Bitchū Province

Overview

Bitchū Province (備中国, Bitchū no Kuni) was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called Bishū (備州), together with the neighbouring provinces of Bizen and Bingo. Those three provinces were settled in the late 7th century, when the former Kibi Province was divided. Bitchū bordered Hōki, Mimasaka, Bizen, and Bingo Provinces.

The province existed as an administrative unit until 1871, when the provinces were reorganized into prefectures during the Meiji period (1868–1912). By that time, the dominant city was the port of Kurashiki.

History

The ancient capital and temples were built around Sōja. For much of the Muromachi period, the province was dominated by the Hosokawa clan, who resided in Shikoku and allowed the province a degree of independence. During the Sengoku period, other clans fought over Bitchū, and Oda Nobunaga and Mōri Terumoto were fighting in the province when Oda died, leading to a division of the province.

After 1600, the province was divided among a variety of han (fiefs), and included a number of castles. The domain of Bitchū-Matsuyama was among the most prominent, and the province also contained the domains of Ashimori, Niimi, Okada, Niwase, Nariwa, and Asao. The Bitchū Conflict, a military engagement in the province, is recorded among the events of the period.

The province was the birthplace of Kobayakawa Hideaki, a daimyō who played a significant role in the campaigns of the late Sengoku period, and of Sesshū Tōyō, the celebrated painter of the Muromachi period.

Territory and Influence

Bitchū lay on the Inland Sea coast of western Honshū, in the area now occupied by western Okayama Prefecture. Its position on the sea made it a point of contact between the islands of Honshū and Shikoku, and the Hosokawa clan, based in Shikoku, exercised influence over the province from across the water. The province’s territory included the port city of Kurashiki, which grew in importance over time and became the dominant urban centre by the end of the provincial era.

The province was bordered by Hōki to the west, Mimasaka to the north, Bizen to the east, and Bingo to the west. Its location placed it between the older heartlands of the Kibi region and the western provinces that were long contested by the great warlord houses.

The Name in Japanese

The Japanese name is 備中国, read in kana as びっちゅうのくに (Bitchū no Kuni). In romaji, the full name is Bitchū no Kuni, and the province is commonly referred to simply as Bitchū.

The name breaks down as follows:

• 備 (bi) — meaning "provide" or "prepare." This character is shared with the neighbouring provinces of Bizen (備前) and Bingo (備後), all three deriving from the old Kibi (吉備) region. The character was chosen to represent the sound "bi" from Kibi.
• 中 (chū) — meaning "middle" or "center." This character places Bitchū as the middle province among the three that divided the old Kibi territory.
• 国 (kuni) — meaning "country" or "province." This is the standard suffix for Japanese provinces.

The reading of the first two characters together, 備中, is Bitchū, with the small っ (sokuon) indicating the doubled consonant. The full phrase 備中国 (Bitchū no Kuni) literally means "the middle province of the Bi region."

Legacy

The name Bitchū survives in the modern geography of Okayama Prefecture. The city of Sōja, site of the ancient provincial capital and temples, retains its historical identity, and Kurashiki, the port that rose to prominence in the late provincial period, remains a major city in the region. The domains that divided the province after 1600 — Ashimori, Bitchū-Matsuyama, Niimi, Okada, Niwase, Nariwa, and Asao — are remembered through castle ruins and local historical associations.

The province is also remembered through its people. Kobayakawa Hideaki, born in Bitchū, became one of the most powerful daimyō of his generation, while Sesshū Tōyō, also born in the province, is regarded as one of the greatest masters of Japanese ink painting. The Bitchū Conflict remains a noted event in the military history of the region.