, often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Nagato" in . Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces.
History Although the ancient capital of the province was Shimonoseki, Hagi was the seat of the Chōshū han (fief or domain) during the Edo period. Nagato was ruled by the Mōri clan before and after the Battle of Sekigahara.
In 1871 with the abolition of feudal domains and the establishment of prefectures (Haihan Chiken) after the Meiji Restoration, the provinces of Nagato and Suō were combined to eventually establish Yamaguchi Prefecture. At the same time, the province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Nagato is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the United States and (b) between Japan and the United Kingdom.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.
Historically, the oligarchy that came into power after the Meiji Restoration of 1868 had a strong representation from the Chōshū province, as Itō Hirobumi, Yamagata Aritomo, and Kido Kōin were from there. Other natives famous for their role in the restoration include Yoshida Shōin, Takasugi Shinsaku, and Kusaka Genzui among others.
The Japanese battleship Nagato was named after this province.
Shrines and temples
Sumiyoshi jinja was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Nagato. "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 3; retrieved 2012-11-20.
Historical districts Yamaguchi Prefecture Abu District (阿武郡) - absorbed Mishima District on April 1, 1896 Asa District (厚狭郡) - dissolved Mine District (美祢郡) - dissolved Mishima District (見島郡) - merged into Abu District on April 1, 1896 Ōtsu District (大津郡) - dissolved Toyoura District (豊浦郡) - dissolved
Maps
See also List of Historic Sites of Japan (Yamaguchi) Chōshū Five Nagato City
Notes
References Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ; OCLC 58053128 Papinot, Edmond. (1910). Historical and Geographic Dictionary of Japan. Tokyo: Librarie Sansaisha. OCLC 77691250
External links
"Nagato Province" at JapaneseCastleExplorer.com Murdoch's map of provinces, 1903