Shiribeshi Province

Shiribeshi Province (後志国, Shiribeshi-no-kuni) was a short-lived province in Hokkaidō.^[1] It corresponded to Shiribeshi Subprefecture minus Abuta District plus the northern part of Hiyama Subprefecture.

History

After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido;^[2] and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Shiribeshi Province.^[1]

In 1882, the Hokkaido region was separated into three prefectures — Hakodate Prefecture (函館県), Sapporo Prefecture (札幌県), and Nemuro Prefecture (根室県). In 1886, the three prefectures were abolished, and Hokkaido was put under the Hokkaido Agency (北海道庁).^[3] At the same time, the Shiribeshi Province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Shiribeshi is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the United States and (b) between Japan and the United Kingdom.^[4]

Timeline

659—the area named "Shiribeshi" first appears in Japanese historical records. The Nihon Shoki records that Abe no Hirafu (fl. 7th century) was dispatched by the imperial government in Kyoto to subdue the aboriginal inhabitants of the area, referred to as emishi.^[5]
1869—use of the Hokkaido name started^[2]
August 15, 1869—Shiribeshi Province established with 17 districts
1872—Census finds 19,098 inhabitants of Shiribeshi Province
1882—prefectures established^[3]
1886—Hokkaido Agency established^[3]
1947—Hokkaido Prefecture established^[3]

Districts

Kudō (久遠郡)
Okushiri (奥尻郡)
Futoru (太櫓郡) Dissolved April 1, 1955 when Futoru Village merged with Tōsetana Town from Setana District to form Kitahiyama Town
Setana (瀬棚郡)
Shimamake (島牧郡)
Suttsu (寿都郡)
Utasutsu (歌棄郡) Dissolve January 15, 1955 when Utasutsu Village was incorporated into Suttsu Town, Suttsu District, Neppu Village merged with Suttsu District's Kuromatsunai Village and part of Tarukishi Village to form Sanwa Village (now Kuromatsunai Town)
Isoya (磯屋郡, later respelled 磯谷郡)
Iwanai (岩内郡)
Furuu (古宇郡)
Shakotan (積丹郡)
Bikuni (美国郡) Dissolved September 30, 1956 when Bikuni Town was incorporated into Shakotan Town, Shakotan District.
Furubira (古平郡)
Yoichi (余市郡)
Oshoro (忍路郡) Dissolved April 1, 1958 when Shioya? Village was incorporated into Otaru City
Takashima (高島郡) Dissolved September 1, 1940 when Takashima Town was incorporated into Otaru
Otaru (小樽郡) Dissolved September 1, 1940 when Asato? Village was incorporated into Otaru

Notes

^ ^a ^b Satow, Ernest. (1882). "The Geography of Japan" in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vols. 1-2, p. 88., p. 33, at Google Books
^ ^a ^b Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hokkaido," Japan Encyclopedia, p. 343.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, "History of Development in Hokkaido," Archived 2013-01-05 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2013-3-22.
^ US Department of State. (1906). A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements (John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759.
^ ニセコ積丹小樽海岸国定公園 [Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park] (in Japanese). Sapporo, Hokkaido: Hokkaido Government. 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.

References

Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128
Papinot, Edmond. (1910). Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha. OCLC 77691250

[satow88-1] Satow, Ernest. (1882). "The Geography of Japan" in Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan, Vols. 1-2, p. 88., p. 33, at Google Books

[nussbaum343-2] Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Hokkaido," Japan Encyclopedia, p. 343.

[bureau-3] Hokkaido Regional Development Bureau, "History of Development in Hokkaido," Archived 2013-01-05 at the Wayback Machine; retrieved 2013-3-22.

[4] US Department of State. (1906). A digest of international law as embodied in diplomatic discussions, treaties and other international agreements (John Bassett Moore, ed.), Vol. 5, p. 759.

[5] ニセコ積丹小樽海岸国定公園 [Niseko-Shakotan-Otaru Kaigan Quasi-National Park] (in Japanese). Sapporo, Hokkaido: Hokkaido Government. 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.

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v t e Former provinces of Japan (List)
Kinai	Izumi Kawachi Settsu Yamashiro Yamato Yoshino 716–738
Tōkaidō	Awa Hitachi Iga Ise Izu Kai Kazusa Mikawa Musashi Owari Sagami Shima Shimōsa Suruga Tōtōmi
Tōsandō	Dewa -1869 Hida Iwaki 718–724 Iwaki 1869– Iwase 718–724 Iwashiro 1869– Kōzuke Mino Ōmi Mutsu –1869 Rikuō (or Mutsu) 1869– Rikuchū 1869– Rikuzen 1869– Shimotsuke Shinano Suwa 721–731 Ugo 1869– Uzen 1869–
Hokurikudō	Echigo Echizen Etchū Kaga Noto Sado Wakasa
San'indō	Hōki Inaba Izumo Iwami Oki Tajima Tanba Tango
San'yōdō	Aki Bingo Bitchū Bizen Harima Mimasaka Nagato Suō
Nankaidō	Awa Awaji Iyo Kii Sanuki Tosa
Saikaidō	Bungo Buzen Chikugo Chikuzen Higo Hizen Hyūga Iki Ōsumi Satsuma Tane 702–824 Tsushima
Hokkaidō 1869–	Chishima Hidaka Iburi Ishikari Kitami Kushiro Nemuro Oshima Shiribeshi Teshio Tokachi
Pre-Taihō Code provinces	Chichibu Fusa Hi Keno Kibi Koshi Kumaso Toyo Tsukushi
Source: Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books; excerpt, "Japan's former provinces were converted into prefectures by the Meiji government ... [and] grouped, according to geographic position, into the 'five provinces of the Kinai' and 'seven circuits'."