Oki Province - Okinokuni

The former name of the islands that lie in the Sea of ​​Japan, 44km north of the Shimane Peninsula. They belong to Shimane Prefecture. The islands consist of four large islands and about 180 uninhabited small islands. The three islands closest to the mainland, Nakanoshima, Nishinoshima, and Chiburishima, are called Dozen, and the large island that lies 12km northeast of Dozen is called Dogo. According to the Engishiki, there were two counties, Chiburi and Ama, in Dozen, and two counties, Suki and Ochi, in Dogo. The provincial capital has been confirmed to be Shimonishi, Okinoshima Town, Dogo. The home of the Oki family, head priests of Tamawakasu-no-Mikoto Shrine, close to the site of the former provincial office, is home to the Ekirei station bell and the Okisoin seal (both designated as Important Cultural Properties by the government).

The shugo of the Kamakura period was the lineage of Sasaki Yoshikiyo, the Yamana clan during the Northern and Southern Court period, and the Kyogoku clan during the Muromachi period, and throughout the Middle Ages, they served as the shugo of Izumo Province concurrently. During the Sengoku period, it came under the control of the Amago clan, but after the Amago clan's demise, it came under the control of the Mori clan. After the Battle of Sekigahara, the Horio clan and then the Kyogoku clan were appointed governors of Izumo and Oki provinces, and sent deputies to Oki. In 1638 (Kan'ei 15), when Matsudaira Naomasa became lord of Matsue Domain, Oki was incorporated into the Shogunate's Tenryo and made a depositary of the Matsue Domain, and was governed by district governors and deputies sent from the domain. However, in 1687 (Jokyo 4), the third feudal lord Matsudaira Tsunachika returned control of Oki, and for the next 34 years it was under the control of the Iwami Ginzan Domain Magistrate. In 1720 (Kyoho 5), the shogunate once again gave control of Oki to the Matsue Domain, a control that continued until the end of the Edo period. Thus, the control of Oki in the early modern period was complicated, and this led to the Oki Uprising in 1868 (Meiji 1), in which the county magistrates were expelled and self-governing institutions were established, and the complete abolition of Buddhism and the rejection of Buddhism the following year. Oki has been known as an island of exiles since ancient times, and many people were exiled there, including Emperor Gotoba and Emperor Godaigo, Ono no Takamura in the Heian period, and Asukai Masakata in the Edo period.

In 1868, it came under the jurisdiction of the Tottori Domain, and in February of the following year, it became independent as Oki Prefecture. In August of the same year, it was incorporated into Omori Prefecture, and in 1870, it became Hamada Prefecture. However, in November of the following year, it was separated and became part of Shimane Prefecture, and in December it became part of Tottori Prefecture, and then in 1876, it was returned to being part of Shimane Prefecture.

[Da. T. Fujioka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

島根半島の北方、最短距離で44キロメートルの日本海に浮かぶ島嶼(とうしょ)の旧国名。島根県に属す。島嶼は四つの大きな島と約180の無人小島からなる。本土に近い中ノ島、西ノ島、知夫里島(ちぶりしま)の3島を島前(どうぜん)、島前の北東12キロメートルに浮かぶ大きな島を島後(どうご)という。『延喜式(えんぎしき)』によると、島前に知夫(ちぶり)、海部(あま)の2郡、島後に周吉(すき)、穏地(おち)の2郡があった。国府は島後の隠岐の島町下西(しもにし)において確認されている。国庁跡に近い玉若酢命(たまわかすのみこと)神社の社家億岐(おき)氏宅には、駅鈴(えきれい)と隠伎倉印(おきそういん)（いずれも国指定重要文化財）が所蔵されている。

　鎌倉期の守護は佐々木義清(よしきよ)の系統、南北朝期は山名(やまな)氏、室町期は京極(きょうごく)氏と、中世を通じてほとんど出雲(いずも)国守護との兼任であった。戦国期、尼子(あまご)氏の支配に入ったが、尼子滅亡後は毛利(もうり)氏の支配するところとなった。関ヶ原の戦い後、堀尾(ほりお)氏、ついで京極氏が出雲・隠岐2国の太守に任じられ、隠岐に代官を派遣した。1638年（寛永15）松平直政(なおまさ)が松江藩主となるや、隠岐は幕府天領に編入され、松江藩預地(あずかりち)とされ、藩から郡代、代官を派遣して治めた。しかし、1687年（貞享4）3代藩主松平綱近(つなちか)は、隠岐の統治を返還したので、以後34年間石見(いわみ)銀山領代官の支配下に置かれた。1720年（享保5）幕府はふたたび松江藩に隠岐を兼管させ、爾来(じらい)幕末に及んだ。このように、近世の隠岐支配は複雑であったが、このことが、1868年（明治1）郡代を放逐して自治機関をつくる隠岐騒動、その翌年の徹底した廃仏棄釈(はいぶつきしゃく)につながるのである。隠岐は古代から流人(るにん)の島といわれ、後鳥羽(ごとば)上皇、後醍醐(ごだいご)天皇をはじめ、平安時代の小野篁(おののたかむら)、江戸時代の飛鳥井雅賢(あすかいまさかた)など多数の人々が配流された。

　1868年鳥取藩の管轄下に入り、翌年2月隠岐県として独立、同年8月大森県に編入されて、70年浜田県となったが、翌年11月分離して島根県に入り、12月には鳥取県に、さらに76年島根県に復した。

［藤岡大拙］

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