Higo Province (肥後国, Higo no kuni) was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. [1] It was sometimes called Hishū (肥州), with Hizen Province. Higo bordered on Chikugo, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Provinces.
The castle town of Higo was usually at Kumamoto City. During the Muromachi period, Higo was held by the Kikuchi clan, but they were dispossessed during the Sengoku period, and the province was occupied by neighboring lords, including the Shimazu clan of Satsuma, until Toyotomi Hideyoshi invaded Kyūshū and gave Higo to his retainers, first Sassa Narimasa and later Katō Kiyomasa. The Kato were soon stripped of their lands, and the region was given to the Hosokawa clan.
During the Sengoku Period, Higo was a major center for Christianity in Japan, and it is also the location where the philosopher, the artist [2] and swordsman Miyamoto Musashi stayed at the Hosokawa daimyō 's invitation, Hosokawa Tadatoshi third lord of Kumamoto, while completing his The Book of Five Rings .
During the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. Maps of Japan and Higo Province were reformed in the 1870s. [4] At the same time, the province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Higo is explicitly recognized in the 1894 treaties with the United States and the United Kingdom. [5]
Aso-jinja was the chief Shinto shrine ( ichinomiya ) of Higo. [6]
Miyamoto Musashi, was a Japanese swordsman, strategist, artist, and writer who became renowned through stories of his unique double-bladed swordsmanship and undefeated record in his 62 duels. Miyamoto is considered a kensei of Japan. He was the founder of the Niten Ichi-ryū, or Nito Ichi-ryū, style of swordsmanship, and in his final years authored The Book of Five Rings and Dokkōdō.
Satsuma Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation was Sasshū (薩州).
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 (武州). The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, Shimōsa, and Shimotsuke Provinces.
The Hosokawa clan is a Japanese samurai kin group or clan. The clan descends from the Seiwa Genji, a branch of the Minamoto clan, and ultimately from Emperor Seiwa, through the Ashikaga clan. It produced many prominent officials in the Ashikaga shogunate's administration. In the Edo period, the clan was one of the largest landholding daimyo families in Japan. The current clan head Morihiro Hosokawa served as Prime Minister of Japan.
Yamaga is a city in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. As of 31 July 2024, the city had an estimated population of 48,181 in 21996 households, and a population density of 160 persons per km2. The total area of the city is 299.69 km2 (115.71 sq mi).
Settsu Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the southeastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as Tsu Province or Sesshū (摂州).
Izumi Province was a province of Japan in the area of southern Osaka Prefecture. It bordered on Kii to the south, Yamato and Kawachi to the east, and Settsu to the north. Its abbreviated form name was Senshū (泉州). In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Izumi was one of the provinces of the Kinai circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Izumi was ranked as one of the "inferior countries" (下国) in terms of importance. The provincial capital was located in the Fuchi neighborhood of what is now the city of Izumi. The ichinomiya of the province is the Ōtori taisha also located in Sakai.
Kōzuke Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Jōshū (上州). Under the Engishiki classification system, Kōzuke was ranked as one of the 13 "great countries" (大国) in terms of importance, and one of the 30 "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the imperial capital, Kyoto. The provincial capital is located in what is now the city of Maebashi; however, its exact location remains uncertain. The ichinomiya of the province is located in what is now the city of Tomioka.
Mimasaka Province was a province of Japan in the area that is northern Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of western Japan. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū, Bizen, Harima, Hōki, and Inaba Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Sakushū (作州). In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Mimasaka was one of the provinces of the San'in circuit.
Nagato Province, often called Chōshū (長州), was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces.
Sagami Province was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay. However, most of the present-day cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki, now part of Kanagawa Prefecture, were not in Sagami, but rather, in Musashi Province. Its abbreviated form name was Sōshū (相州).
Izu Province was a province of Japan in the area now part of Shizuoka Prefecture and Tokyo. Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Zushū (豆州).
Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji.
Bitchū Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called Bishū (備州), with Bizen and Bingo Provinces; those three provinces were settled in the late 7th Century, dividing former Kibi Province. Bitchu bordered Hōki, Mimasaka, Bizen, and Bingo Provinces.
Bingo Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, comprising what is today the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. It was sometimes grouped together with Bizen and Bitchu Provinces as Bishū (備州). The 備 bi in the names of these provinces is taken from the second character in the name of Kibi Province, whose ambit also included the area that would be divided off as Mimasaka Province in the early 8th century CE. Bingo bordered Bitchū, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, and Aki Provinces.
Shimōsa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture as well as the bordering parts of Saitama Prefecture and Tokyo. It lies to the north of the Bōsō Peninsula (房総半島), whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Sōshū (総州) or Hokusō (北総).
Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
The Kumamoto Domain, which was in existence from 1600 to 1871, had a significant influence in the region. Initially, it controlled its vast territory of 520,000 koku, which later expanded to 540,000 koku after the division of the 8th generation territory and the establishment of branch domains during the Hosokawa family era. In 1871, the domain faced territorial changes as it lost control over Kuma District and Amakusa District in Higo Province, as well as parts of Bungo Province, including Tsuruzaki and Saganoseki. This domain was also known as Higohan and its administrative center was situated at Kumamoto Castle in Kumamoto City. Despite not having complete control over Higo, the Hosokawa clan of the Kumamoto Domain held the status of feudal lords, or Daimyo, in the region.
The history of Kumamoto Prefecture has been documented from paleolithic times to the present. Kumamoto Prefecture is the eastern half of Hinokuni, and corresponds to what was once called Higo Province. Exceptions are the parts of Kuma District, which had once been part of Sagara Domain, and Nagashima which was included in Kagoshima Prefecture.
