in Sousa District, Chiba, Japan
* Hikari, Yamaguchi, a city in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
People
* Hikari (name), people a ...
,
Yanai,
Shūnan
file:Tokuyama district Shunan city Aerial photograph.2008.jpg, 270px, Shūnan city center
is a Cities of Japan, city in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 137,019 in 6828 households and a population density o ...
,
Ōshima District,
Kuga District,
Kumage District, and most of
Yamaguchi city (excluding the former
Ato Town), and a portion of
Ube.
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 Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...
, Suō was divided into six districts.
[Nussbaum]
"Provinces and prefectures"
at p. 780. Per the early
Meiji period
The was 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 colonizatio ...
, an official government assessment of the nation’s resources, the province had 295 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. 5 ...
'' of 548,861 ''
koku
The is a Chinese-based Japanese unit of volume. One koku is equivalent to 10 or approximately , or about of rice. It converts, in turn, to 100 shō and 1,000 gō. One ''gō'' is the traditional volume of a single serving of rice (before co ...
''.
Gallery
Tamanooya-jinja (Hofu), shaden.jpg, Tamanooya Shrine, ''ichinomiya'' of the province
Suo Kokubunji, tou-ato.jpg, Ruins of Suo Kokubun-ji
周防国衙跡 - panoramio.jpg, Ruins of Suo Kokuga
Tenshu of Iwakuni Castle 3.jpg, Iwakuni Castle
Shōhō Kuniezu - Suō Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, '' Shōhō Kuniezu'' - Suō Province, with Nagato in yellow, Iwami in blue, and Aki in pink ( Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)
Genroku Kuniezu - Suō Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, ''Genroku Kuniezu
The were a series of Japanese provincial land maps, created during the Edo period, which the Tokugawa shogunate ordered be created by every province. They are sometimes contrasted with , which were national maps created by the shogunate.
In 19 ...
'' - Suō Province, with Nagato in red, Iwami in green, and Aki in pink (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)
Tenpō Kuniezu - Suō Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, '' Tenpō Kuniezu'' - Suō Province (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)
Yamaguchi Prefecture (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives).jpg, 1878 map of Yamaguchi Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu. Yamaguchi Prefecture has a population of 1,377,631 (1 February 2018) and has a geographic area of 6,112 Square kilometre, km2 (2,359 Square mile, sq mi). ...
, marked with its two constituent provinces of and , as well as neighbouring and (Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)
Notes
References
*
Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005)
''Japan encyclopedia.''Cambridge:
Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou.
The pres ...
.
OCLC 58053128*
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834)
''Annales des empereurs du Japon''(''
Nihon Ōdai Ichiran
, ', is a 17th-century chronicle of the serial reigns of Japanese emperors with brief notes about some of the noteworthy events or other happenings.
According to the 1871 edition of the ''American Cyclopaedia'', the 1834 French translation of ...
''). Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland
OCLC 5850691
External links
Former provinces of Japan
Suō Province
{{Yamaguchi-geo-stub