Mutsu Province

Mutsu Province (陸奥国, Mutsu no kuni), also known as Michinoku,^[1]was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures on the island of Honshū.^[2] It was also known as Ōshū (奥州)^[3] or Rikushū (陸州).^[2]

Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Mutsu Province highlighted

History

View of Mutsu Province, woodblock print by Hiroshige, 19th century

The boundaries of Mutsu were formally established during the reigns of Empress Genshō and Empress Kōken.^[4]

• 709 (Wadō 2, 3rd month): Fighting against Imperial authority.^[5]

• 712 (Wadō 5), Mutsu was separated from Dewa Province.^[5]

• 801 (Enryaku 20): Mutsu was conquered by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro.^[6]

• 869 (Jōgan 10, 5th month): An earthquake and tsunami caused more than 1,000 deaths.^[7]

• 1051 (Eishō 6): In Michinoku, the Nine Years War (1051–1062) begins. Minamoto no Yoriyoshi is named governor of Mutsu and he is given the title chinjufu shōgun..^[1]

In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. Maps of Japan and Mutsu Province were reformed in the 1870s.^[8]

Shrines and Temples

Tsutsukowake jinja and Shiogama jinja were the chief Shinto shrines (ichinomiya) of Mutsu. ^[9]

Related pages

• Mutsu Province (1868)
• Provinces of Japan
• Prefectures of Japan
• List of regions of Japan
• List of islands of Japan
• Sanriku