Mutsu Province (1868)

Rikuō Province
陸奥国
Rikuō Province 陸奥国
Province of Japan
1869–1871
	; Map of Japanese provinces (1869) with Rikuō Province highlighted
History
• Established	1869
• Disestablished	1871
Preceded by	Succeeded by
	Mutsu Province
Tonami Prefecture
Shichinohe Prefecture
Hirosaki Prefecture
Kuroshi Prefecture
Hachinohe Prefecture
Today part of	Iwate Prefecture; Aomori Prefecture

Mutsu Province (陸奥国, Mutsu no kuni), officially called Rikuō Province (陸奥国, Rikuō no kuni) was an old province of Japan in the area of Iwate and Aomori prefecture.^[1]

It was also known as Ōshū (奥州) or Rikushū (陸州). In the Meiji era, the province was cut down to cover only present-day Aomori and given the new name Rikuō Province, which retained the original kanji.^[2]

History[]

On December 7, 1868 (January 19, 1869 in the Gregorian calendar), four additional provinces (Rikuchū, Rikuzen, Iwaki, and Iwashiro) were separated from Mutsu, leaving only a rump corresponding to today's Aomori Prefecture (with Ninohe District of Iwate Prefecture). At the same time, while the characters of the name were unchanged, the official reading was changed to the on'yomi version "Rikuō".^[2]

Historical districts[]

Aomori Prefecture
- Tsugaru District (津軽郡)
  - Higashitsugaru District (東津軽郡)
  - Kitatsugaru District (北津軽郡)
  - Minamitsugaru District (南津軽郡)
  - Nakatsugaru District (中津軽郡)
  - Nishitsugaru District (西津軽郡)
- (北郡)
  - Kamikita District (上北郡)
  - Shimokita District (下北郡)
- Sannohe District (三戸郡)
Iwate Prefecture
- Ninohe District (二戸郡)

Notes[]

^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Mutsu" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 676, p. 676, at Google Books.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "地名「三陸地方」の起源に関する地理学的ならびに社会学的問題" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18.（岩手大学教育学部）

References[]

Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du Japon (Nihon Odai Ichiran). Paris: Royal Asiatic Society, Oriental Translation Fund of Great Britain and Ireland. OCLC 5850691.

Other websites[]

Media related to Mutsu Province (1868) at Wikimedia Commons

Murdoch's map of provinces, 1903
"Mutsu Province". SamuraiWiki. Retrieved 2008-01-16.

[nussbaum676-1] Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Mutsu" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 676, p. 676, at Google Books.

[3riku-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b "地名「三陸地方」の起源に関する地理学的ならびに社会学的問題" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18.（岩手大学教育学部）

[1]

[2]

hide v t Former provinces of Japan (List)
Kinai	Izumi Kawachi Settsu Yamashiro Yamato Yoshino 716–738
Tōkaidō	Awa Hitachi Iga Ise Izu Kai Kazusa Mikawa Musashi Owari Sagami Shima Shimōsa Suruga Tōtōmi
Tōsandō	Dewa -1869 Hida Iwaki 718–724 Iwaki 1869– Iwase 718–724 Iwashiro 1869– Kōzuke Mino Ōmi Mutsu –1869 Rikuō (or Mutsu) 1869– Rikuchū 1869– Rikuzen 1869– Shimotsuke Shinano Suwa 721–731 Ugo 1869– Uzen 1869–
Hokurikudō	Echigo Echizen Etchū Kaga Noto Sado Wakasa
San'indō	Hōki Inaba Izumo Iwami Oki Tajima Tanba Tango
San'yōdō	Aki Bingo Bitchū Bizen Harima Mimasaka Nagato Suō
Nankaidō	Awa Awaji Iyo Kii Sanuki Tosa
Saikaidō	Bungo Buzen Chikugo Chikuzen Higo Hizen Hyūga Iki Ōsumi Satsuma Tane 702–824 Tsushima
Hokkaidō 1869–	Chishima Hidaka Iburi Ishikari Kitami Kushiro Nemuro Oshima Shiribeshi Teshio Tokachi
Pre-Taihō Code provinces	Chichibu Fusa Hi Keno Kibi Koshi Kumaso Toyo Tsukushi
Source: Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books; excerpt, "Japan's former provinces were converted into prefectures by the Meiji government ... [and] grouped, according to geographic position, into the 'five provinces of the Kinai' and 'seven circuits'."