Musashi Province

A province established under the Ritsuryo system, this region includes Tokyo (excluding islands), Kawasaki City and Yokohama City (parts) in Kanagawa Prefecture, and most of Saitama Prefecture. It is also called Bushu. It is bordered by Shimousa to the east, Tokyo Bay and Sagami Province to the southeast and southwest, the Kanto Mountains to the west bordering Kai Province, and Kozuke and Shimotsuke to the north. The vast Musashino Plain, covered in the Kanto Loam layer, was the stage for nurturing the country's history and culture, along with the Tone River, Arakawa River, and Tama River, which flow from the northwestern mountain range to the southeast.

In ancient times, it was written as Musashino and pronounced "Muzashi". There are various theories about the origin of the name, including that it was originally called Musashimo-kuni, which was corrupted, or that it is a variation of Fusashimo-kuni. With the implementation of the Kunigun system during the Taika Reforms, the territories of the three Kuni no Miyatsuko (provincial governors) of the previous era, Musashi, Mune-sashi, and Chichifu, were unified into Musashi Province. In the Engishiki, it is called Okuni, and the journey to Kyoto was set at 29 days up and 15 days down. It was originally part of the Tosando, but in 771 (Hōki 2), it was switched to the Tokaido. The domain was divided into 21 counties: Toshima, Adachi, Niiza, Ebara, Saitama, Iruma, Koma, Hiki, Yokomi, Osato, Obusuma, Hara, Hansawa, Kodama, Kami, Naka, Chichibu, Tama, Tachibana, Tsuzuki, and Kura. However, in the Middle Ages, part of Katsushika county in Shimousa Province was incorporated, and Tama county became two counties, Tatsuto and Tatsunishi, and the domain was divided into eastern and western counties. According to the Shugaisho and Soga Monogatari, there were 24 counties in total. Both the provincial capital and Kokubunji were located in Tama County (present-day Fuchu City and Kokubunji City in Tokyo), and served as the political, economic, and cultural centers until the founding of Edo.

In the 8th century, immigrants from the Korean Peninsula were actively relocated to the area to develop it, and place names such as Koma, Shiragi, Nikura, and Komae were created. A jori system was established in the upper reaches of the Arakawa River, and in the 9th century, 35,574 chobu of rice fields were opened up, with an estimated population of 139,000. The Taira no Masakado Rebellion in the Johei era (931-938) was instigated by Musashi Gonnokami King Okiyono, and the provincial government was also placed under Masakado's control. There were also many imperially ordered ranches, such as Chichibu Ranch, Yui Ranch, and Ishikawa Ranch, and 50 horses were presented to the Imperial Court every year. As the Ritsuryo system became more relaxed, Yokoyama Manor, Oyamada Manor, and Inage Manor were established, and at the same time, samurai groups with bases throughout Musashi, such as the Seven Clans of Musashi and the Bando Hachihei clan, grew and became the center of medieval samurai society.

When the Kamakura Shogunate was established, the Kamakura Highway was opened, running north and south across the Musashi Plateau to connect with the Tohoku and northern regions, and samurai eager to get to Kamakura traveled back and forth in droves. During the Nanboku-cho period, Ashikaga Takauji became the shugo (military governor), and then passed through the Taka, Uesugi, Niki, and Hatakeyama clans, and in the Muromachi period, it came under the control of the Uesugi clan, the Kanto Kanrei (regent for the Kanto region). In 1457 (Choroku 1), Ota Dokan built Edo Castle and asserted his authority, but during the Sengoku period, the Later Hojo clan, based in Odawara, Sagami Province, advanced, and in order to defend against the Echigo Uesugi clan and the Kai Takeda clan, they established branch castles in various places and stationed their clan members and senior vassals there.

In 1590 (Tensho 18), Tokugawa Ieyasu entered the Kanto region, replacing the Gohojo clan. He was eventually appointed Shogun and began his reign in Edo. The Tokugawa period continued for about 300 years, spanning 15 generations, but Musashi was always his base of power. He gained many direct territories (Tenryo) and concentrated his Hatamoto domains. He also placed fudai daimyo in Oshi, Kawagoe, Iwatsuki, Okabe, Kanazawa (Mutsuura), and Setagaya, and stationed 1,000 police officers in Hachioji, establishing a solid system of control. He also established five roads and side routes around Edo, and established a post station system, which, combined with the daimyo's alternate attendance system, led to the prosperity of post towns, which eventually led to the spread of commerce into rural areas. After the 18th century, Musashino, which had been the fencing grounds of the Owari Tokugawa clan, was developed and 82 new farming villages were established, but as the hinterland of Edo, which had a population of one million, the Bushu countryside did not develop commercial production overall. Famous products of the early modern period include Oumejima, Chichibu silk, Shinagawa nori, Nerima radish, and Tamagawa pears.

The Bushu Reform Uprising of 1866 (Keio 2) spread to the northwestern area of ​​Musashi and the surrounding areas, shaking the very foundations of the shogunate. In 1868 (Meiji 1), the Musashi Prefectural Governor was established, followed by Tokyo Prefecture, and the establishment and consolidation of Shinagawa Prefecture, Nirayama Prefecture, Kosuge Prefecture, and others, resulting in the current Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Saitama Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture (parts) in 1893. The development of Tokyo and its suburbs created the most densely populated areas, but at the same time, it caused great damage from the Great Kanto Earthquake and air raids during the Pacific War. However, even after the war, the concentration of economy and culture in the capital and the metropolitan area continued, and its uneven distribution from the rest of the country became a problem.

[Susumu Kitahara]

"New Edition Musashi Fudoki Ko, 12 volumes (1981, Yuzankaku Publishing)" ▽ "Musashi Meisho Zue, by Ueda Motoji (1975, Keiyusha)" ▽ "Edo Meisho Zue, by Saito Yukio et al. (Kadokawa Bunko)" ▽ "Kadokawa Japanese Place Name Dictionary 13: Tokyo" and "Kadokawa Japanese Place Name Dictionary 11: Saitama" edited by Takeuchi Rizo et al. (1978, 1980, Kadokawa Shoten)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

律令(りつりょう)制により設けられた国で、東京都（島を除く）、神奈川県川崎市・横浜市（一部）および埼玉県の大部分を含む地域。武州(ぶしゅう)ともいう。東は下総(しもうさ)、南東から南西へ東京湾と相模(さがみ)国、西は関東山地が連なって甲斐(かい)に接し、北は上野(こうずけ)・下野(しもつけ)に対している。中央部は関東ローム層に覆われた広大な武蔵野の平野で、北西の山地から南東に向かって流れる利根(とね)川、荒川、多摩川とともに、この国の歴史と文化を育てる舞台となった。

　古くは牟佐之と書き、「むざし」と読んだらしい。語源は、もと見狭下国(むさしもくに)と称していたのが訛(なま)ったとか、総下(ふさしも)国が転じたとするなど諸説ある。大化改新の国郡制施行により、前代の牟邪志(むさし)、胸刺(むねさし)、知々夫(ちちふ)の三国造(くにのみやつこ)の領域を武蔵国に統一した。『延喜式(えんぎしき)』では大国とし、京までの行程を上り29日、下り15日とし、初め東山道(とうさんどう)に属していたが、771年（宝亀2）東海道に切り替えられた。管下は豊島(としま)、足立(あだち)、新座(にいくら)、荏原(えはら)、埼玉(さきたま)、入間(いるま)、高麗(こま)、比企(ひき)、横見、大里、男衾(おぶすま)、幡羅(はら)、榛沢(はんさわ)、児玉(こだま)、賀美(かみ)、那珂(なか)、秩父(ちちぶ)、多麻(たま)、橘樹(たちばな)、都筑(つつき)、久良(くらき)の21郡に分けられたが、中世には下総国葛飾(かつしか)郡の一部を編入し、多麻郡が多東・多西の2郡になるなど東西の分郷があり、『拾芥抄(しゅうがいしょう)』『曽我(そが)物語』では24郡と伝える。国府と国分寺はともに多麻郡に置かれ（現東京都府中市・国分寺市）、江戸が開かれるまで政治、経済、文化の中心をなした。

　8世紀には盛んに朝鮮半島からの渡来人を移住させて開発にあたらせ、高麗(こま)、新羅(しらぎ)、新倉(にいくら)、狛江(こまえ)などの地名ができた。荒川上流には条里制が敷かれ、9世紀には田地3万5574町歩が開かれ、人口は13万9000人と推計されている。承平(じょうへい)年間（931～938）の平将門(まさかど)の乱は、武蔵権守(ごんのかみ)興世王(おきよのおう)の扇動により起こり、国府も将門の勢力下に置かれた。また秩父牧、由比(ゆい)牧、石川牧などの勅旨(ちょくし)牧も多く、毎年馬50疋(ぴき)を朝廷に献上した。律令(りつりょう)制が緩むとともに横山荘(しょう)、小山田荘、稲毛(いなげ)荘が成立し、それと相まって武蔵七党や坂東八平氏(ばんどうはちへいし)ら、武蔵各地に基盤をもった武士集団が成長し、中世武家社会の中心となった。

　鎌倉幕府が開かれると、東北・北国地方と連絡のため、武蔵台地を南北に縦断する鎌倉街道が開かれ、「いざ鎌倉」の武士が盛んに往来した。南北朝時代には足利尊氏(あしかがたかうじ)が守護となり、ついで高(こう)、上杉、仁木(にき)、畠山(はたけやま)氏を経て、室町時代には関東管領(かんれい)上杉氏の支配下に置かれた。1457年（長禄1）太田道灌(どうかん)が江戸城を築いて威を張ったが、戦国時代には相模国小田原を本拠とする後北条(ごほうじょう)氏が進出、越後(えちご)上杉氏、甲斐武田氏らに対する防衛上、各地に支城を置いて一族や重臣を配した。

　1590年（天正18）後北条氏にかわって徳川家康が関東に入部し、やがて征夷大将軍に任ぜられて江戸に開幕、以後15代にわたって約300年の徳川時代が続くが、武蔵は終始その権力基盤であった。直轄領（天領）を多くとり、旗本知行所(ちぎょうしょ)を集中させたほか、忍(おし)、川越(かわごえ)、岩槻(いわつき)、岡部、金沢（六浦(むつうら)）、世田谷(せたがや)に譜代(ふだい)大名を配し、八王子に千人同心を常駐させるなど、堅固な支配体制を敷いた。また江戸を中心に五街道や脇(わき)往還を設け、宿駅制を整えたので、諸大名の参勤交代と相まって宿場町が栄え、やがて農村地帯にも商業が浸透していく要因となった。18世紀以後、尾張(おわり)徳川家の鷹場(たかば)であった武蔵野が開拓され、82の新田村が成立したが、武州農村は100万の人口を抱えた江戸の後背地としては、全体に商品生産が進展しなかった。近世の名産品に、青梅縞(おうめじま)、秩父絹、品川海苔(のり)、練馬(ねりま)大根、多摩川梨(なし)などがあげられる。

　1866年（慶応2）の武州世直し一揆(いっき)は、武蔵の北西部一帯と近国にも及び、幕府の存立を足元から揺るがした。1868年（明治1）武蔵知県事、ついで東京府を置き、品川県、韮山(にらやま)県、小菅(こすげ)県などを設置・統廃合して、93年ほぼ現在の東京都、埼玉県、神奈川県（一部）となった。東京と近郊の発展は、人口密度のもっとも高い地域を現出したが、同時にそれは関東大震災や太平洋戦争の空襲による被害を大きいものとした。しかし戦後も首都および首都圏として経済・文化の集中は進み、国全体からの偏在ぶりが問題となっている。

［北原　進］

『『新編武蔵風土記稿』全12巻（1981・雄山閣出版）』▽『植田孟縉著『武蔵名勝図会』（1975・慶友社）』▽『斎藤幸雄他著『江戸名所図会』（角川文庫）』▽『竹内理三他編『角川日本地名大辞典13　東京都』『角川日本地名大辞典11　埼玉県』（1978、1980・角川書店）』

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