Mutsu Province - Mutsu no Kuni

Former name of province. It corresponds to the present Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate, Aomori and parts of Akita prefectures. In the entry for the first year of the reign of Saimei (655) in the Nihon Shoki, it appears as "Michioku" and was read as "Michinoku", meaning the depths of both the Tokai and Tozan roads. Later, it was read as "Michinoku no Kuni", "Michinokuni", and so on, before becoming "Mutsu no Kuni" at the end of the 9th century. In the entry for the fifth year of the reign of Tenmu (676), it was already written as "Mutsu", and along with Kinai and Nagato, high-ranking people were appointed as kokushi, and it is believed that it was important for border defense. In 712 (Wado 5), with the establishment of Dewa Province, Mogami and Okitama counties were separated, and in 718 (Yoro 2), with the establishment of Iwaki and Iwashiro Provinces, the areas that are now part of Fukushima Prefecture and Miyagi Prefecture were separated, but within a few years, they were restored to Mutsu Province. In 719, the Azechi was established nationwide, and Mutsu Azechi was established, which also had jurisdiction over Dewa Province, and even after the others were abolished, only Mutsu and Dewa remained. Under the Ritsuryo system, the military significance of being adjacent to the northern border was emphasized, and it was subject to exceptional provisions such as determining the honkan according to the current residence in the Koryo and prohibiting the appointment of Chonai and Shijin in the Gunbo-rei. According to the Engishiki, the great provinces along the Tosando road were Shirakawa, Kikuta, Iwaki, Shineha, Namekata, Uda, Watari, Igu, Karita, Aizu, Yama, Iwase, Asaka, Adachi, Shinobu, Shibata, Natori, Miyagi, Kurokawa, and It had jurisdiction over 35 districts, including Kawa, Kami, Shikama, Tamatsukuri, Kurihara, Nyutaka, Nagaoka, Tota, Oda, Shida, Momonou, Oshika, Toyone, Kesen, Iwai, Esashi, and Isawa, and its provincial capital was located in Tagajo, present-day Tagajo City, Miyagi Prefecture. According to the Wamyōshō, with the addition of Onuma district, it appears that it had jurisdiction over 36 districts.

In Mutsu, which became the frontline base for the Ritsuryo government's control over the Emishi, rebellions were repeatedly suppressed. Sakanoue no Tamuramaro was appointed Seii Taishogun in 797 (Enryaku 16) and Funya no Watamaro in 811 (Kōnin 2), and the suppression of the rebellions was effective, with the construction of Isawa Castle and Shiwa Castle, and the government's control expanded. However, as the Ritsuryo state declined, this system relaxed, and from the mid-Heian period onwards, the Abe and Kiyohara clans, who had formed local powers, took control. When the Abe clan was destroyed in the Former Nine Years' War and the Kiyohara clan was destroyed in the Later Three Years' War, the rule of Fujiwara no Kiyohira, based in Hiraizumi, was established, and the politics and unique local culture of the Oshu Fujiwara clan developed over three generations, including his son Motohira and grandson Hidehira. In 1189 (Bun'ei 5), Minamoto no Yoritomo, who was expanding his control over the whole country, took the opportunity of pursuing and capturing his younger brother Yoshitsune to attack the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who had been hiding him, and installed the position of Sobugyo (general magistrate) of Oshu. The Izawa Iekage who was appointed at this time was also called the Mutsu Province Rusushiki, and later the Izawa clan inherited this position. During the Kenmu Restoration (1334), the Mutsu Shogunate was established, and Kitabatake Akiie was appointed to the post, accompanying Prince Yoshiyoshi (Emperor Gomurakami). The Muromachi Shogunate then established the Oshu Tandai, and dispatched Ishido Yoshifusa, a member of the Ashikaga clan, as the Oshu Kanrei to govern the area, but later the Kira, Hatakeyama, and Shiba clans joined, causing confusion, and the Oshu Kanrei was abolished, and Mutsu Province came under the jurisdiction of the Kamakura Shogunate. Later, the Osaki clan, based in the five Osaki counties, held dominance, and as the Sengoku period began, the Date, Ashina, Kasai, Osaki, and Nanbu clans fought each other and fought each other. During Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Oshu Punishment, the Tsugaru, Nanbu, Date, Soma, and Iwaki clans were each granted territories, and the Gamo clan entered Aizu.

During the Edo period, the Kuroishi Domain and Hirosaki Domain in Tsugaru County, the Morioka Domain in Iwate County, the Sendai Domain in Miyagi County, the Shirakawa Domain in Shirakawa County, the Tanagura Domain in Shirakawa County, the Iwakitaira Domain in Iwaki County, the Aizu Domain in Aizu County, and the Fukushima Domain in Shinobu County were established, and industry and transportation also developed rapidly. At the end of the Edo period and the Meiji Restoration, the various domains formed the Oshu-Uetsu League of Feudal Domains and resisted the new Meiji government, but were defeated in the Aizu War and collapsed. By a decree of the Dajokan dated December 7, 1868 (Meiji 1), the new government divided Mutsu Province into the five provinces of Iwaki, Iwashiro, Rikuzen, Rikuchu, and Mutsu. After the division, Mutsu Province was located in what are now parts of Aomori and Iwate prefectures, and consisted of four counties: Ninohe, Sannohe, Kita, and Tsugaru. The feudal domains were abolished and prefectures were established in 1871.

Since ancient times, gold dust and horses have been the most famous industries, and in the early modern period, products such as timber, rice bags, rice, silkworm eggs, raw silk, iron, and copper were often exported.

[Katsumi Kikuchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

旧国名。現在の福島、宮城、岩手、青森の各県と秋田県の一部にあたる。『日本書紀』斉明(さいめい)元年（655）条に「道奥」とみえ、東海・東山両道の奥という意味で「みちのおく」と読まれた。のちに読み方は「みちのくのくに」「みちのくに」などを経て、9世紀末ごろ「むつのくに」が成立した。天武(てんむ)5年（676）条にはすでに「陸奥」と表記され、畿内(きない)、長門(ながと)とともに高位者が国司として任命されたが、辺境防備のために重視されたものとみられる。712年（和銅5）出羽(でわ)国の設置に伴い最上(もがみ)、置賜(おきたみ)両郡を割き、また718年（養老2）石城(いわき)、石背(いわしろ)両国の設置により、現在の福島県と宮城県の一部にあたる地域を割いたが、数年足らずで陸奥国に復旧した。719年全国に設置された按察使(あぜち)では、陸奥按察使が置かれ、出羽国も所管し、他が廃止されたあとも、陸奥、出羽だけは残された。律令(りつりょう)制では、北辺に接する軍事的意味が重視されて、戸令の現住に従って本貫を定めるとか、軍防令の帳内(ちょうない)・資人(しじん)の任用を禁じた、いわば例外的規定の対象となった。『延喜式(えんぎしき)』では、東山道に属する大国で、白河(しらかわ)、菊多(きくた)、磐城(いわき)、標葉(しねは)、行方(なめかた)、宇多(うだ)、亘理(わたり)、伊具(いぐ)、刈田(かりた)、会津(あいづ)、耶麻(やま)、磐瀬(いわせ)、安積(あさか)、安達(あだち)、信夫(しのぶ)、柴田(しばた)、名取(なとり)、宮城(みやぎ)、黒川(くろかわ)、賀美(かみ)、色麻(しかま)、玉造(たまつくり)、栗原(くりはら)、新田(にゅうた)、長岡(ながおか)、遠田(とおた)、小田(おだ)、志太(しだ)、桃生(もものう)、牡鹿(おしか)、登米(とよね)、気仙(けせん)、磐井(いわい)、江刺(えさし)、胆沢(いさわ)の35郡を管轄し、国府は多賀城(たがじょう)、現在の宮城県多賀城市に置かれていた。『和名抄(わみょうしょう)』には、大沼郡が加わり、36郡を管したとみえる。

　律令政府の蝦夷(えぞ)支配の前線基地となった陸奥では、反乱と鎮圧が繰り返され、797年（延暦16）の坂上田村麻呂(さかのうえのたむらまろ)、811年（弘仁2）の文室綿麻呂(ふんやのわたまろ)をそれぞれ征夷(せいい)大将軍に任命して行った鎮圧が、胆沢(いさわ)城、志波(しわ)城を築くなど効果をあげ、支配も拡大した。しかし、律令国家の衰退とともに弛緩(しかん)し、平安時代中期以降、在地勢力を形成した安倍(あべ)・清原両氏らが支配の実権を握り、安倍氏が前九年の役で、また清原氏が後三年の役で滅亡すると、平泉(ひらいずみ)を根拠地とする藤原清衡(きよひら)の支配が確立し、その子基衡(もとひら)、孫秀衡(ひでひら)の3代にわたる奥州藤原氏の政治と独自な地方文化が展開した。1189年（文治5）全国に支配を拡大しつつあった源頼朝(よりとも)は、弟義経(よしつね)の追捕(ついぶ)を機会に、これをかくまった奥州藤原氏を征討し、奥州総奉行(そうぶぎょう)を置いた。このとき任ぜられた伊沢家景(いえかげ)は、陸奥国留守職(るすしき)とも称し、のち伊沢氏がこの職を世襲した。建武(けんむ)新政（1334）では、陸奥将軍府を設置し、北畠顕家(きたばたけあきいえ)が皇子義良(のりよし)親王（後村上(ごむらかみ)天皇）を奉じて赴任した。ついで室町幕府は奥州探題を設置、奥州管領(かんれい)として足利(あしかが)氏一門の石塔義房(いしどうよしふさ)を派遣し統治したが、のちに吉良(きら)、畠山、斯波(しば)の諸氏が加わり混乱、奥州管領も廃止され、陸奥国は鎌倉府の管轄となった。その後、大崎五郡を根拠とする大崎氏が支配権をもち、戦国時代に入ると、伊達(だて)、蘆名(あしな)、葛西(かさい)、大崎、南部の諸氏が割拠、抗争し、豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の奥州仕置(しおき)では、津軽、南部、伊達、相馬(そうま)、岩城の諸氏がそれぞれ所領を封ぜられ、蒲生(がもう)氏が会津へ入部した。

　江戸時代には、津軽郡の黒石藩・弘前(ひろさき)藩、岩手郡の盛岡藩、宮城郡の仙台藩、白河郡の白河藩、白川郡の棚倉(たなぐら)藩、磐城郡の磐城平(たいら)藩、会津郡の会津藩、信夫(しのぶ)郡の福島藩などが置かれ、産業と交通も飛躍的に発展した。幕末・維新期に、諸藩は、奥羽越(おううえつ)列藩同盟を結んで、明治新政府に抵抗したが、会津戦争に敗れ、崩壊した。新政府は、1868年（明治1）12月7日付けの太政官(だじょうかん)布告によって、陸奥国を磐城、岩代(いわしろ)、陸前、陸中、陸奥の5国に分割、分割後の陸奥国は現在の青森県と岩手県の一部にあたり、二戸(にのへ)、三戸、北、津軽の4郡からなり、1871年の廃藩置県を迎えた。

　産業は、古来、砂金と馬が著名であり、近世には材木、俵物(たわらもの)、米、蚕種、生糸、鉄、銅などの産物が移出されることが多かった。

［菊池克美］

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