Mino Province (美濃国, Mino no Kuni; Japanese pronunciation: [mʲiꜜ.no (no kɯ.ɲi), mʲi.noꜜ-]) was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today southern Gifu Prefecture. Mino was bordered by Ōmi to the west, Echizen and Hida to the north, Shinano to the east, and Ise, Mikawa, and Owari to the south. Its abbreviated form name was Nōshū or Jōshū (濃州). Under the Engishiki classification system, Mino was ranked as one of the 13 "great countries" (大国) in terms of importance, and one of the "near countries" (近国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital and ichinomiya were located in what is now the town of Tarui.
Contents
Historical record
"Mino" is an ancient place name, and appears in mokkan wooden tags from the ruins of Asuka-kyō, Fujiwara-kyō, and other ancient sites, but using the kanji "三野国". Per the Kujiki, there were originally three separate countries in Mino, centered around what is now Ōgaki, Ōno, and Kakamigahara. Each had its own Kuni no miyatsuko, and together with Motosu (in eastern Gifu) and Mugetsu (in north-central Gifu), these five entities were joined under Yamato rule to form the province of Mino. The use of the kanji "美濃" is found in the Kojiki and became prevalent in the Nara period. Early Mino included much of Kiso District in Shinano and portions of northern Owari. The route of the ancient Tōsandō highway connecting the ancient capitals of Japan and the eastern provinces passed through Mino, and even in 713 AD, records indicate that the road was widened to accommodate increasing numbers of travelers.
The Nihon Shoki and Shoku Nihongi indicates that numerous immigrants from the Hata clan and from Silla settled in Mino in the Asuka and Nara periods.
During the Kamakura and Muromachi Period, the Toki clan held the position of shugo of Mino Province. During the Sengoku period, Saitō Dōsan usurped political power from the Toki, and later the province was conquered by Oda Nobunaga. The Battle of Sekigahara took place at the western edge of Mino, near the mountains between the Chūbu Region and the Kinki Region. With the establishment of the Tokugawa Shogunate, several feudal domains were established in Mino. At the time of the Meiji restoration, Mino was divided into 18 districts, which in turn were divided into 131 subdistricts and 1561 villages. The total assessed kokudaka of the province was 654,872 koku.
Historical districts
Mino Province consisted of twenty-one districts:
Gifu Prefecture
Anpachi District (安八郡) – absorbed parts of Taki District; but lost parts to Kaisai and Shimoishizu Districts to become Kaizu District (海津郡) on April 1, 1896
Atsumi District (厚見郡) – merged with Kakami and parts of Katagata Districts to become Inaba District (稲葉郡) on April 1, 1896
Ena District (恵那郡) – dissolved
Fuwa District (不破郡)
Gujō District (郡上郡) – dissolved
Haguri District (羽栗郡) – merged with Nakashima District to become Hashima District (羽島郡) on April 1, 1896
Ikeda District (池田郡) – merged with parts of Ōno (Mino) Districts to become Ibi District (揖斐郡) on April 1, 1896
Ishizu District (石津郡)
Kamiishizu District (上石津郡) – merged with parts of Taki District to become Yōrō District (養老郡) on April 1, 1896
Shimoishizu District (下石津郡) – merged with Kaisai and parts of Anpachi Districts to become Kaizu District on April 1, 1896
Kaisai District (海西郡) – merged with Shimoishizu and parts of Anpachi Districts to become Kaizu District on April 1, 1896
Kakami District (各務郡) – merged with Atsumi and parts of Katagata Districts to become Inaba District on April 1, 1896
Shugo
Below is an incomplete list of the shugo who controlled Mino Province and the years of their control:
Kamakura shogunate
Ōuchi Koreyoshi (大内惟義), 1187–1211
Ōuchi Korenobu (大内惟信), until 1221
Utunomiya Yasutsuna (宇都宮泰綱), from 1252
Hōjō clan, from 1285
Hōjō Tokimura (北条時村), 1296–1300
Hōjō Masataka (北条政高), until 1333
Muromachi shogunate
Toki Yorisada (土岐頼貞), 1336–1339
Toki Yoritō (土岐頼遠), 1339–1342
Toki Yoriyasu (土岐頼康), 1342–1387
Toki Yasuyuki (土岐康行), 1387–1389
Toki Yoritada (土岐頼忠), 1390–1394
Toki Yorimasu (土岐頼益), 1395–1414
Toki Mochimasu (土岐持益), 1422–1465
Toki Shigeyori (土岐成頼), 1468–1495
Toki Masafusa (土岐政房), 1495–1519
Toki Yorinari (土岐頼芸), 1519–1542
Geography
Mino and Owari provinces were separated by the Sakai River, which means "border river."