Chikuzen Province


Chikuzen Province was a province of Japan in the area of northern Kyushu, corresponding to part of north and western Fukuoka Prefecture. Chikuzen bordered on Hizen to the east, and Buzen east, and Bungo to the southeast. Its abbreviated form name was Chikushū, although it was also called Chikuyo. In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Chikuzen was one of the provinces of the Saikaidō circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Chikuzen was ranked as one of the "superior countries" in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" in terms of distance from the capital.

History

Ancient Tsukushi Province was a major power center in the Yayoi period, with contacts to the Asian mainland and may have been the site for the Kingdom of Yamatai mentioned in official Chinese dynastic Twenty-Four Histories for the 1st- and 2nd-century Eastern Han dynasty, the 3rd-century Records of the Three Kingdoms, and the 6th-century Book of Sui. During the Kofun period, many burial mounds were constructed and the area was ruled by a powerful clan who held the title of "Tsukushi no kuni no miyatsuko". The semi-legendary 14th ruler of Japan, Emperor Chūai is said to have had a palace in Chikuzen at what is now the Kashii-gū shrine. The area was the launching point for Empress Jingū's purported conquest of Korea, and was the settlement area for many Toraijin immigrants such as the famous Hata clan. In 527, the Iwai Rebellion between rival factions supporting Silla against Yamato rule occurred. In 531, the priest Zensho arrived from Northern Wei and established Shugendo. In 663, the Yamato government, which was defeated by the combined Silla and Tang China forces at the Battle of Hakusonko, decided to establish Dazaifu as a regional military and civil administrative center, and after the Taika Reforms and the establishment of the Ritsuryō system in 701, Tsukushi Province was divided into Chikuzen and Chikugo Provinces.
The kokufu of Chikuzen is believed to have been located in what is now part of the city of Dazaifu, although its exact location has not yet been discovered. The ruins of the Chikuzen Kokubun-ji are located in the same area, and are a National Historic Site. The ichinomiya of Chikuzen Province is Sumiyoshi Shrine, located in Hakata-ku, Fukuoka, although the early records of the province indicate that Hakozaki Shrine was the ichinomiya.
At the end of the 13th century, Chikuzen was the landing point for a Mongol invasion force. But the main force was destroyed by a typhoon.
In April 1336, Kikuchi Taketoshi attacked the Shoni clan stronghold at Dazaifu. At the time, the Shoni were allied with Ashikaga Takauji in his battles against Go-Daigo. The Shoni were defeated, which led to the suicide of several clan members, including their leader Shoni Sadatsune.
Chikuzen in the Edo period was almost entirely under the control of Fukuoka Domain, ruled by the Kuroda clan to the Meiji restoration.
NameClanTypekokudaka
FukuokaKurodaTozama523,000 koku
AkizukiKurodaTozama50,000 koku

In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. However, the name of the province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Chikuzen is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 between Japan and the United States and between Japan and the United Kingdom. It also persists in features such as the Chikuhō Main Line and stations Chikuzen Habu and Chikuzen Ueki. The adjacent Haruda Line includes Chikuzen Uchino and Chikuzen Yamae stations, reflecting the region in the time the rail networks were established.
Per the early Meiji period Kyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō, an official government assessment of the nation's resources, Chikuzen Province had 862 villages with a total kokudaka of 633,434 koku. Chikuzen Province consisted of:
DistrictkokudakavillagesControlled byNotes
Kasuya District 62,854 koku85 villagesFukuoka
Munakata District 56,306 koku60 villagesFukuokadissolved
Onga District 54,956 koku85 villagesFukuoka
Kurate District 60,628 koku68 villagesFukuoka
Honami District 38,103 koku61 villagesFukuoka, Akizukimerged with Kama District to become Kaho District on February 26, 1896
Kama District 56,306 koku60 villagesFukuoka, Akizukimerged with Honami District to become Kaho District on February 26, 1896
Johza District 25,596 koku34 villagesFukuokamerged with Geza and Yasu Districts to become Asakura District on February 26, 1896
Geza District 21,436 koku44 villagesFukuoka, Akizukimerged with Johza and Yasu Districts to become Asakura District on February 26, 1896
Yasu District 40,286 koku54 villagesFukuoka, Akizukimerged with Geza and Johza Districts to become Asakura District on February 26, 1896
Mikasa District 37,512 koku57 villagesFukuokamerged with Mushiroda and Naka Districts to become Chikushi District on February 26, 1896
Naka District 42,611 koku70 villagesFukuokamerged with Mikasa and Mushiroda Districts to become Chikushi District on February 26, 1896
Mushiroda District 9,899 koku9 villagesFukuokamerged with Mikasa and Naka Districts to become Chikushi District on February 26, 1896
Sawara District 45,153 koku53 villagesFukuokadissolved
Shima District 44,058 koku48 villagesFukuokamerged with Ito District to become Itoshima District on February 26, 1896
Ito District 47,681 koku71 villagesFukuokamerged with Shima District to become Itoshima District on February 26, 1896