Musashi Province


Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called Bushū. The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, Shimōsa, and Shimotsuke Provinces.
Musashi was the largest province in the Kantō region.

History

Musashi had its ancient capital in modern Fuchū, Tokyo, and its provincial temple in what is now Kokubunji, Tokyo. By the Sengoku period, the main city was Edo, which became the dominant city of eastern Japan. Edo Castle was the headquarters of Tokugawa Ieyasu before the Battle of Sekigahara and became the dominant city of Japan during the Edo period, being renamed Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration.
Hikawa-jinja was designated as the chief Shinto shrine of the province;
and there are many branch shrines.
The former province gave its name to the battleship of the Second World War.

Timeline of important events

  • 534 : The Yamato court sends a military force to appoint Omi as the governor of Musashi Province, his rival, Wogi was executed by the court. Omi presented four districts of Musashi Province to the court as royal estates.
  • July 18, 707 : Empress Genmei is enthroned at the age of 48.
  • 707 : Copper was reported to have been found in Musashi province in the region which includes modern day Tokyo.
  • 708 : The era name was about to be changed to mark the accession of Empress Genmei; but the choice of Wadō as the new nengō for this new reign became a way to mark the welcome discovery of copper in the Chichibu District of what is now Saitama Prefecture. The Japanese word for copper is 2=銅; and since this was indigenous copper, the "wa" could be combined with the "dō" to create a new composite term—"wadō"—meaning "Japanese copper".
  • May 5, 708 : A sample of the newly discovered Musashi copper was presented in Genmei's Court where it was formally acknowledged as Japanese copper. The Wadō era is famous for the first Japanese coin 2=和同開珎.
  • 1590 : Siege of Odawara. Iwatsuki Domain and Oshi Domain founded in Musashi Province.

    Historical districts

Musashi Province had 21 districts and then added one later.
  • Saitama Prefecture
  • * Chichibu District
  • * Hanzawa District - merged into Ōsato District on March 29, 1896
  • * Hatara District - merged into Ōsato District on March 29, 1896
  • * Hiki District - absorbed Yokomi District on March 29, 1896
  • * Iruma District - merged into Koma District on March 29, 1896
  • * Kami District - merged into Kodama District on March 29, 1896
  • * Kodama District - absorbed Kami and Naka Districts on March 29, 1896
  • * Koma District - merged into Iruma District on March 29, 1896
  • * Naka District - merged into Kodama District on March 29, 1896
  • * Niikura District - merged into Kitaadachi District on March 29, 1896
  • * Obusuma District - merged into Ōsato District on March 29, 1896
  • * Ōsato District - absorbed Hanzawa, Hatara and Obusama Districts on March 29, 1896
  • * Saitama District
  • ** Kitasaitama District - dissolved
  • ** Minamisaitama District
  • * Yokomi District - merged into Hiki District on March 29, 1896
  • Tokyo Metropolis
  • * Ebara District - merged into Tokyo in 1932
  • * Toshima District
  • ** Kitatoshima District - merged into Tokyo City in 1932
  • ** Minamitoshima District - merged with Higashitama District to become Toyotama District on April 1, 1896, merged into Tokyo City in 1932
  • Kanagawa Prefecture
  • * Kuraki District - dissolved
  • * Tachibana District - dissolved
  • * Tsuzuki District - dissolved
  • Mixed
  • * Adachi District
  • ** Kitaadachi District - absorbed Niikura District on March 29, 1896
  • ** Minamiadachi District - merged into Tokyo City on October 1, 1932
  • * Katsushika District - Transfer from Shimōsa Province in 1683 for the river improvement of Naka River.
  • ** Kitakatsushika District - absorbed Nakakatsushika District on March 29, 1896
  • ** Minamikatsushika District - merged into the Tokyo City on October 1, 1932
  • * Tama District
  • ** Higashitama District - part of Tokyo since its creation, merged with Minamitoshima District to become Toyotama District on April 1, 1896, in turn merged into Tokyo City in 1932
  • ** Kitatama District - was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893; North Tama's last towns became cities in 1970
  • ** Minamitama District - was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893; South Tama's last towns were turned into cities in 1971
  • ** Nishitama District - was part of Kanagawa in 1878 until being transferred to Tokyo in 1893