Osumi Province - Osumi no Kuni

A province in the Kyushu region of the Saikaido. Together with Satsuma and Hyuga, it was formerly known as the Okusanshu (Three Oku Provinces). It corresponds to the eastern half of present-day Kagoshima Prefecture. It is centered on the Osumi Peninsula and consists of inland areas, coastal areas, and islands such as Tanegashima and Yakushima. It was an ancient Sono Kuni province, and was originally part of Hyuga and the base of the Kumaso and Hayato clans. Powerful clans such as the Osumi Atai, Sono Kimi, and Kajiki Agata Nushi divided their territories into two regions, and there are many Takatsuka-style ancient tombs in the area around the Kimotsuki River in the southeastern part of the peninsula, which are believed to be their tombs. In 713 (Wado 6), the four districts of Kimotsuki, Soo, Osumi, and Aira in Hyuga Province were separated to create Osumi Province. Later, Kuwabara District was separated from Soo District, and in 755 (Tenpyo Shoho 7), Hishikari District was newly established to the north. In 824 (Tencho 1), Taneshima was abolished and combined with Osumi Province, and two districts, Kumage and Gomu, were established. The rank was Chugoku, and the provincial capital was located in Kuwabara District (Kokubu Fuchu, Kirishima City). In 720 (Yoro 4), the Osumi Hayato rebelled, and the provincial governor, Yakonofuhitomaru, was killed. The Imperial Court dispatched Otomo no Tabito as the Shogun to subjugate the Hayato people. As a remote border province, along with Satsuma, the implementation of the land allotment system was delayed, and it was not until 800 (Enryaku 19) that it was finally implemented.

Shimazu Manor, established in Hyuga Province in the early 11th century, expanded to Osumi Province through donations from local governors and powerful clans, and according to the Osumi Province Map of Fields of 1197 (Kenkyu 8), it came to occupy 1,465 cho of the total 3,017 cho of rice fields in the country. Similarly, the territory of Sho Hachimangu Shrine, the Ichinomiya of Osumi Province, also occupied 1,296 cho, with about half of each being Ichien territory and Hanfu territory. The ancient county and village system also fell into disarray, and the area was divided into more than 20 counties, inns, and villages, including Sono County, Ogawa In, Kuwanotou Village, and Kuwasai Village, and the governors and bensaishi of each of these counties played an active role as powerful local warriors (there were more than 30 Kamakura Gokenin Kyomyo). The position of Shugo was held by the Shimazu clan at the beginning of the Kamakura period, later replaced by the Hojo clan, and briefly by the Chiba clan as well. During the Nanboku-cho period, the Shimazu and Hatakeyama clans fought over control, and Shimazu Ujihisa inherited the position of Shugo of Osumi Province as a hereditary position, and during the Muromachi period, his sons Motohisa and Hisatoyo inherited it. However, the powerful clans of Hishikari, Gamo, Yoshida, Saisho, Kajiki, Kimotsuki, and Nejime did not easily submit to their rule, and it was not until the reign of Takahisa, Yoshihisa, and Yoshihiro at the end of the Sengoku period that the area was finally unified as the Shimazu clan's territory. In 1587 (Tensho 15), Toyotomi Hideyoshi's invasion threatened their possession of the territory, but after the Taiko land survey, their sovereignty was strengthened. During this time, the borders were changed, such as Yoshida-in being transferred from Osumi Province to Satsuma Province. In his later years, Yoshihisa moved from Tomikuma to Kokubu, while Yoshihiro moved to Kurino, Hiramatsu, Chosa, and other areas before establishing his residence in Kajiki, and they assisted Iehisa, who was in charge of the Kagoshima Castle. During the Edo period, the area remained as the territory of the Shimazu clan until the end of the Tokugawa shogunate. In 1871 (Meiji 4), the abolition of the feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures resulted in all of Osumi being incorporated into Kagoshima Prefecture, but in the same year, Miyakonojo Prefecture was established, and Osumi was temporarily incorporated into that prefecture, but in 1873, when Miyakonojo Prefecture was abolished, it was once again under the jurisdiction of Kagoshima Prefecture.

Since ancient times, the population has been sparser than that of Satsuma, and in the early modern period, people were actively relocated, and the development of Kasanohara and new fields in various places was promoted, but even today the population density is still low in contrast to Satsuma. The main industry was agriculture, with sweet potatoes, sugar cane, rapeseed, tobacco, etc. being produced in large quantities, and livestock farming was also thriving. There are also many ancient historical sites, such as Hayatozuka (Hayatocho, Kirishima City), the ruins of Kokubunji Temple and Daimyoji Temple (same city).

[Katsuo Gomi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

西海道(さいかいどう)九州の一国。薩摩(さつま)・日向(ひゅうが)とともに奥三州とよばれた。現在の鹿児島県の東半部にあたる。大隅半島を中心に、内陸部、沿海部と種子島(たねがしま)、屋久島(やくしま)などの島嶼(とうしょ)部とからなる。古(いにしえ)の襲国(そのくに)にあたり、初めは日向の一部で熊襲(くまそ)、隼人(はやと)の根拠地。大隅直(あたい)や、曽君(そのきみ)、加士伎県主(かじきあがたぬし)らの豪族が割拠し、半島南東部肝属(きもつき)川付近一帯にその墓と思われる高塚式古墳が多い。713年（和銅6）日向国肝坏(きもつき)、囎唹(そお)、大隅、姶(あいら)の4郡を割いて大隅国を創設。その後囎唹郡より桑原郡を分出、755年（天平勝宝7）には菱刈(ひしかり)郡をその北に新設、824年（天長1）には多褹島(たねのしま)を廃して大隅国にあわせ、熊毛(くまげ)、馭謨(ごむ)の2郡を置いた。等級は中国、国府は桑原郡（霧島(きりしま)市国分(こくぶ)府中）にあった。720年（養老4）大隅隼人の反乱があり、国守陽候史麻呂(やこのふひとまろ)が殺された。朝廷は大伴旅人(おおとものたびと)を征隼人大将軍として派遣、鎮定した。辺境の遠国として薩摩とともに班田制の施行も遅れ、800年（延暦19）ようやく実施をみた。

　11世紀初め日向国に開創の島津荘(しょう)は、郡司ら地方豪族の寄進により大隅国にも拡大、1197年（建久8）の「大隅国図田帳(ずでんちょう)」によれば、国内全田数3017町余のうち1465町余を占めるに至った。同じく大隅国一宮(いちのみや)たる正八幡宮(しょうはちまんぐう)領も1296町余を占め、それぞれ約半分宛(ずつ)が一円領および半不輸領であった。古代の郡郷制も乱れ、曽野(その)郡、小河(おがわ)院、桑東(くわのとう)郷、桑西郷などあわせて20余の郡、院、郷に分かれ、その各郡司、弁済使(べんさいし)などが地方有力武士として活躍した（30余名の鎌倉御家人交名(ごけにんきょうみょう)あり）。守護は鎌倉時代初め島津氏で、のち北条氏にかわり、一時千葉氏も就任した。南北朝時代には島津氏と畠山(はたけやま)氏が支配権をめぐって争い、島津氏久(うじひさ)は大隅国守護(しゅご)職を世襲、室町時代には、子の元久(もとひさ)、久豊(ひさとよ)らが相続した。しかし菱刈、蒲生(かもう)、吉田、税所(さいしょ)、加治木(かじき)、肝付(きもつき)、禰寝(ねじめ)氏などの諸豪族は容易にその支配に服さず、戦国末期の貴久(たかひさ)、義久(よしひさ)、義弘(よしひろ)の代に至ってようやく島津氏領国として統一された。1587年（天正15）の豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉の進攻により、一時その領有を脅かされたが、太閤(たいこう)検地を経てその領主権はかえって強化された。この間、吉田院が大隅国から薩摩国に編入されるなど国境の変更もあった。義久は晩年富隈(とみのくま)より国分に、義弘は栗野(くりの)、平松、帖佐(ちょうさ)などを経て加治木に居館を構え、鹿児島居城の家久(いえひさ)の統治を助けた。江戸時代も、島津氏の所領として幕末に至る。1871年（明治4）の廃藩置県の結果、大隅はすべて鹿児島県に編入されたが、同年都城(みやこのじょう)県の新設により一時同県に編入、73年その廃止によりふたたび鹿児島県の所管に帰している。

　古来、薩摩に比し人口が過疎で、近世には積極的に人移しが行われ、笠之原(かさのはら)の開拓や、各地の新田開発が進められてきたが、なお現在に至るも人口密度は薩摩と対照的に低い。産業は農業が主で、甘藷(かんしょ)、甘蔗(かんしゃ)、菜種(なたね)、煙草(たばこ)などが多くつくられ、牧畜も盛んであった。隼人塚（霧島市隼人町）、国分寺跡・台明寺(だいみょうじ)跡（同市）などの古代史跡も多い。

［五味克夫］

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