Iwaki Province (1868) facts for kids
Imagine Japan long ago, before it had prefectures like today. It had "provinces" instead! One of these was called Iwaki Province (磐城国 (Iwaki-no kuni), pronounced Ee-wah-kee).
It was located in the area we now know as Fukushima Prefecture on Japan's main island, Honshū. The name 'Iwaki' means 'rock castle' or 'rock fortress'. This particular Iwaki Province was quite new, only existing for a very short time, from 1868 to 1869. Sometimes, people also called it Ōshū (奥州 (Oh-shoo)).
A Short History of Iwaki Province
This version of Iwaki Province was created during a big change in Japan called the Meiji Restoration. This was a time when Japan moved from an old system, where powerful lords called daimyo ruled different areas, to a new system with a central government.
Before this change, during the Edo period, a powerful family known as the Date clan were important leaders, or daimyo, in this region. They controlled a large area of land.
Iwaki Province was officially created in 1868. However, Japan was changing very quickly. The new government soon decided to reorganize the country again. Because of these rapid changes, Iwaki Province only existed for about a year before the system of provinces was replaced by the modern system of prefectures in 1869.
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