Dewa Province - Dewa no Kuni

The former name of the area that is now Yamagata Prefecture and the whole of Akita Prefecture except for Kazuno City and Kosaka Town. It belongs to the Tosando Road. The name Dewa was first seen in the Shoku Nihongi (Chronicles of Japan Continued) in 708 (Wado 1), where it is written that Dewa County was newly established in the north of Echigo Province (Niigata Prefecture), and the following year, it orders the sending of weapons to Dewa no Ki in various provinces. It is not clear where Dewa no Ki was located, but it is certain that it was in the Yamagata Shonai region. Thus, in the early 8th century, the central political power was gradually spreading from northern Echigo to this area. Thus, Dewa Province was established in 712. At this time, Mogami and Oitami counties in Mutsu Province (present-day Yamagata Prefecture) were incorporated into Dewa Province, and together with the previously established Dewa County, the three counties made up a single province. The area is thought to cover almost the entire area of ​​present-day Yamagata Prefecture. In 721 (Yoro 5), Dewa Province came under the control of the Azechi of Mutsu Province, and came under the jurisdiction of the Tosando Road. The Azechi was in charge of supervising the provincial governors of both Oshu and Ushu Provinces, so this is thought to be an indication of the intention to strongly promote development and management from the east, crossing the Oshu Mountains and moving inland, and from the Echigo region, moving north. In 733 (Tenpyo 5), Ogachi County was newly established, and in the same year, Dewa Fortress was moved to Takashimizu Village (Akita City) in Akita, but the provincial capital was not immediately moved and is thought to have remained in its previous location, so the circumstances during this time are unclear. In 759 (Tenpyo Hoji 3), Ogachi Castle was built by expanding Ogachi Fortress (location unknown), and in the same year, the northern part of Ogachi County was divided and Hiraka County was established. Thus, from the mid- to late-8th century, the central government's influence rapidly spread to the area of ​​present-day Akita Prefecture. In the mid-8th century, provincial temples were built in each province, and it is speculated that the provincial temple of Dewa Province was located in the kokubun area of ​​Hirakata, Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Dewa Province under the ancient Ritsuryo system had 11 districts and 58 townships, including six districts (Mogami, Murayama, Okitama, Akumi, Tagawa, and Dewa) that are roughly in the current Yamagata Prefecture, and five districts (Ogatsu, Hiraka, Yamamoto (later Senboku), Kawabe, and Akita) that are roughly in the current Akita Prefecture. Of these, it is noteworthy that Akumi District extended into the southern part of the Yuri region in the southwestern part of Akita Prefecture. Akita District was newly established in 804 (23rd year of the Enryaku era) in the area north of the Akita River (now the Omono River), and the dates of establishment of the two districts of Tagawa and Akumi are unknown, making it unclear how the administrative divisions changed over time.

During the Kamakura period, there was no shugo in Dewa Province. Jito (land stewards) were placed in various places, and most of the land in present-day Yamagata, except for some kokuga territories, became manors by the Middle Ages. There are few documents about Akita, and its exact movements are not clear until the Sengoku period. From the mid-Kamakura period onwards, senior vassals of the shogunate were successively appointed as Dewa no Kami (provincial governors), and Dewa is thought to have become a shogunate fief. During this period, there were also noteworthy movements, such as Haguro Shugen at the Dewa Sanzan mountain range, which is thought to have been established by the Heian period. The Mogami clan, who entered this area from the Nanboku-cho period, gradually expanded their influence. During the Sengoku period, the Muto clan emerged in Shonai, and powerful clans such as Onodera, Tozawa, Asari, and Ando emerged in Akita, and they engaged in conflicts. In the early Edo period, the rule of Dewa region also changed drastically, with the Uesugi clan moving from Aizu to Yonezawa, the Satake clan moving from Hitachi to Akita, and the Sakai clan entering Shonai following the abolition of the Mogami clan. According to the "Dewa Province Chigyo Takacho" (Dewa Province Register of Occupied Lands) of 1647 (Shoho 4), the Honda Sotaka in Dewa Province had a landholding of 951,523 koku 4 to 7 sho 6 go, of which 794,694 koku 3 to 6 sho 4 go was rice field land, 139,324 koku 1 to 5 sho 1 go was farm land, and 17,504 koku 9 to 6 sho 1 go was temple and shrine land, with 1,836 villages. The total land area of ​​the new rice fields was 172,871 koku 4 to 1 sho 7 go, and there were 277 villages, which were divided into 14 areas including the territories of the magistrates, temples and shrines, and feudal lords. The famous domestic products were Shonai rice, Mogami safflower, Yonezawa silk, Akita cedar, silver from the Innai mine, and copper from the Ani mine.

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 (Meiji 1), Dewa Province was separated into the two provinces of Uzen and Ugo. When the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established in 1871, there were 12 prefectures, with the current Akita Prefecture established in November of the same year and the current Yamagata Prefecture established in August 1876.

[Takahashi Hideo]

"Akita Prefecture History" 16 volumes (1960-67, Akita Prefecture)" ▽ "Yamagata Prefecture History" 5 volumes (1960-62, Yamagata Prefecture)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

現在の山形県と、鹿角(かづの)市・小坂(こさか)町を除く秋田県全域にあたる地域の旧国名。東山道(とうさんどう)に属する。出羽の名称は、708年（和銅1）『続日本紀(しょくにほんぎ)』に越後(えちご)国（新潟県）の北に出羽(いでは)郡を新設したとあるのが初見で、翌年、諸国に出羽柵(いではのき)に兵器を送ることを命じている。出羽柵がどこに置かれたかは明らかではないが、山形庄内(しょうない)地方であったことは確かとみられる。このように8世紀初頭には、しだいに越後北部から中央の政治勢力がこの地に及んでいきつつあった。こうして712年出羽国が設置された。このとき、陸奥(むつ)国の最上(もがみ)・置賜(おいたみ)の2郡（現山形県）を出羽国に編入し、先に設けられた出羽郡とあわせて3郡で一国を構成した。範囲は、ほぼ現在の山形県全域にあたるものとみられる。721年（養老5）出羽国は陸奥の按察使(あぜち)の支配下に置かれ、東山道の管下に入った。按察使は奥羽両国の国司を監督するのを任としたから、このことは、この時期、東から奥羽山脈越えに内陸へ進む開発・経営と、越後方面から北進するそれとを、強力に推進する意図の表れとみられる。733年（天平5）雄勝(おがち)郡が新置され、同年、出羽柵が秋田高清水(たかしみず)村（秋田市）に移ったとされているが、国府はすぐに移らず、従来の地にとどまったとみられるなど、この間の事情については確かではない。759年（天平宝字3）雄勝柵（位置不明）を拡充して雄勝城がつくられ、同年、雄勝郡北部を割いて、平鹿(ひらか)郡が設置された。こうして8世紀中期から後期にかけては、現在の秋田県の地にも急速に中央の勢力が及んでいった。8世紀中期に、各国ごとに国分寺が建立されたが、出羽国の国分寺の所在地は、山形県鶴岡(つるおか)市平形(ひらかた)の国分の地ではないかと推測されている。

　古代律令(りつりょう)制下の出羽国は11郡58郷で、ほぼ現在の山形県域に属する最上(もがみ)、村山、置賜、飽海(あくみ)、田川、出羽(いでは)の6郡と、ほぼ現秋田県域に入る雄勝、平鹿、山本（のち仙北(せんぼく)）、河辺(かわべ)、秋田の5郡であった。このうち飽海郡が現秋田県南西部の由利地方南部の地に及んでいたことが注目される。秋田郡は804年（延暦23）新たに秋田河（現雄物(おもの)川）以北の地に設置され、田川・飽海の2郡はその設置年代が不明であるなど、その行政区画の変遷については明らかではない。

　鎌倉時代、出羽国には守護は置かれなかった。地頭(じとう)は各地に置かれ、現山形の地は一部の国衙(こくが)領を除いては、中世までにその大半の地は荘園(しょうえん)化した。秋田の地は資料に乏しく、その確かな動向は戦国期まで明らかではない。鎌倉中期以降、幕府の重臣が相次いで出羽守(かみ)に任じられ、出羽は幕府の知行(ちぎょう)国化したものとみられる。この間、平安期までに成立したとみられる出羽三山の羽黒修験(はぐろしゅげん)など、注目すべき動きもみられた。南北朝時代から、この地に入った最上氏がしだいに勢力を伸ばしていった。戦国時代にはさらに、庄内に武藤氏、秋田の地に小野寺、戸沢、浅利(あさり)、安東(あんどう)などの豪族が輩出して抗争を繰り広げた。江戸時代初期、会津から米沢(よねざわ)への上杉氏、常陸(ひたち)から秋田への佐竹氏の転封、さらに最上氏の改易に伴う庄内への酒井氏の入部など、出羽の地もその支配には大きな変動があった。1647年（正保4）の「出羽国知行高帳」によれば、出羽国は、本田惣高(そうだか)95万1523石4斗7升6合で、うち田方79万4694石3斗6升4合、畑方13万9324石1斗5升1合、寺社領1万7504石9斗6升1合で、その村数1836か村となっている。新田惣高17万2871石4斗1升7合で、その村数277か村とあり、代官領、寺社領、各大名領などあわせて14の支配に分かれていた。国内の産物では、庄内米、最上紅花(べにばな)、米沢絹、秋田杉、院内(いんない)鉱山の銀、阿仁鉱山の銅などが著名であった。

　明治維新後の1868年（明治1）に、出羽国は羽前(うぜん)・羽後の二国に分離された。71年の廃藩置県時には12県となり、同年11月に現在の秋田県、76年8月に現在の山形県が成立した。

［高橋秀夫］

『『秋田県史』全16巻（1960～67・秋田県）』▽『『山形県史』全5巻（1960～62・山形県）』

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