Owari Province - The End of the Country

A province along the Tokaido. It corresponds to the western half of present-day Aichi Prefecture. It borders Mikawa Province to the east, Mino Province to the north, Ise Province to the west, and faces Ise Bay to the south. In the past, Owari Province and Ayuchi no Agata were established here, but after the Taika Reforms, the provinces and prefectures were abolished and Owari Province was newly established. Eight districts were established here: Nakashima, Ama, Hakuri, Niwa, Kasukabe (later Kasugai), Yamada, Aichi, and Chita. At the end of the Heian period, Ama District was divided into two districts, Kaito and Kaisai. Yamada District was abolished during the Sengoku period and was divided into two districts, Kasugai and Aichi. Furthermore, in 1880 (Meiji 13), Kasugai County was divided into two counties, Higashi and Nishi Kasugai, and later Kaito and Kaisai counties were merged to form Kaifu County. Approximately 60% of the area is covered by the Owari Plain (the southern half of the Nobi Plain), agriculture developed there, and with its geographical location almost in the center of Japan, it has flourished since ancient times as a key transportation point between the east and west. The provincial capital and provincial temple were located in what is now Inazawa City. The fertile land saw the establishment of many temples and shrines, such as Ise Shrine and Atsuta Shrine, as well as the manors of powerful families, from early on. The main territories included the Imperial estates of Shinoki, Inagi, Ajioka, Kamikadoma, and Kuroda, as well as the regents' estates of Tamae (Kangakuin territory), Oyumi, and Nagaoka (Konoe family territory), Aguhi and Mori (Kujo family territory), and temple and shrine territories such as Tainari (Toji Temple territory), Narumi and Ajiki (Daigoji temple territory), Takabata (Kamo shrine territory), Kaifu, Aichi, Harube, Nakajima, Niwa, Haguri, and Yamada (Todaiji temple territory).

In the Kamakura period, Ono Shigetsuna was appointed as the shugo (military governor), but after that the Nakajo clan was replaced by the Nagoshi clan for a time, but in the Nanboku-cho period, the Nakajo clan was again in power, and was eventually succeeded by Takano Moroyasu. In the Muromachi period, the Shiba clan was appointed, with Shimotsu as the shugosho (military governor's office), and initially the Kai clan, and later the Oda clan, as shugodai (military governors). When the power of the Shiba clan declined due to the Onin War (1467-77), the Oda clan expanded their power and took real power in place of the Shiba clan. Shobata Nobuhide expelled the other Oda clan members and came to dominate half of Owari. His son Nobunaga captured Iwakura Castle in 1559 (Eiroku 2) and took control of the whole of Owari. The following year he defeated Imagawa Yoshimoto of Suruga at Okehazama, and in 1567 he defeated the Saito clan of Mino and moved to Gifu Castle. As part of Nobunaga's unification project, Owari became the territory of his son Nobutada. In 1582 (Tensho 10), the Honnoji Incident made it the territory of Nobukatsu, but after the Odawara Conquest in 1590, Toyotomi Hideyoshi banished Nobukatsu to Shimotsuke Province and appointed his nephew Hidetsugu as his fief. After Hidetsugu's death, Fukushima Masanori was appointed to the domain, but after the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 (Keicho 5), Tokugawa Ieyasu transferred Masanori to Aki Province, and Ieyasu's fourth son, Tadayoshi, was appointed to the domain. After Tadayoshi died of illness, his ninth son, Yoshinao, was appointed to the domain, and Nagoya Castle was built and moved from Kiyosu, and Naruse Masanari entered Inuyama Castle as the domain's chief retainer. Since then, Nagoya has flourished as a castle town of the Owari Tokugawa family with a fief of 620,000 koku, and it was said that "Owari Nagoya was held by its castle." In 1871 (Meiji 4), the domains were abolished and prefectures were established, and the two prefectures of Nagoya and Inuyama were established, and Nagoya Prefecture was renamed Aichi Prefecture, and in 1872, it merged with Nukata Prefecture (Mikawa Province) to form the current name.

Pottery production has been an industry for a long time. In the Heian period, Seto and Chita were the main producers of pottery, and even today, Seto ware and Tokoname ware are well known. In the early modern period, commercial crops such as cotton, indigo, and rapeseed were cultivated, and processing industries such as cotton weaving, dyeing, and pressed oil were developed using these raw materials. In particular, striped cotton from the Bisai region, centered around Ichinomiya, and white cotton and bleached cotton from the Chita Peninsula, centered around Narawa and Handa, are famous for cotton dyeing. Arimatsu shibori is famous for its cotton tie-dyeing. In addition, the Handa region is known for its vinegar, miso, sake, and soy sauce brewing. Commerce is also thriving, and the Atsuta Fish Market and Biwajima Vegetable Market are famous, centered around Nagoya. Ichinomiya, Inuyama, Iwakura, Komaki, Tsushima and other areas held Rokusaiichi (festival fairs) from early on and were the centers of local commerce. Modern industry is currently thriving, centered around Nagoya, and the area is counted as one of the four major industrial areas.

[Shigeru Hashizume]

"Zhangzhou Gazetteer," compiled and published by the Nagoya Domain (1913-16)" ▽ "Owari Gazetteer," compiled and published by the Nagoya Domain (1891-93)" ▽ "Zhangzhou Magazine," written by Naito Toho (1975-76, Aichi Prefecture Local History Publication Association)" ▽ "Aichi Prefecture History (1935-40, Aichi Prefecture)" ▽ "Nagoya City History (1915-34, Nagoya City)" ▽ "Aichi Prefecture History," written by Tsukamoto Manabu and Arai Kikuo (1970, Yamakawa Publishing)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

東海道の一国。現在の愛知県西半部にあたる。東は三河国、北は美濃(みの)国、西は伊勢(いせ)国に接し、南は伊勢湾に臨む。古くは尾張国と吾湯市県(あゆちのあがた)が置かれたが、大化改新ののち国・県が廃され新たに尾張国が設置された。中島(なかしま)、海部(あま)、葉栗(はくり)、丹羽(にわ)、春部(かすかべ)（のち春日井(かすがい)）、山田、愛智(あいち)、智多(ちた)の8郡が置かれ、平安時代末ごろ海部郡は海東(かいとう)、海西(かいさい)の2郡に分かれた。山田郡は戦国時代ごろ廃されて春日井、愛智の2郡に分属された。さらに1880年（明治13）春日井郡は東・西春日井の2郡に分かれ、その後、海東、海西郡は合併して海部郡となった。面積のほぼ6割を尾張平野（濃尾(のうび)平野の南半部）が占め、農業が発達し、またわが国のほぼ中央に位置する地理的条件を備え、東西交通の要地として古くから栄えた。国府(こくふ)、国分寺(こくぶんじ)は現在の稲沢(いなざわ)市に置かれた。肥沃(ひよく)な地で、早くから伊勢神宮、熱田(あつた)社などの寺社や権門勢家の荘園(しょうえん)が多く置かれた。おもなものとしては皇室領の篠木(しのき)荘・稲木(いなき)荘・味岡(あじおか)荘・上門真(かみかどま)荘・黒田荘などや、摂関家の玉江(たまえ)荘（勧学院領）・小弓(おゆみ)荘・長岡荘（近衛(このえ)家領）、英比(あぐひ)荘・杜(もり)荘（九条家領）など、また寺社領として大成(おおなり)荘（東寺領）、鳴海(なるみ)荘・安食(あじき)荘（醍醐寺(だいごじ)領）、高畠(たかばた)荘（賀茂(かも)社領）、海部荘・愛智荘・春部荘・中島荘・丹羽荘・葉栗荘・山田荘（東大寺領）などがあった。

　鎌倉時代になると守護として小野成綱が任ぜられるが、それ以後中条(なかじょう)氏となり一時名越(なごし)氏にかわるが、南北朝時代ふたたび中条氏となり、やがて高師泰(こうのもろやす)が継ぐ。室町時代になると斯波(しば)氏が任ぜられ、下津(おりつ)を守護所とし、初め甲斐(かい)氏を、その後織田(おだ)氏を守護代とした。応仁(おうにん)の乱（1467～77）により斯波氏の勢力が衰退すると、織田氏が勢力を伸張させ、斯波氏にかわって実権を握った。勝幡(しょばた)の信秀(のぶひで)は他の織田氏を排斥し、尾張半国を支配するに至り、その子信長(のぶなが)は1559年（永禄2）岩倉城を攻略し尾張一国を支配下に置いた。翌年桶狭間(おけはざま)で駿河(するが)の今川義元(よしもと)を破り、67年には美濃の斎藤氏を下して岐阜城に移った。信長の統一事業に伴い尾張国は子信忠(のぶただ)の領国となる。82年（天正10）本能寺の変により信雄(のぶかつ)の領国となるが、90年の小田原征伐後、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉は信雄を下野(しもつけ)国へ追放し、甥(おい)秀次(ひでつぐ)を封じた。秀次の死後福島正則(まさのり)が入封したが、1600年（慶長5）関ヶ原の戦いののち、徳川家康により正則は安芸(あき)国に転封させられ、家康の四男忠吉(ただよし)が入封した。忠吉が病死のあと九男義直(よしなお)が入封し、名古屋城を築いて清洲(きよす)より移転するとともに、成瀬正成(なるせまさなり)が藩家老として犬山城に入った。これ以後名古屋は尾張徳川家62万石の城下町として栄え、「尾張名古屋は城でもつ」とよばれるほどであった。1871年（明治4）廃藩置県により名古屋・犬山の2県となり、名古屋県を経て愛知県と改称、72年には額田(ぬかた)県（三河国）を合併して現在に至る。

　産業としては陶器製作が古くから行われている。瀬戸(せと)、知多(ちた)を中心に、平安時代には多くの陶器を生産しており、現在でも瀬戸焼、常滑(とこなめ)焼として名が知られている。また近世以降、綿、藍(あい)、菜種(なたね)など商品作物が栽培され、これを原料とする綿織物、染色、絞油(しぼりあぶら)などの加工業も発達した。とくに木綿は、一宮(いちのみや)を中心とする尾西地方の縞(しま)木綿と、成岩(ならわ)・半田を中心とする知多半島の白木綿、晒(さらし)木綿が有名である。染色では木綿絞り染めとして有松(ありまつ)絞りが名高い。このほか、半田地方を中心とする酢、みそ、酒、しょうゆの醸造業が知られる。一方、商業も盛んで、名古屋を中心に熱田魚市場、枇杷島(びわじま)青物市場は有名である。一宮、犬山、岩倉、小牧、津島などでは早くから六斎市(ろくさいいち)が開かれ、地域商業の中心であった。現在名古屋を中心に近代工業も盛んで、四大工業地帯の一つに数えられている。

［橋詰　茂］

『名古屋藩編・刊『張州府志』（1913～16）』▽『名古屋藩編・刊『尾張志』（1891～93）』▽『内藤東甫著『張州雑誌』（1975～76・愛知県郷土資料刊行会）』▽『『愛知県史』（1935～40・愛知県）』▽『『名古屋市史』（1915～34・名古屋市）』▽『塚本学・新井喜久夫著『愛知県の歴史』（1970・山川出版社）』

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