Miyagi District, Miyagi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Miyagi District (宮城郡; -gun) is a district located in past Mutsu Province and today's Miyagi, Japan. The name of the prefecture was from this district.

Original terriotory was east-west long from Ōu Mountains to Pacific Ocean, including current Sendai, Shiogama, Tagajo cities. As of 2003, the district has an estimated population of 69,567 and a density of 620.80 persons per km². The total area is 112.06 km².

1 Towns and villages
2 History
3 References
4 Bibliography

[edit] Towns and villages

[edit] History

This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling.
You can assist by editing it now. A how-to guide is available. (January 2008)

Minami-Koizumi site had been a long time village or town site since 5th century A.D. in the district area. First appearance of Miyagi District in historical literature was 766 in Shoku Nihongi. It is supposed that Miyagi District was established by 8th century. Square field system of 8th century was formed around it between Hirose River and Nanakita River, The province capital of Mutsu was moved to Taga (today's Tagajo) from the Koriyam site of Natori District in 724. Residential area extended beyond the wall of Taga. In 785 Taga District and Shinakami District were divided from Miyagi but later annexed again.

Taga capital had been continued in Kamakura Period. But the city center move to west Iwakiri. In 1190 Isawa Iekage was appointed as the Governor Acting in Absence of Mutsu Province for resotring order after the Revolt of Ōkawa Kanetō. His descendants built their fief around Taga and changed their name to Rusu (literally 'acting in absence').

In the Nanboku-chō period of 14th century, Capital Taga had been an object of military campaigns between Southern and Northern Courts or inside of the Northern's. Rusu family had occupied the north part of the district, where was located Taga. But the fate of Ruse had been easily swinged by the battles between govenors of Mutsu or Ōshū.^[1] Theey were strong generals sent from central government or shogunate. Besides Rusu, some samurai clans were known in south and west part of the district; Ōkōchi, tenacious warriors for the Southern Court; Kokubun, the lord around Provincial Temple (Kukubun-ji) of Mutsu; Hachiman clan, descendants of a past vicegovernor of Mutsu.

Long war broke the unity of Mutsu and the function of its capital. After the governor Ōsaki left, the rule of the district was divided by Rusu and Kokubun. They struggled each other. Finally Date clan's influence reached to Miyagi and sent to its children as child-in-law and successors of the heads of families. Then Rusu Masakage and Kokubun Morishige became commanders of Date Masamune, fought many battles for Date's dominance over Tohoku region. Two held only nominal independence to Date for the porpuse of placating the retainers of families.

When Masamune surrendered to the new samurai Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1890, Rusu was abandoned and Kokubun was formally regarded a subject of Date. Miyagi district becamed a part of the territory of Date clan. In 1600, just after the Battle of Sekigahara, Masamune decided to build and move to the Sendai Castle in Miyagi District. After that the district was developed as the suburb of new Sendai town. Sendai town have been ruled as a different area from the rest since then.

Meiji government divided Mutsu Province to three in 1869. Miyagi District was belonged to Rikuzen Province. The population except Sendai in 1889 was 60,518.

[edit] References

^ Ōshū is another name of Mutsu. The South appointed Governors of Mutsu (Mutsu-no-Kami 陸奥守) and the North sent Governors of Ōshū (Ōshū Tandai 奥州探題).

[edit] Bibliography

Committee for Editing the Miyagi Prefecture History (under Miyagi Prefecture), Miyagi Prefecture History, vol.2, Gyōsei, reprinted in 1987. (original version was published in 1956). 宮城県史編纂委員会『宮城県史』（2、近世史）、ぎょうせい。