Mino Province

Mino Province
Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Mino Province highlighted

Mino Province (美濃国 Mino no kuni?), one of the old provinces of Japan, encompassed part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture.[1] It was sometimes called Nōshū (濃州?). Mino Province bordered Echizen, Hida, Ise, Mikawa, Ōmi, Owari, and Shinano Provinces.

Although the ancient provincial capital was near Tarui, the main castle town was at Gifu, the home of Inabayama Castle.

Contents

Historical record

In 713, the road crossing through Mino and Shinano provinces was widened to accommodate increasing numbers of travelers.[2]

Mino Province served an important military and political role as the path to Kyoto as well as to Tokaido.

During the Kamakura and Muromachi Period, Mino Province was governed by Toki clan and later in Azuchi period controlled by Oda Nobunaga. His heirs continued to control it after Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi took power.

The Battle of Sekigahara took place at the western edge of Mino, near the mountains between the Chūbu Region and the Kinki Region.

Shugo

Below is an incomplete list of the shugo who controlled Mino Province and the years of their reign:

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."

Notes

  1. ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Mino" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 638 at Google Books; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File.
  2. ^ Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 64. at Google Books

References