List of han

The list of han or domains in the Tokugawa period (1603–1868) changed from time to time during the Edo period. Han were feudal domains that formed the effective basis of administration in Tokugawa-era Japan. The Han are given according to their domain seat/castle town by modern region (-chihō, roughly comparable to ancient circuits, -dō) and ancient province (kuni/-shū, roughly comparable to modern prefectures, -to/-dō/-fu/-ken). Han usually comprised territories around/near the capital, but were beyond that in many cases disconnected and distributed over several provinces.

Map of Japan, 1855 – The major Sengoku period feudal domains between 1564 and 1573.

A Japanese/Cyrillic 1789 map of Japan showing provincial borders and the castle towns of han and major shogunate castles/cities

Map of Japan, 1855 with provinces.

Map of Japan, 1871 with provinces.

The han system was abolished by the Meiji government in 1871 when all remaining -han were transformed into -ken ("prefectures"). In several waves of mergers, splits and territorial transfers – the first major consolidation followed immediately in 1871/72 – the prefectures were reorganized to encompass contiguous, compact territories, no longer resembling Edo period han, but in many cases territorially identical to provinces which had remained the most important primary geographical subdivision even during feudal times.[1][2]