Iyo Province


Iyo Province was a province of Japan in the area of northwestern Shikoku. Iyo bordered on Sanuki Province to the northeast, Awa to the east, and Tosa to the south. Its abbreviated form name was Yoshū. In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Iyo was one of the provinces of the Nankaidō circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Iyo was ranked as one of the "upper countries" in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city of Imabari, but its exact location is still unknown. The ichinomiya of the province is the Ōyamazumi Shrine located on the island of Ōmishima in what is now part of Imabari. The people spoke Iyo dialect.
File:The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States 57 Iyo.jpg|thumb|right|Hiroshige ukiyo-e "Iyo" in "The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States", depicting the port city of Saijō

History

Iyo Province was formed by the Ritsuryo reforms by combining the territories of the Iyo-no-kuni no miyatsuko, who ruled a territory centered on what is now the city of Iyo and town of Masaki with Kumi Province, Kazehaya Province, Touma Province, and Koichi Province each ruled by its own kuni no miyatsuko. The Geiyo Islands in the Seto Inland Sea were considered part of Aki Province into the Edo Period. During the Heian period, the coastal areas of the province were part of the stronghold of Fujiwara no Sumitomo, who led a rebellion against Imperial authority. During the Muromachi period, a branch of the Saionji family was appointed as shugo by the Ashikaga shogunate, but was constantly being invaded his more powerful and aggressive neighbors. The Saionji survived by the fluid loyalties and fierce resistance, but were eventually overcome by Chōsokabe Motochika, who was in turn overthrown by the forces of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the province was divided into several feudal domains.
NameClanTypekokudaka
Iyo-Matsuyama DomainHisamatsu-Matsudaira clanShinpan150,000 koku
Uwajima DomainDate clanTozama100,000 koku
Iyo-Yoshida DomainDate clanTozama30,000 koku
Ōzu DomainKatō clanTozama66,000 koku
Niiya DomainKatō clanTozama10,000 koku
Imabari DomainHisamatsu-Matsudaira clanFudai35,000 koku
Saijō DomainMatsudaira clanShinpan30,000 koku
Komatsu DomainHitotsuyanagi clanTozama10,000 koku

Per the early Meiji period Kyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō, an official government assessment of the nation’s resources, the province had 964 villages with a total kokudaka of 434,408 koku. Iyo Province consisted of the following districts:
DistrictkokudakavillagesstatusCurrently
Uma District, Ehime22,364 koku56 villagesTenryō ; Imabari, Saijō, Tenryō/Saijō, Tenryō/Imabari Dissolved, now Saijō, Shikoku-chūō
Nii District, Ehime36,694 koku53 villagesTenryō ; Komatsu, Saijō,Dissolved; now Saijō, Niihama
Shūfu District, Ehime23,142 koku38 villagesIyo-Matsuyama, Komatsu, Saijō, Matsuyama/Komatsu, Komatsu/Saijō Dissolved; now Saijō, Tōon
Kuwamura District, Ehime14,650 koku29 villagesTenryō ; Iyo-Matsuyama ; Tenryō/Matsuyama Dissolved; now Saijō
Ochi District, Ehime46,790 koku106 villagesTenryō ; Imabari ; Iyo-Matsuyama merged into Ōchi District on April 18, 1896, now Imabari, Kamijima
Noma District, Ehime16,587 koku29 villagesIyo-Matsuyama merged into Ōchi District on April 18, 1896; now Imabari
Kazahaya District, Ehime18,351 koku84 villagesTenryō ; Iyo-Matsuyama ; Ozu ; Matsuyama/Ozu Dissolved, now Matsuyama
Wake District, Ehime16,345 koku25 villagesIyo-Matsuyama Dissolved, now Matsuyama
Onsen District, Ehime22,824 koku36 villagesIyo-Matsuyama Dissolved, now Matsuyama, Toon
Kume District, Ehime17,554 koku32 villagesIyo-Matsuyama Dissolved, now Matsuyama, Toon
Ukena District, Ehime38,834 koku102 villagesIyo-Matsuyama ; Ozu, Niiya ; Matsuyama/Ozu ; Ozu/Niiya Ozu, Seiyo, Uchiko, Iyo, Matsuyama, Toon, Tobe
Iyo District, Ehime27,949 koku41 villagesIyo-Matsuyama ; Ozu, Niiya ; Matsuyama/Ozu ; Ozu/Niiya Masaki, Tobe, Iyo
Kita District, Ehime33,491 koku83 villagesOzu, Niiya ;Ozu, Iyo, Seiyo, Naishi
Uwa District, Ehime98,828 koku250 villagesUwajima, Iyo-Yoshida ;Uwajima, Seiyo, Ozu, Naishi

Following the abolition of the han system in 1871, Iyo Province became Ehime Prefecture.