Echigo Province

The old name of the province of present-day Niigata Prefecture. Belonging to the Hokuriku region. Kami-kuni. Sado was annexed to Echigo province in 743 (Tenpyo 15), but was restored to its own province in 752 (Tenpyo Shoho 4). The area south of the Hokuriku region and the Dewa region was called Echigo province in ancient times. It was around the end of the 7th century that this was divided into three regions: Echizen, Etchu, and Echigo. At that time, Echigo was north of the mouth of the Agano River and the Shinano River confluence, and its northeastern part bordered the power of the Emishi, so the border was unclear. After the Taika Reforms, the Yamato Imperial Court established Nutarino-ki in this province in 647 (Taika 3) and Iwafune-no-ki in 648, as advance bases for the subjugation of the Emishi. In 702 (Taiho 2), the four Etchu districts from Oyashirazu to the Agano River (Kubiki, Uonuma, Koshi, and Kanbara) were incorporated into Echigo Province, and in 712 (Wado 5), the territory of Echigo was formed, except for the northern part, which was established as Dewa Province.

In 706 (Keiun 3), Inano Omura was appointed the first governor of Echigo Province, followed by Abe no Makimi, who was in charge of managing the border region of Echigo. The center of governance in Echigo, the provincial capital, was originally located in Imabu (present-day Myoko City), then moved to Kokuga, and then further down the Seki River to Fuchu (present-day Joetsu City).

The Jo clan, a samurai clan that came south from the Tohoku region, grew to rule the entire Echigo province at the end of the Heian period. During the Genpei War, the Jo clan, a branch of the Taira clan, came into conflict with Kiso Yoshinaka of Shinano, and after his defeat, Yoshinaka became the governor of Echigo. Later, Minamoto no Yoritomo ruled Echigo as a fiefdom, and Sasaki Moritsuna was appointed as the governor of Echigo. After the Kenmu Restoration, Nitta Yoshisada ruled the province as the governor of Echigo, but during the Northern and Southern Court War, Uesugi Noriaki, appointed by the Ashikaga clan, defeated the Southern Court forces, including the Echigo Nitta clan, and strengthened the control of the Northern Court.

Echigo cloth, a specialty of Echigo since the Nara period, was also used for official ceremonial wear in the Muromachi period. The raw material, Aoso, was also a specialty of Echigo, and the Aosoza, which had a monopoly on its trade, transported it from Kashiwazaki and Fuchu to faraway Kyoto and Osaka. In 1207 (Shogen 1), Shinran was exiled to the provincial capital of Echigo due to the ban on exclusive chanting of the Nembutsu. The early Shin Buddhist sect was established as a result of Shinran's missionary activities in Echigo. After Uesugi Noriaki became the Shugo of Echigo in 1343 (Kokoku 4/Koei ​​2), the influence of the Uesugi clan grew within Echigo. However, they were soon replaced by their vassal, the Nagao clan. Uesugi Kenshin, the second son of Nagao Tamekage, suppressed the conflicts within Echigo, and at the height of his power he expanded his rule to include the three provinces of Sado, Etchu, and Noto, as well as parts of 12 other provinces, including Kaga, Echizen, Shinano, and Oshu. Kenshin's policies to encourage industry and culture led to the development of industry and transportation, and Kyoto culture was introduced into the area.

In 1598 (Keicho 3), Toyotomi Hideyoshi ordered Uesugi Kagekatsu to be transferred to Aizu, and afterwards the Hori clan and its subordinate feudal lords were transferred to Echigo. In the Edo period, feudal lords were replaced frequently, and by the end of the Tokugawa shogunate, the area had split into 11 small domains, hindering unified development. The low-lying marshes, including the many lagoons that remained in the Echigo Plain, were rapidly developed after the early modern period, when landlords and townspeople contributed to the reclamation of the land. As a result, the number of villages increased, and by the Tenpo period (1830-1844), 881 villages had been established, bringing the total number of villages in Echigo to 4,051. Echigo was home to large landowners such as the Ichijima, Saito, Shirose, and Tamaki families, who owned more than 1,000 chobu of land. Much of the cultivated land was placed under landlord management beyond the domain's boundaries, and the landlords exerted a strong influence over all aspects of the economy, society, and culture.

Since 1672 (Kanbun 12), with the development of the Nishimawari shipping route, Niigata Port (then Nagaoka Domain territory) developed as a distribution center for Echigo rice. As part of the Tenpo Reforms (1841), the shogunate privatized Niigata Port to strengthen its finances. The port produced many literary figures, including Ryokan from Izumozaki Town, Suzuki Bokushi from Shiozawa (Minamiuonuma City) who wrote "Hokuetsu Seppu," Takeuchi Shikibu who preached the idea of ​​revering the emperor to the nobles, and Honda Toshiaki who advocated mercantilist economic policies.

The Hokuetsu Boshin War of 1868 (Keio 4) drew the Echigo domains into its vortex. The Nagaoka domain led by Kawai Tsuginosuke put up a strong resistance to the government forces, but was eventually defeated and the former domain's power was eliminated. After the Meiji government was established, the domains were abolished and prefectures were established, and prefectures such as Niigata and Kashiwazaki were established. The present-day Niigata prefecture was formed in 1871 (Meiji 4) when Niigata, Kashiwazaki and Aikawa prefectures merged, and in 1886 it merged with part of Fukushima prefecture and Higashikanbara county to form the prefecture that exists today.

[Yoshitaka Nakamura]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

現在の新潟県の旧国名。北陸道に属する。上国。佐渡は743年（天平15）越後国に併合されたが、752年（天平勝宝4）ふたたび一国に復した。北陸から出羽(でわ)地方以南は古くは越国(こしのくに)とよばれていた。これが越前(えちぜん)、越中(えっちゅう)、越後と3地区に分かれたのは7世紀末ころであった。このころの越後は阿賀野(あがの)川、信濃(しなの)川合流河口以北で、その北東部は蝦夷(えみし)の勢力に接し、境は不明確であった。大化改新後の大和(やまと)朝廷は、この国に647年（大化3）渟足柵(ぬたりのき)、648年に磐舟柵(いわふねのき)を設置し、蝦夷征圧の前進基地とした。702年（大宝2）には親不知(おやしらず)から阿賀野川までの越中4郡（頸城(くびき)、魚沼(いおぬ)、古志(こし)、蒲原(かんばら)）を越後国に入れ、712年（和銅5）出羽国として成立した北部を除いて、越後の領域が形成された。

　706年（慶雲3）に威奈大村(いなのおおむら)が初代の越後国守に任ぜられ、ついで安部真君(あべのまきみ)が国守に任ぜられ、辺境越後の経営にあたった。越後での統治の中心、国府は、当初今府(いまぶ)（現妙高(みょうこう)市）に置かれ、その後国賀(こくが)の地に移り、さらに府中(ふちゅう)（現上越市）へと、関川を下って移動してきたと考えられている。

　東北地方から南下してきた武士の城(じょう)氏は、平安末期には越後一国を支配する棟梁(とうりょう)として成長した。源平争乱期には平氏一族の城氏は信濃の木曽義仲(きそよしなか)と対立、敗れて義仲が越後守(えちごのかみ)となった。その後源頼朝(よりとも)は越後を知行(ちぎょう)国として治め、佐々木盛綱(もりつな)が越後守護に任ぜられた。建武(けんむ)新政後は新田義貞(にったよしさだ)が越後守護として国内を領したが、南北朝争乱期、足利(あしかが)氏の任命した上杉憲顕(のりあき)は、越後新田氏などの南朝軍を破り北朝支配を強めた。

　奈良時代から越後の特産物であった越後布も室町時代には公式礼服に用いられた。原料の青苧(あおそ)も越後が特産地で、その売買を独占する青苧座の手により、柏崎(かしわざき)や府中から遠く京坂に運ばれた。1207年（承元1）親鸞(しんらん)が専修念仏(せんじゅねんぶつ)禁制によって越後国府に流罪になった。初期真宗教団は親鸞の越後での布教活動により成立した。1343年（興国4・康永2）上杉憲顕が越後守護になってから、越後国内は上杉氏の勢力が強まった。しかし、やがて家臣の長尾氏にとってかわられた。長尾為景(ためかげ)の二男、上杉謙信(けんしん)は、越後国内の抗争を押さえ、全盛時には佐渡、越中、能登(のと)の3か国や、加賀、越前、信濃、奥羽など12か国の一部にまで支配を広めた。謙信の殖産興業策・文化奨励策により産業、交通が発展し、京文化が流入した。

　1598年（慶長3）豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の命により、上杉景勝(かげかつ)が会津に移封され、そのあとに堀氏とその与力(よりき)大名が越後に入封した。江戸時代に入ると、大名の交代が激しく、幕末期には11の小藩に分立し、統一ある発展が阻害された。越後平野に残っていた多くの潟湖(せきこ)を含む低湿地は、近世期以降に各藩の干拓事業が地主、町人などの出資で行われ、急速に開発が進んだ。それに伴い村数も増加し、天保(てんぽう)期（1830～44）までに881村が成立、越後全体で4051村になった。こうした越後には、所有地1000町歩を超える巨大地主市島家、斎藤家、白勢(しろせ)家、田巻家などが輩出した。多くの耕地が藩領域を越えて地主経営下に置かれ、経済、社会、文化の各方面に地主の影響が強く及んだ。

　1672年（寛文12）以降、西廻(にしまわり)航路の発展とともに、新潟港（当時長岡藩領）は越後米の集散地として発展した。幕府は天保の改革（1841）の一環として新潟港を上知(あげち)し財政補強を図った。出雲崎(いずもざき)町出身の良寛(りょうかん)、『北越雪譜(ほくえつせっぷ)』を著した塩沢(しおざわ)（南魚沼(みなみうおぬま)市）の鈴木牧之(ぼくし)などの文人や、尊王論を公家(くげ)に説いた竹内式部(たけのうちしきぶ)、重商主義的な経済政策を説いた本多利明(としあき)などが輩出した。

　1868年（慶応4）の北越戊辰(ぼしん)戦争は越後諸藩をも渦中に巻き込んだ。河井継之助(つぎのすけ)の率いる長岡藩は官軍に強く抵抗したが、ついに敗れ、旧藩府勢力は排除された。明治政府確立後、廃藩置県によって、新潟、柏崎などの県が設置された。現在の新潟県は、1871年（明治4）に新潟、柏崎両県および相川県が合併、さらに86年に福島県の一部、東蒲原(ひがしかんばら)郡との合併によって今日に及んでいる。

［中村義隆］

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