Wakasa Province

nihongo|Wakasa|若狭国|Wakasa no kuni was an old province of Japan in the area that is today southern Fukui prefecture. It is also known as Reinan (嶺南).

The province's ancient capital was at Obama, which continued to be the main castle town through the Edo period.

Neighboring Provinces

Wakasa bordered on Echizen, Ōmi, Tamba, Tango, and Yamashiro provinces.

History

Before the "ritsuryō" period (7th-8th centuries), Wakasa Province was a part of the Yamato state. Many shrines and temples were established during this period. Wakasa province also provided fish and other maritime products to the Yamato state, and was called "the land of foods".

From the "ritsuryō" period until the Edo period, fish from Wakasa, particularly mackerel, was transported to Nara or Kyoto. In the Edo period, the city of Tsuruga was a base of the "Kitamaebune" ships which connected Osaka to Hokuriku and Ezo in the north.

Power plants

Today, the Wakasa area has five nuclear power plants, and is called the "downtown of nuclear power plants".

Temples

Many temples in the Wakasa area were important sites in the Yamato period, such as Wakasahime Shirine (Obama) and Kehi Shirine (Tsuruga). Because of the preponderance of temples, Obama is sometimes called "Nara by the sea".