Hitachi Province

The old name of the province before the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures. A province established shortly after the Taika Reforms (645). It is located in the northeastern part of the Kanto region, in the northern and eastern parts of present-day Ibaraki Prefecture. It borders the Pacific Ocean to the east, Shimotsuke and Shimousa provinces to the west, and Mutsu province to the north. The northern half of the province is made up of flat land in the Kuji and Naka river basins, and mountainous areas centered around the southern Abukuma Mountains and the Yamizo Mountains, while the southern half is an area of ​​farming and fishing villages, represented by Lake Kasumigaura and Lake Kitaura. It was originally called Hitamichinokuni, and later became Hitachi Province. According to the Hitachi no Kuni Fudoki, there are two theories about the origin of the name of the country: Hitamichi (direct route) and Koromo de no Hitachi (clothing sleeves). When the Tohoku region was called Michinoku, it was called Tsunemichi, and when it was called Mutsu, it became Hitachi. It is thought that the name of the country arose because it was a country directly adjacent to the depths of the road. Until the Taika Reforms, the area was divided into Niihari, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Naka, Kuji, and Taka, but with the implementation of the provincial and county system after the reforms, it became Hitachi Province, and the province was divided into 11 counties: Niihari, Tsukuba, Shirakabe (Makabe), Kawachi, Namekata, Kashima (Kashima), Shida, Ibaraki, Naka (Naka), Kuji, and Taka (Taka).

In ancient times, Hitachi Province was considered important as a base for the strategy of the Tohoku region, and from the Nara period onwards, capable people who excelled in military feats or were familiar with the situation in Mutsu were appointed as kokushi (provinces of the provinces of Hitachi) and in 826 (Tencho 3), Hitachi Province, along with Kazusa and Kozuke Provinces, became provinces appointed by imperial princes. At that time, the branches of the Minamoto, Taira and Fujiwara clans who came down to Hitachi Province as kokushi (provinces of the provinces of Hitachi) settled in the area, developed undeveloped lands, and grew into local feudal lords by commanding servants and farmers. Taira no Masakado, who caused a rebellion in the mid-10th century, was one of these. After the Masakado Rebellion, the descendants of Taira no Kunika prospered under the name of the Daijo clan, and the Satake clan, descendants of Minamoto no Yoshimitsu, also gained influence.

At the end of the Heian period, the district boundaries were changed and the districts were given private names, but the northern half came under the control of the Satake clan and the southern half came under the control of the Hitachi Heishi clan. During the Kamakura period, these three clans were divided into three factions: the Satake clan, descended from the Minamoto clan; the Kasama, Oda, Seki, Tanaka, Shishido, and Isa clans, descended from the Fujiwara clan; and the Hitachi Daijo, Yoshida, Ishikawa, Makabe, Oguri, and Shimotsuma clans, descended from the Heishi clan.

During the early Nanboku-cho period, the Satake, Kamata, Namegata, and Kashima clans on the Northern Court side fought against the Naka, Oda, Seki, Shimotsuma, Makabe, and Kasama clans on the Southern Court side, mainly at Urizura Castle in the north during the early period, and Oda, Seki, and Otaka Castle in the south during the later period, but eventually the Satake clan advanced. During Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Siege of Odawara, the Satake clan sided with Hideyoshi and took control of most of the country.

After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Satake clan was transferred to Akita, where Tokugawa Ieyasu's son was placed, and in 1609 (Keicho 14), the Mito Domain, one of the three main branches of the Mito clan, was established. The second lord of the Mito Domain, Mitsukuni, invited many scholars from all over the country to compile the "Dai Nihonshi" (Great History of Japan), and this became popular again at the end of the 18th century, forming Mitogaku, which attracted attention. The northern part of the country was mostly the territory of the Mito Domain, the western part was divided into small domains, Tenryo and Hatamoto territories, and the southern part was divided into Tenryo and Hatamoto territories. The total kokudaka (rice yield) and number of villages were 903,778 koku and 1,677 villages in the Genroku period, and 1,005,707 koku and 1,723 villages in the Tenpo period. Local specialties include Yuki Tsumugi silk, Nishinouchi paper, Suifu tobacco, and Kuji konnyaku, which became famous nationwide. During the Meiji Restoration, in addition to the Mito Domain, there were 13 other domains, including Kasama, Shimodate, Shimotsuma, and Tsuchiura, but these were merged into Niihari Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture, and in 1875 (Meiji 8), they were further unified into Ibaraki Prefecture.

[Yoshio Sakuma]

"New Edition of Hitachi Kokushi (History of Hitachi), edited by Nakayama Nobuna and supplemented by Kurita Hiroshi (Reprint, 1981, Hitachi Shobo)" ▽ "History of Hitachi, edited by Hanawa Sakuraku (1977, Kodansha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

廃藩置県前の旧国名。大化改新（645）後まもないころに成立した国。現在の茨城県域の北・東部にあたり、関東地方でも北東部に位置する。東は太平洋、西は下野(しもつけ)・下総(しもうさ)両国、北は陸奥(むつ)国に接する。国域の北半分は久慈(くじ)川・那珂(なか)川流域の平地と、阿武隈(あぶくま)山地南部・八溝(やみぞ)山地を中心とする山地で、南半分は霞(かすみ)ヶ浦・北浦に代表される農漁村地帯である。初め常道国(ひたみちのくに)といい、のち常陸国となる。国名の由来は『常陸国風土記(ふどき)』によれば、直通(ひたみち)説と、衣袖漬(ころもでのひたち)説とがあるが、東北地方が道奥(みちのく)といわれたときは常道とよばれ、陸奥とよばれると常陸となる。道の奥にじかに接する国という意味で国名がおこったと考えられる。大化改新までは新治(にいはり)、筑波(つくば)、茨城(むばらき)、那賀(なか)、久慈、多珂(たか)に分かれていたが、改新後の国郡制の施行によって常陸国となり、国内は新治、筑波、白壁(しらかべ)（真壁(まかべ)）、河内(かうち)、行方(なめかた)、香島(かしま)（鹿島）、信太(しだ)、茨城、那賀（那珂）、久慈、多珂（多賀）の11郡となった。

　古代にあって常陸国は、東北経略の基地として重要視され、奈良時代以降、武功に優れたり、陸奥の情勢に通じた有能な人物が国司に任命され、826年（天長3）には上総(かずさ)・上野(こうずけ)両国とともに親王任国となった。このころ国司として下向してきた源氏・平氏・藤原氏の分流は、土着して未開地を開発し、下人や農民などを従えて土豪として成長した。10世紀なかばに乱を起こした平将門(まさかど)はその一人である。将門の乱後、平国香(くにか)の子孫が大掾(だいじょう)氏を称して繁栄し、また源義光(よしみつ)の子孫佐竹(さたけ)氏も勢力を有した。

　平安末期には郡域の変更、郡の私称が行われたが、北半部は佐竹氏が、南半部は常陸平氏一族の支配下となる。鎌倉期になると、これが、源氏の流れをくむ佐竹氏、藤原氏の流れをくむ笠間(かさま)・小田・関・田中・宍戸(ししど)・伊佐氏、平氏の流れをくむ常陸大掾・吉田・石川・真壁・小栗・下妻(しもつま)氏の3勢力となる。

　南北朝の前期には北部の瓜連(うりづら)城などを中心に、後期には南部の小田・関・大宝城などで、北朝方の佐竹・烟田(かまた)・行方・鹿島諸氏と、南朝方の那珂・小田・関・下妻・真壁・笠間諸氏が交戦したが、やがて佐竹氏が進出した。佐竹氏は豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の小田原征伐のときには、秀吉に味方して国の大半を領有した。

　関ヶ原の戦い後、佐竹氏は秋田へ国替になり、その後には徳川家康の実子が配され、1609年（慶長14）には御三家(ごさんけ)水戸藩が成立した。水戸藩では2代藩主光圀(みつくに)が『大日本史』編纂(へんさん)のため、全国から多くの学者を招いたが、これが18世紀末からふたたび盛んとなり、水戸学を形成して注目された。国内はおおむね北部が水戸藩領でまとまり、西部が小藩領と天領・旗本領、南部が天領・旗本領とに細分されていた。総石高(こくだか)と村数は元禄(げんろく)期90万3778石余、1677村、天保(てんぽう)期100万5707石余、1723村である。特産物には、結城紬(ゆうきつむぎ)をはじめ西ノ内(にしのうち)紙、水府煙草(すいふたばこ)、久慈のこんにゃくなどが全国的に知られた。明治維新の際、水戸藩のほか、笠間、下館(しもだて)、下妻、土浦(つちうら)など13藩があったが、新治県、茨城県に統合され、1875年（明治8）さらに茨城県に統一された。

［佐久間好雄］

『中山信名編、栗田寛補『新編常陸国誌』（復刻・1981・常陸書房）』▽『塙作楽編『常陸の歴史』（1977・講談社）』

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