Shinano Province

Japanese: 信濃国 - しなののくに

A province from ancient times to the early Meiji period that roughly corresponds to the present-day Nagano Prefecture. It consists of 10 districts: Ina, Suwa, Tsukuma (Chikuma), Azumi, Saku, Chiisagata, Hanishina, Sarashina, Minochi, and Takai. In ancient times, it was written as Shinano Province, but in 713 (Wado 6), it was changed to Shinano Province under the "good character system." There are two theories about the meaning of "Shinano": one is that it is a mountainous province with many Shina trees (Motoori Norinaga et al.), and the other is that it is because there are many Shinasaka (tiers or terraces) (Kamo Mabuchi et al.), with the latter being the more likely explanation.

[Sadao Furukawa]

Ancient

Judging from the spread of keyhole-shaped tombs, several small states were formed in this area from the late 5th century to the 6th century, and were subordinate to the Kinai government. The original Shinano Province was established in the Chikuma River basin, and the Osada clan and the Kanasashi clan became the Shinano kuni no miyatsuko. It was around the middle of the 7th century that Shinano Province was created by integrating the political spheres of other clans, such as the Otomo clan, the Miwa clan, and the Azumi clan. Shinano Province was originally the front line base of the Yamato government's war against the Emishi, and its main route, the Tosando, ran from Mino Province over Shinano-zaka (Misaka Pass) and up the Ina Valley, originally crossing Amazaka (Amazaka Pass) from the Suwa Basin to Saku, and then over Usui-zaka (Iriyama Pass) to the Kozuke provincial capital, but by the time the Ritsuryo system was completed, it had expanded from the Ina Valley to Matsumoto Plain, passed through Hofukuji Pass and Ogata and Saku, and reached Usui Pass. A branch road branching off from Matsumoto Plain to the Echigo provincial capital was also opened. The Shinano provincial capital was originally located in the area of present-day Ueda City in Ogata County, but in the early Heian period, it was moved to the area of present-day Matsumoto City in Chikuma County. Kokubunji was located in the Ueda City area. Shinano Province was one of the best ranch areas in the country, producing high-quality horses, and was famous for Shinano cloth (hemp), salmon products, and azusa bows, which were all tributes. Among the shrines and temples, the Suwa Kamijosha Shrine, which had such influence that it once separated the Suwa Province, Zenkoji Temple, and Togakushi Mountain, a Shugendo training center, were well known.

[Sadao Furukawa]

middle ages

The number of manors in Shinano Province increased rapidly during the Insei period, exceeding 100 manors including ranches, but there were also many provincial government territories in key locations such as Matsumoto, Fuchu, and the vicinity of Zenkoji Temple. These served as a base for the samurai forces that became local government officials, and in 1180 (Jisho 4), the Kiso and Saku factions and others from all over the province gathered in support of Kiso Yoshinaka's uprising. After Yoshinaka's defeat and death, the province became the fief of Minamoto no Yoritomo, with Kagami Tomitsu as provincial governor and Hiki Yoshikazu, a powerful figure, as deputy governor and provincial governor. After Yoritomo's death, the Hojo clan's territories became increasingly protected by the shugo domain, and the Suwakami Shrine, the first shrine in Shinano, which had become a samurai group, also submitted to the Hojo clan. They allied with the three Shigeno clans (Netsu, Mochizuki, and Unno) in eastern Shinano, the Chiku clan in Ina, and the Nishina clan in Azumi as the Miwa Party. After the Hojo clan's downfall, in 1335 (Kenmu 2), the Miwa Party started the Nakasendai Rebellion, which became the turning point for the conflict between the Northern and Southern Courts to engulf Shinano. The Miwa Party supported Prince Munenaga as the head of the Southern Court, while the Ogasawara clan, the shugo clan, and the Murakami, Takanashi, Oi, and Tomono clans in northeastern Shinano fought on the side of the samurai (Northern Court). After the establishment of the Muromachi Shogunate, new conflicts developed between the Ogasawara clan, who were seeking to establish their own territory, and the local lords, leading to the Battle of Oto in 1400 (Oei 7), in which a national uprising drove out the shugo (military governor) Ogasawara Nagahide. In the mid-15th century, Ogasawara Masayasu pacified the province, but the Ogasawara clan subsequently split apart, and the local lords also came together and split apart, plunging the province into the turmoil of the Warring States period. As the Ogasawara clan of central and southern Shinano and the Murakami clan of northeastern Shinano were on their way to becoming daimyo, they were invaded by Takeda Shingen, and after the Battle of Kawanakajima, the whole of Shinano became the Takeda territory. Faith in Zenkoji Temple spread throughout the Middle Ages, and Zen and Jodo Shinshu sects became popular, producing many famous high priests.

[Sadao Furukawa]

Early modern period

After the successive downing of Takeda Katsuyori and Oda Nobunaga in 1582 (Tensho 10), Shinano Province became a battlefield for the Uesugi, Tokugawa, and Hojo clans, but in 1590, the Toyotomi government took control of the province. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the province was incorporated into the foundations of the Tokugawa government as an outer region of the Kanto region, and Tokugawa clan daimyo and Shogunate territories were placed there. The daimyo territories were frequently transferred and became smaller domains, leading to the formation of hereditary domains and smaller feudal domains. At the end of the Edo period, the Matsushiro domain had 100,000 koku, followed by eleven domains: Iiyama, Suzaka, Ueda, Komoro, Iwamurata, Tatsuoka, Matsumoto, Takashima, Takato, and Iida, and the territories of other domains and Hatamoto fiefs were intertwined with the Shogunate territories. Shinano's early modern period was colored not by feudal lords, but by the strength of the people, including sericulture, silkworm eggs, and other specialty businesses, Chuma, the nation's largest peasant uprisings, haiku, Hirata school of classical Japanese learning, and temple schools with the highest penetration rate. In 1871 (Meiji 4), the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, forming Nagano Prefecture and Chikuma Prefecture, which were merged into Nagano Prefecture in 1876.

[Sadao Furukawa]

"History of Nagano Prefecture" by Masatomo Tsukada (1974, Yamakawa Publishing)

[Reference item] | Nagano (Prefecture)

Hiroshige Utagawa, "Illustrated Guide to Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces, Shinano, Sarashina Fields and Mount Kagamidai in Months"
1853 (Kaei 6), National Diet Library

Hiroshige Utagawa "Illustrated Guide to Famous Places in the Sixty-odd Provinces: Shinano, Sarashina..."

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

現在の長野県にほぼ相当する古代から明治初年までの国。伊那(いな)、諏訪(すわ)、筑摩(つかま)（ちくま）、安曇(あずみ)、佐久(さく)、小県(ちいさがた)、埴科(はにしな)、更級(さらしな)、水内(みのち)、高井の10郡からなる。古くは科野(しなの)国と書き、713年（和銅6）の好字制で信濃国に改められた。「しなの」の語義には、科(しな)の木多産説（本居宣長(もとおりのりなが)ら）と山国で級坂(しなさか)（級は階・段丘の意）が多いゆえとする説（賀茂真淵(かもまぶち)ら）とがあり、後者が有力。

［古川貞雄］

古代

前方後円墳の波及などからみて、5世紀後半から6世紀、この地にいくつかの小国家が形成され、畿内(きない)政権に服していく。原初の信濃国は千曲(ちくま)川流域に成立し、他田(おさだ)氏、金刺(かなさし)氏が信濃国造(くにのみやつこ)になった。これが大伴氏、神(みわ)（諏訪）氏、安曇氏など他氏の政治圏を統合して信濃国ができあがったのは、ほぼ7世紀中葉。信濃国は当初、大和(やまと)政権の対蝦夷(えぞ)前線基地で、その幹線経路の東山道(とうさんどう)は美濃(みの)国から信濃坂（神坂(みさか)峠）を越え伊那谷を北上、原初は諏訪盆地から天坂(あまざか)（雨境(あまざかい)峠）越えで佐久へ出、碓氷(うすい)坂（入山峠）越えで上野(こうずけ)国府へ通じたが、律令(りつりょう)制完成期には伊那谷から松本平へ出、保福寺峠から小県・佐久を経て碓氷峠に至った。松本平から分岐して越後(えちご)国府へ通じる支路も開かれた。信濃国府は初め小県郡の現上田市域に置かれ、平安初期に筑摩郡の現松本市域に移る。国分寺は上田市域にあった。信濃国は全国屈指の牧場地帯で良馬を産し、信濃布（麻）やサケの製品、梓弓(あずさゆみ)なども貢納物として著名。社寺では、一時諏訪国を分立させたほどの勢力をもつ諏訪上下社や、善光寺、修験(しゅげん)道場戸隠(とがくし)山が知られた。

［古川貞雄］

中世

信濃国の荘園(しょうえん)は院政期に急増し、牧もあわせて100荘を上回るが、府中松本や善光寺の近辺など要地には国衙(こくが)領も広く存在した。これらを基盤に在庁官人化した武士勢力は、1180年（治承4）の木曽義仲(きそよしなか)挙兵に木曽党、佐久党をはじめ国中から結集した。義仲敗死後は源頼朝(よりとも)の知行(ちぎょう)国となり、国司に加賀美遠光(かがみとおみつ)、目代(もくだい)兼守護に実力者比企能員(ひきよしかず)が任ぜられた。頼朝死後は北条氏の守護領化が進み、武士団化した信濃一宮(いちのみや)諏訪上社も北条氏に臣従し、東信の滋野(しげの)三氏（禰津(ねつ)、望月(もちづき)、海野(うんの)）、伊那の知久(ちく)氏、安曇の仁科氏らと神(みわ)党として連合した。北条氏滅亡後1335年（建武2）神党が中先代(なかせんだい)の乱を起こし、これを契機に南北朝の争乱が信濃を覆った。神党は宗良(むねなが)親王を推戴(すいたい)して南朝を支え、守護小笠原(おがさわら)氏や東北信の村上、高梨(たかなし)、大井、伴野(ともの)氏らは武家方（北朝）で戦った。室町幕府確立後は新たに、領国化を図る小笠原氏と国人(こくじん)領主との抗争が展開し、1400年（応永7）守護小笠原長秀を国一揆(くにいっき)が追い払う大塔(おおとう)合戦が起きた。15世紀なかばに小笠原政康が国中を平定したものの、以後小笠原氏は分裂、国人領主も離合集散して戦国争乱に突入、中南信の小笠原氏、東北信の村上氏らの戦国大名化の途上、武田信玄(しんげん)の侵攻を受け、川中島合戦のあと信濃一円が武田領国となった。中世を通じて善光寺信仰が広まり、禅宗・浄土真宗が普及して名だたる高僧が輩出した。

［古川貞雄］

近世

1582年（天正10）武田勝頼(かつより)、織田信長が相次いで滅びたあと、信濃国は上杉、徳川、北条3氏の抗争の場となったが、90年豊臣(とよとみ)政権が一国を支配した。関ヶ原の戦い後は関東の外延部として徳川政権の基盤に組み込まれ、徳川一門大名や幕府領が配置されるとともに、諸大名領は頻繁な転封のなかで譜代(ふだい)化、小藩化が進んだ。幕末期には松代(まつしろ)藩の10万石を筆頭に、飯山(いいやま)、須坂(すざか)、上田、小諸(こもろ)、岩村田、竜岡(たつおか)、松本、高島、高遠(たかとお)、飯田の11藩と他国藩領や旗本知行所が幕府領と入り組んでいた。信濃の近世を彩るのは、領主でなく、養蚕、蚕種はじめ特産諸営業と中馬(ちゅうま)、全国一の百姓一揆、俳諧(はいかい)、平田派国学や普及率最高の寺子屋など、一連の民衆の力量である。1871年（明治4）廃藩置県により長野県と筑摩(ちくま)県になり、76年長野県に統合された。

［古川貞雄］

『塚田正朋著『長野県の歴史』（1974・山川出版社）』

[参照項目] | 長野（県）

歌川広重『六十余州名所図会　信濃　更科田毎月鏡台山』
1853年（嘉永6）国立国会図書館所蔵">

歌川広重『六十余州名所図会　信濃　更科…

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

<<: Shinano no Zenji Yukinaga

>>: Shinano cloth - Shinano cloth