Kii Province facts for kids

Map of Japanese provinces (1868) with Kii Province highlighted

Kii Province (紀伊国, Kii no Kuni), also known as Kishū (紀州), was an old province in Japan. It was located in the area that is now Wakayama Prefecture and part of Mie Prefecture on the island of Honshū.

Kii Province shared its borders with several other provinces: Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Provinces.

History of Kii Province

A beautiful view of Kii Province, from a woodblock print by Hiroshige in the 19th century

During the Edo period (1603-1868), a powerful family known as the Kii branch of the Tokugawa clan controlled Kii Province. Their main base was a large castle located in the city of Wakayama.

Later, in the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan went through many big changes. The old provinces, like Kii, were changed into a new system of areas called prefectures. The maps of Japan and Kii Province were updated during the 1870s to show these new administrative divisions.

Important Shrines and Temples

Hinokuma-Kunikakasu jinjū was a very important Shinto shrine in Kii Province. It was known as the chief shrine, or ichinomiya, of the province.

Related Pages

• Provinces of Japan
• Prefectures of Japan
• List of regions of Japan
• List of islands of Japan