Suo Province - Suo no Kuni

An administrative division established in the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture after the Taika Reforms. Before the Taika, this region was written as Suho, and the character Suo first appeared in an article about 697 (the first year of Emperor Mommu's reign) in the Shoku Nihongi. The name of the province of Suo is said to have been taken from the name of the Kuni no Miyatsuko, whose name had been known in the central government since ancient times. The Wamyōshō lists six districts in the province: Oshima, Kuga, Kumage, Tsuno, Saba, and Yoshiki, and the Engishiki defines Yoshiki and Kuga as Naka-gun, Saba, Kumage, and Tsuno as Shimo-gun, and Oshima as Ogōri. These district names have remained unchanged to this day, although there have been some changes to the areas within the districts. According to the Ruiju Sandaikyaku, there were 10 stations on the Sanyo Road, but the Engishiki lists it as eight.

In the Middle Ages, Suo Province became a tax-payer province for the construction of the Great Buddha in order to rebuild Todaiji Temple in Nara, which had been burned down during the Genpei War. For this reason, Shunjobo Chogen became the chief monk and was sent to the province. Chogen established the control structure of the provincial government office, cut down timber for the reconstruction of Todaiji Temple, and sent it to Nara. Ten years after his arrival, in 1195 (Kenkyu 6), Chogen completed the important task of rebuilding Todaiji Temple. After this, the Ouchi clan, who were one of the provincial government office officials, increased their influence. In the Muromachi period, the Ouchi clan came under control of both Bungo and Choshu provinces, and made Yamaguchi a castle town. Furthermore, as a shugo daimyo, they held great importance within the Muromachi shogunate, and Yamaguchi prospered as the western capital. The Ouchi clan was destroyed by their vassal Sue Harukata in 1551 (Tenbun 20), and Harukata was defeated by Mori Motonari in 1555 (Koji 1), and Suo came under the control of the Mori clan.

In the early modern period, Mori Terumoto, who was defeated in the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 (Keicho 5), entered the domain with his fief reduced from eight provinces in the Chugoku region to two provinces, Bungo and Choshu. His castle was also moved from Hiroshima to Hagi. Terumoto carried out a land survey in 1610, and found that the kokudaka (rice yield) of Suo Province was 296,040 koku. Terumoto gave the Iwakuni region in the eastern part of the country, with a little less than 37,000 koku, to Kikkawa Hiroie, and the Tokuyama region in the southern part, with 20,000 koku, to his second son, Naritaka. The remaining area became the domain of the main domain, and he established ten saiban (decorations) in Oshima, Okuyamashiro, Maeyamashiro, Kumage, Kaminoseki, Tsuno, Tokuji, Mitajiri, Yamaguchi, and Ogori. A zaiban was the area controlled by a magistrate, and the local governing structure was established using this zaiban as a unit.

As a result of the Meiji Restoration, feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established in 1871 (Meiji 4), with the Iwakuni region becoming Iwakuni Prefecture and the rest becoming Yamaguchi Prefecture, but at the end of the same year, both Suo and Nagato were unified into Yamaguchi Prefecture. In 1889, Yamaguchi, Yanaizu, and Iwakuni were given town status, and the remaining 131 villages were given village status. In 1896, the county system was implemented, and county assemblies and county offices were established in six counties. As of October 2006 (Heisei 18), there are 13 cities and 9 towns.

[Nobuhisa Hirota]

"The Choshu Domain Compiled 'Bocho Fuudo Chushinan', 395 volumes, 22 published books (1842-46, 1960-66, Yamaguchi Prefectural Archives)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

山口県の東部に大化改新以後設置された行政区画。この地域は大化以前は周芳(すほう)と記され、周防の字は『続日本紀(しょくにほんぎ)』の697年（文武天皇1）の記事が初見である。この周防の国名は、古くから中央にその名が知られていた周防国造(くにのみやつこ)の名をとったものといわれている。『和名抄(わみょうしょう)』には、同国内に大島、玖珂(くが)、熊毛(くまげ)、都濃(つの)、佐波(さば)、吉敷(よしき)の6郡名がみえ、『延喜式(えんぎしき)』には吉敷、玖珂が中郡、佐波、熊毛、都濃が下郡、大島が小郡と定められている。この郡名は、郡内地域の変更はあるものの、現在までそのまま踏襲されている。国内山陽道の駅数は、『類聚三代格(るいじゅうさんだいきゃく)』によれば10駅であるが、『延喜式』では8駅となっている。

　中世になると、源平の争乱で焼失した奈良東大寺再建のため、周防国は大仏造営のための料国となった。このため、俊乗房重源(ちょうげん)が大勧進となり当国へ下向した。重源は国衙(こくが)の支配機構を整備し、東大寺再建のために材木を伐採して奈良へ送った。重源は下向後10年、1195年（建久6）に東大寺再建の大任を果たした。この後、国衙在庁官人の一人であった大内氏が勢力を増大した。室町時代に入ると、大内氏は防長両国を支配下に置き、山口を城下町とした。さらに、守護大名として室町幕府のなかでも重きをなし、山口は西の京として繁栄した。大内氏は1551年（天文20）家臣陶晴賢(すえはるかた)に滅ぼされ、晴賢も55年（弘治1）毛利元就(もうりもとなり)に敗れて、周防は毛利氏の支配下に入る。

　近世に入ると、1600年（慶長5）の関ヶ原の戦いで敗れた毛利輝元(てるもと)が、中国8か国から防長2か国に減封されて入部した。居城も、広島から萩(はぎ)へ移された。輝元は1610年に検地を実施したが、周防国の石高(こくだか)は29万6040石余であった。輝元は国内東部岩国地方3万7000石弱を吉川広家(きっかわひろいえ)に与え、南部徳山地方2万石を次男就隆(なりたか)に分与した。残りを本藩領とし、大島、奥山代(おくやましろ)、前山代、熊毛、上関(かみのせき)、都濃、徳地(とくぢ)、三田尻(みたじり)、山口、小郡(おごおり)の10宰判(さいばん)を置いた。宰判とは代官の支配地域で、この宰判を単位として地方支配機構を確立した。

　明治維新の結果、1871年（明治4）廃藩置県が実施され、岩国地方が岩国県、残りが山口県となったが、同年末に周防・長門(ながと)両国は山口県に統一された。89年山口、柳井津(やないづ)、岩国に町制が敷かれ、残り131村に村制が敷かれた。96年郡制が施行され、国内6郡に郡会と郡役所が設置された。2006年（平成18）10月現在、13市9町である。

［広田暢久］

『長州藩編『防長風土注進案』全395巻、刊本22冊（1842～46成、1960～66・山口県文書館）』

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