Mimasaka Province - Mimasaka no Kuni

The old name of the northeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It borders Harima to the east, Bitchu to the west, Inaba and Hoki to the north, and Bizen to the south, and is connected to the Seto Inland Sea by the Asahi and Yoshii rivers. In 713 (Wado 6), six districts in the northern part of Bizen, Aita, Katamata, Tomata, Kume, Oba, and Mashima, were separated to form the province of Mimasaka. In 863 (Jogan 5), Tomata County was divided into Tomahigashi and Tomani Districts, and during the Muromachi Period, they were divided into Tomahigashi and Tomani Districts, and Tomani Districts, but were later merged into Higashi-Tomata and Nishi-Tomata Districts. During the Edo Period, they were divided again into Tohojo and Tounanjo, and Nishi-Hokujo and Nishi-Saijo. Eita District was divided into Yoshino and Aida Districts during the Muromachi Period, and Katsuta District was divided into Shohoku and Shonan Districts during the Edo Period. The provincial capital was located in Soja, Tsuyama City, Tomata County, and the provincial temple was built in Kokubunji, Tsuyama City, Katsuta County. According to the Wamyōshō, the rice paddy area of ​​Mimasaka in the mid-Heian period was 11,021 cho 3 tan 256 bu. Specialty products included iron, copper, lumber, and paper.

During the Kamakura period, Kanto samurai such as the Shibuya clan, land steward of Kawai-go, came to live here, and the descendants of Sugawara no Michizane, known as the Seven Sugawara clans, spread their influence in Katsuta County, while the descendants of the noble Tokudaiji Sanetaka, known as the Shinmen clan, spread their influence in Yoshino County. During the Heian and Kamakura periods, in addition to the Sara Manor of Jingoji, Inaoka Manor, Kajinami Manor, Wabun Manor, Majima Manor, Eita Ho, Hayashino Ho, and Ohara Ho were established. From the Northern and Southern Courts to the early Muromachi period, the area was under the control of the Akamatsu clan, the governor of Harima, but after the Kakitsu Rebellion (1441), it came under the control of the Yamana clan, the governor of Inaba. After the Onin War (1467-77), the area was again ruled by Akamatsu Masanori, but after his death the Akamatsu clan declined and became a battleground for the Amago clan of Izumo, the Uragami and Ukita clans of Bizen, the Mimura clan of Bitchu, and the Mori clan of Aki. In the east of Mimasaka there was the Goto clan, lord of Mitsuboshi Castle, and in the west of Mimasaka there was the Miura clan, lord of Takada Castle, but neither could unify Mimasaka, and in 1582 (Tensho 10) it came under the rule of the Ukita clan of Bizen.

After the Battle of Sekigahara (1600), Mimasaka and Bizen became the property of Kobayakawa Hideaki, but with Hideaki's death in 1603 (Keicho 8), this came to an end, and the whole of Mimasaka (red seal tax of 186,500 koku) was given to Mori Tadamasa. Tadamasa built Tsuyama Castle in Kakuzan, managed the castle town, and carried out a land survey of the entire territory. A subsequent land survey showed that the internal tax had reached 259,327 koku in 1697 (Genroku 10). The Mori clan came to an end in the same year, and Mimasaka was subsequently divided into the Shogunate's territory and many private territories. The only domains that had castles or camps in Mimasaka were Tsuyama Domain (Echizen Matsudaira clan), Katsuyama Domain (Miura clan), and Tsuruta Domain (Ochi Matsudaira clan) established at the end of the Edo period, and there were many enclaves of other domains. Mimasaka saw the outbreak of many uprisings, including the Sanchu Ikki of 1726 (Kyoho 11).On the other hand, the area produced many outstanding Western scholars, such as Udagawa Genzui, Yoan, and Mitsukuri Genpo, and in the field of martial arts, the Takeuchi-ryu style (a comprehensive martial art of bōjutsu, kodachi, tsunajojutsu, and jujutsu), which was started by Takeuchi Hisamori in the late Sengoku period, became widely popular among the general public.

In 1871 (Meiji 4), after the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures, the entire Mimasaka region became Hojo Prefecture. In 1873, a large-scale "blood tax" uprising broke out in opposition to the new government. In 1876, Hojo Prefecture 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

岡山県の北東部の旧国名。東は播磨(はりま)、西は備中(びっちゅう)、北は因幡(いなば)・伯耆(ほうき)、南は備前(びぜん)に接し、旭(あさひ)川・吉井川によって瀬戸内海を結ぶ。713年（和銅6）備前北部の英多(あいた)、勝田(かた)（かつまた）、苫田(とまた)、久米(くめ)、大庭(おおば)（おおにわ）、真島(ましま)の6郡を割いて美作国を置いた。863年（貞観5）苫田郡を苫東(とまひがし)・苫西(とまにし)の両郡に分割、室町時代にそれぞれ苫北・苫東と苫南・苫西に分割したがのちに東苫田・西苫田の両郡に統合、江戸時代にふたたび東北条(とうほうじょう)・東南条(とうなんじょう)と、西北条(さいほうじょう)・西西条(さいさいじょう)に分割された。英多郡は室町時代のころ吉野・英田(あいだ)の両郡に、勝田郡は江戸時代に勝北(しょうほく)・勝南(しょうなん)の両郡に分割された。国府は苫田郡の現津山市総社(そうじゃ)に置かれ、国分寺は勝田郡の現津山市国分寺に建立された。『和名抄(わみょうしょう)』によると、平安中期の美作の水田面積は1万1021町3反256歩。特産物には鉄、銅、材木、紙などがあった。

　鎌倉時代には、河会(かわい)郷の地頭(じとう)渋谷(しぶや)氏など関東武士が来住し、また菅原道真(すがわらのみちざね)の末流が菅家(かんけ)七流と称して勝田郡内に、また公卿(くぎょう)徳大寺実孝(さねたか)の子孫が新免(しんめん)姓を称して吉野郡内に勢力を広めた。平安・鎌倉のころ、神護寺(じんごじ)領佐良荘(さらのしょう)のほか稲岡荘、梶並(かじなみ)荘、倭文(しとり)荘、真島荘、英多保(ほ)、林野保、大原保などが設けられた。南北朝から室町初期のころは、播磨守護赤松氏の支配に属したが、嘉吉(かきつ)の乱（1441）以後、因幡守護山名氏の支配に属した。応仁(おうにん)の乱（1467～77）後ふたたび赤松政則(まさのり)の支配に服したが、彼の死後赤松氏は衰え、出雲(いずも)の尼子(あまご)氏、備前の浦上(うらがみ)・宇喜多(うきた)氏、備中の三村氏、安芸(あき)の毛利(もうり)氏の抗争の場となった。作東に三星(みつぼし)城主後藤氏、作西に高田城主三浦氏があったが、ともに美作の統一勢力にはなりえず、1582年（天正10）備前の宇喜多氏の支配に属した。

　関ヶ原の戦い（1600）後、美作は備前とともに小早川秀秋(こばやかわひであき)の所領となったが、1603年（慶長8）秀秋の死で断絶し、美作一円（朱印高18万6500石）を森忠政に賜った。忠政は鶴山(かくざん)に津山城を築き城下町を経営し、全領に検地を実施した。その後の検地で1697年（元禄10）には内高25万9327石に達していた。同年森氏は断絶し、以後美作は幕領と多くの私領に分割された。美作に城や陣屋を構えた藩は津山藩（越前(えちぜん)松平氏）、勝山藩（三浦氏）、幕末に設置された鶴田(たづた)藩（越智(おち)松平氏）のみで、他国の諸藩の飛び地が多かった。美作では1726年（享保11）の山中一揆(さんちゅういっき)のほか多くの一揆が激発した。反面、宇田川玄随(うだがわげんずい)・榕菴(ようあん)、箕作阮甫(みつくりげんぽ)など優れた洋学者を輩出し、また武芸では戦国末期の竹内久盛(たけのうちひさもり)に始まる竹内流（棒術、小太刀、捕縄術、柔術の総合武術）が民間に広く普及した。

　1871年（明治4）廃藩置県ののち美作一円は北条県となった。73年新政に反対する大規模な「血税」一揆が起こった。76年北条県は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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