Buzen Province (豊前国, Bunzen-no kuni) was a province of Japan in the area of northeastern Kyūshū, corresponding to part of southeastern Fukuoka Prefecture and northwestern Ōita Prefecture.[1] Buzen bordered on Bungo to the south, and Chikuzen to the north and west. Its abbreviated form name was Hōshū (豊州) (a name which it shared with Bungo Province), although it was also called Nihō (二豊). In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Buzen was one of the provinces of the Saikaidō circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Buzen 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 capital.
History
editEarly history
editDuring the Kofun period, the area of Buzen had two main power centers: Toyouni in the northwest and Usa-kuni in the southeast (the area around what is now Usa, each of which was ruled by a kuni no miyatsuko. By the Asuka period, the area had been consolidated into a single province called Toyo Province, also called Toyokuni no Michi no Shiri. After the Taika Reforms and the establishment of the Ritsuryō system in 701, Toyo Province was divided into Bungo and Buzen Provinces.
The kokufu of Buzen was located in Toyotsu, now part of Miyako, Fukuoka, and its ruins have been located and are now a National Historic Site. The Buzen Kokubun-ji was also located in the same area. The of ichinomiya of Buzen Province is Usa Jingū, commonly known as "Usa Hachimangū", located in Usa.
Edo Period and early modern period
editBuzen was largely dominated by Kokura Domain, ruled by the Ogasawara clan under the Tokugawa shogunate, with a smaller area under the rule of Nakatsu Domain.
| Name | Clan | Type | kokudaka | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kokura | Ogasawara | Fudai | 150,000 koku | renamed Kawara Domain in 1869; Toyotsu Domain in 1850 |
| Nakatsu | Okudaira | Fudai | 100,000 koku | |
| Kokura Shinden | Ogasawara | Fudai | 10,000 koku | Renamed Chizuka Domain in 1869 |
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During the Boshin War, Kokura Castle was occupied by the forces of Chōshū Domain, and the seat of Kokura Domain was transferred to Kawara Domain (香春藩). It was renamed Toyotsu Domain (豊津藩) in 1870. In 1869, Kokura Shinden Domain was renamed Chizuka Domain (千束藩). The previous year, hatamoto territory in the province was transferred to Hita Prefecture, followed by Usa Jingu territory and Chōshū Domain in 1869. On the other hand, former tenryō in Shimoge District and Usa District became part of Tsushima Izuhara Domain (千束藩) in January 1870. With the abolition of the han system in August 1871, the former domains became Toyotsu, Senzoku, Nakatsu, and Izuhara prefectures, which were merged at the end of the year to form Kokura Prefecture. In April 1876, Kokura Prefecture was incorporated into Fukuoka Prefecture, but in August of the same year, the two southernmost districts (Usa District and Shimoge District) of former Buzen Province were transferred to Ōita Prefecture.[2] The name "Buzen" continued to persist for some purposes. For example, Buzen is explicitly recognized in the 1894 treaties with the United States and the United Kingdom.[3]
Per the early Meiji period Kyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō (旧高旧領取調帳), an official government assessment of the nation's resources, Buzen Province had 776 villages with a total kokudaka of 363,940 koku. Bungo Province consisted of:
| District | kokudaka | villages | Controlled by | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Usa District (宇佐郡) | 77,483 koku | 241 villages | Tenryō, Nakatsu, Shimabara, Usa Jingū | dissolved |
| Shimoge (下毛郡) | 47,593 koku | 98 villages | Tenryō, Nakatsu | dissolved |
| Kiku (企救郡) | 45,797 koku | 110 villages | Kokura | |
| Tagawa (田川郡) | 54,752 koku | 64 villages | Kokura | |
| Miyako (京都郡) | 34,617 koku | 71 villages | Kokura | absorbed Nakatsu District on February 26, 1896 |
| Nakatsu (仲津郡) | 42,586 koku | 76 villages | Kokura | merged into Miyako District on February 26, 1896 |
| Tsuiki (築城郡) | 23,033 koku | 41 villages | Kokura | merged with Kōge to become Chikujō District on February 26, 1896 |
| Kōge (上毛郡) | 38,074 koku | 75 villages | Kokura. Nakatsu | merged with Tsuiki to become Chikujō District on February 26, 1896 |
Gallery
edit-
Usa Jingu, the ichinomiya of the province
-
Buzen Kokubun-ji
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Kokura Castle
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Ogasawara Tadanobu, final daimyō of Kokura Domain
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Notes
edit- ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Buzen" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 411, p. 411, at Google Books.
- ^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780.
- ^ 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.
References
edit- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
- Papinot, Edmond. (1910). Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha. OCLC 77691250
- (in Japanese) Kōzuke on "Edo 300 HTML"
External links
editMedia related to Buzen Province at Wikimedia Commons
