Inaba Province

Inaba Province (因幡国, Inaba-no kuni) was a former province in the area that is today the eastern half of Tottori Prefecture in the San'in region of Japan.[1][2] Inaba was bordered by Hōki, Mimasaka, Harima and Tajima Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Inshū (因州). In terms of the Gokishichidō system, Inaba was one of the provinces of the San'indo circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, Inaba was ranked as one of the 35 "superior countries" (上国) in terms of importance, and one of the "near countries" (近国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital was located in what is now the city of Tottori. The ichinomiya of the province is the Ube shrine also located in the city of Tottori.[3]

Hiroshige ukiyo-e "Inaba" in "The Famous Scenes of the Sixty States" (六十余州名所図会), depicting Kajikoyama
Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Inaba Province highlighted

History

"Inaba" has been written in a variety of kanji. The ancient Kojiki uses "稲羽", whereas the Kujiki uses "稲葉" to name only a couple of examples. Inaba has been settled since the Japanese Paleolithic and the remains of Yayoi and Kofun period settlements and burial mounds have been found in several locations. During the late Kofun period to Asuka period, the Inaba kuni no miyatsuko was the Ifukube clan. A princess from this clan (Ifukibe no Tokotari) served as maid of honor at the court of Emperor Mommu and her grave in what is now the city of Tottori is a National Historic Site. During the Muromachi period, the Yamana clan were nominally shugo of the province; however, their control over the province was very weak, and local warlords and aggressive neighbors often usurped Yamana authority. In the Sengoku period, the province was a contested area between the Mōri clan and Oda Nobunaga, with Nobunaga's general, Hashiba Hideyoshi eventually seizing control. In the Edo period, the entire province was ruled by a branch of the Ikeda clan as part of the 320,000 koku Tottori Domain centered on Tottori Castle..

Following the Meiji restoration and the abolition of the han system in 1871, Inaba became part of Tottori Prefecture on August 29,1871. However, Tottori was merged into Shimane Prefecture on August 21, 1876. It was separated back out on September 12, 1881.

Per the early Meiji period Kyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō (旧高旧領取調帳), an official government assessment of the nation’s resources, the province had 565 villages with a total kokudaka of 193,336 koku.

Bakumatsu period domains
NameClanTypekokudaka
TottoriIkeda clanShinpan equivalent320,000 koku
Districts of Inaba Province
DistrictkokudakaVillages|Notes
Chizu District (智頭郡)16,613 koku98 villagesChizu, part of Tottorimerged with Hattō and Yakami Districts to become Yazu District (八頭郡) on March 29, 1896
Hattō District (八東郡)26,005 koku91 villagesWakasa, Yazumerged with Chizu and Yakami Districts to become Yazu District on March 29, 1896
Hōmi District (法美郡)20,439 koku62 villagesTottorimerged with Iwai and Ōmi Districts to become Iwami District (岩美郡) on March 29, 1896
Iwai District (岩井郡)22,258 koku51 villagesIwamimerged with Hōmi and Ōmi Districts to become Iwami District on March 29, 1896
Keta District (気多郡)26,923 koku83 villagesTottorimerged with Takakusa District to become Ketaka District (気高郡) on March 29, 1896
Ōmi District (邑美郡)17,807 koku35 villagesTottori merged with Hōmi and Iwai Districts to become Iwami District on March 29, 1896
Takakusa District (高草郡)39,865 koku82 villagesTottorimerged with Keta District to become Ketaka District on March 29, 1896
Yakami District (八上郡)23,423 koku63 villagesTottori, part of Yazumerged with Chizu and Hattō Districts to become Yazu District on March 29, 1896
  • ruins of Tottori Castle
    ruins of Tottori Castle
  • Ikeda Yoshinori, last daimyō of Tottori
    Ikeda Yoshinori, last daimyō of Tottori
  • Inaba Kokufu ruins
    Inaba Kokufu ruins
  • Inaba Kokubun-ji ruins
    Inaba Kokubun-ji ruins
  • Ube Shrine, ichinomiya of Inaba Province
    Ube Shrine, ichinomiya of Inaba Province

Notes
  1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Inaba" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 411, p. 411, at Google Books.
  2. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Inaba" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 385, p. 385, at Google Books.
  3. "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 2. Archived 2013-05-17 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2011-08-09

References
  • Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

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