Bitchu Province - The Land of Bitchu

The old name of the western part of Okayama Prefecture. It borders Bingo to the west, Mimasaka to the northeast, Bizen to the southeast, Hoki to the north, and the Seto Inland Sea to the south. It is the center of the ancient Kibi culture, and has many huge ancient tombs such as Tsukuriyama Tomb and Tsukuriyama Tomb, and the remains of a late Yayoi tomb shield tower have also been discovered. During the reign of Emperor Tenmu (672-686), Kibi Province was divided into Bizen, Bitchu, and Bingo, and Bitchu Province was established. Around the time of the Taika Reforms (645), the Kibi clan declined somewhat, but they continued to maintain their influence in the regions as the chief priest of Kibitsu Shrine and the governor of various counties. At that time, there were nine districts in Bitchu: Tsu, Kuboya, Asakuchi, Oda, Shitsuki, Shimotsumichi, Kaya, Aka, and Tetta. During the Kamakura period, the northern part of Shimotsumichi District was separated to form Kawakami District, and the northern part of Kaya District was separated to form Jobo District, bringing the total to eleven districts. According to the Wamyōshō, the rice paddy area of ​​Bitchu was 10,227 cho, 8 tan, 252 bu. The provincial capital was located near Kanaido in Kaya District, present-day Soja City, Ichinomiya was built at Kibitsumiya in Kibitsu, Kita-ku, Okayama City, and Kokubunji was built in the area of ​​Kanbayashi in the same district, present-day Soja City.

During the Kamakura period, Kanto samurai came to live here as shugo (military governors) and jito (local lords), but after the mid-Kamakura period it became the domain of the regent Hojo clan. In the early Kamakura period, Daikanjin Chogen of Todaiji Temple built the Jyogyo-do and Amida-do halls in Kibitsu and spread Pure Land Buddhism. During the Nanboku-cho period, many shugo (military governors) were replaced, but in 1392 (Genchu ​​9, Meitoku 3), when the Northern and Southern Courts were unified, Hosokawa Mitsuyuki became shugo, and the Hosokawa clan held the position hereditarily until the Sengoku period. During the Kamakura period, Eisai of the Rinzai sect appeared, and during the Muromachi period, Sesshu, a master of ink painting, appeared. During the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, many manors were established, including Niimi Manor in the Toji Temple domain, Ashimori Manor in the Jingu Temple domain, Masu Manor in the Shinkumano Shrine domain, Minochi Manor in the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine domain, Kose Manor in the Chokodo domain, Minari Manor in the Nanzen Temple domain, and Oi Manor in the Shokoku Temple domain. Specialties of Bitchu include iron from Nochigo and Kamurogo, but after the Northern and Southern Courts period, copper from Fukiya and Bitchu Danshi paper from Hirose became famous.

In 1582 (Tensho 10), after Hideyoshi Hashiba (Toyotomi) attacked Takamatsu in Bitchu, Bitchu was divided into east and west, the east was under the control of the Ukita clan and the west was under the control of the Mori clan, but both clans joined the Toyotomi side in the Battle of Sekigahara, and Bitchu was confiscated by the Tokugawa clan and was divided again into Shogunate territory and private territory. The private territory was divided into a complicated mess of Matsuyama Domain (Ikeda, Mizunoya, Ando, ​​Ishikawa, Itakura clans), Nariwa Domain (Yamazaki clan), Ashimori Domain (Kinoshita clan), Niimi Domain (Seki clan), Okada Domain (Ito clan), Asao Domain (Makita clan), Niwase Domain (Togawa, Itakura clan), enclaves of other domains, and hatamoto domains. The northern region's specialties were tobacco, Bitchu (Chiya) beef, paper, copper, and red iron oxide, while the southern region's specialties were ginned cotton, cotton fabrics, and tatami mats. Tamashima and Kasaoka ports flourished as shipping ports, and Kurashiki developed as the magistrate's office of the Bitchu Shogunate. Tamashima and Kurashiki were home to many wealthy merchants, and many writers and artists traveled there.

After the feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established, parts of Bitchu and Bingo were combined to form Fukatsu Prefecture, but in 1872 (Meiji 5), Bingo was separated and Bitchu was made Oda Prefecture, but in 1875 it was merged into Okayama Prefecture.

[Hajime Shibata]

"History of Okayama Prefecture" by Sumio Taniguchi (1970, Yamakawa Publishing)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

岡山県の西部の旧国名。西は備後(びんご)、北東は美作(みまさか)、南東は備前(びぜん)、北は伯耆(ほうき)に接し、南は瀬戸内海に臨む。古代吉備(きび)文化の中心で造山(つくりやま)古墳、作山(つくりやま)古墳など巨大古墳が多く、弥生(やよい)後期の墳墓楯築(たてつき)遺跡も発見されている。天武(てんむ)朝（672～686）のころ吉備国は備前・備中・備後に分割されて備中国が成立した。大化改新（645）前後から吉備豪族はやや衰えたが、なお吉備津宮の宮司、諸郡の郡司として勢力を地方に温存した。当時備中には都宇(つう)、窪屋(くぼや)、浅口(あさくち)、小田(おだ)、後月(しつき)、下道(しもつみち)、賀夜(かや)、英賀(あか)、哲多(てた)の9郡が置かれたが、鎌倉時代のころ下道郡の北部を割いて川上郡が、賀夜郡の北部を割いて上房(じょうぼう)郡が新設され11郡となった。『和名抄(わみょうしょう)』によると、備中の水田面積は1万0227町8反252歩。国府は賀夜郡の現総社(そうじゃ)市金井戸付近に置かれ、一宮(いちのみや)は同郡の現岡山市北区吉備津(きびつ)の吉備津宮、国分寺は同郡の現総社市上林(かんばやし)の地に建立された。

　鎌倉時代には、関東武士が守護・地頭(じとう)として来住したが、鎌倉中期以後は執権北条氏の得宗領となった。鎌倉初期、東大寺大勧進重源(だいかんじんちょうげん)が吉備津に常行堂や阿弥陀(あみだ)堂を建て浄土信仰を広めた、南北朝のころは多くの守護が交代したが、1392年（元中9・明徳3）南北朝合一のころ細川満之(みつゆき)が守護となり、以後戦国時代まで細川氏が世襲した。鎌倉時代に臨済宗の栄西(えいさい)、室町時代に水墨画の雪舟(せっしゅう)が現れた。鎌倉・室町のころ、東寺領新見荘(にいみのしょう)、神宮寺領足守(あしもり)荘、新熊野神社領万寿(ます)荘、石清水八幡宮(いわしみずはちまんぐう)領水内(みのち)荘、長講堂領巨勢(こせ)荘、南禅寺領三成(みなり)荘、相国(しょうこく)寺領大井荘など多くの荘園が設けられた。備中の特産物には、野馳(のち)郷、神代(かむしろ)郷の鉄があるが、南北朝以後は吹屋(ふきや)の銅(どう)、広瀬の備中檀紙(だんし)が有名となった。

　1582年（天正10）羽柴(はしば)（豊臣(とよとみ)）秀吉の備中高松攻めののち、備中は東西に分割され、東は宇喜多(うきた)氏、西は毛利(もうり)氏の支配に属したが、両氏ともに関ヶ原の戦いで豊臣方に属し、備中は徳川氏に没収され、改めて幕領と私領に分割された。私領は松山藩（池田、水谷(みずのや)、安藤、石川、板倉氏）、成羽(なりわ)藩（山崎氏）、足守藩（木下氏）、新見藩（関氏）、岡田藩（伊東氏）、浅尾藩（蒔田(まきた)氏）、庭瀬(にわせ)藩（戸川、板倉氏）の諸藩や他領諸藩の飛び地、旗本領が錯綜(さくそう)し、細かく分割されていた。北部の特産物は煙草(たばこ)、備中（千屋(ちや)）牛、紙、銅、弁柄(べんがら)、南部の特産物は繰綿(くりわた)、綿織物、畳表で、玉島港・笠岡(かさおか)港はその積出し港として栄え、倉敷は備中幕領代官所として発展した。玉島・倉敷には豪商が多く、文人・墨客が往来した。

　廃藩置県後、備中と備後の一部をあわせて深津県が置かれたが、1872年（明治5）備後を離し、備中をもって小田県としたが、1875年岡山県に統合された。

［柴田　一］

『谷口澄夫著『岡山県の歴史』（1970・山川出版社）』

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