Musashi Province facts for kids
Musashi Province (武蔵国 (Musashi no kuni)) was an old area or "province" in Japan. It was located on the island of Honshū. Today, this area includes parts of Tokyo Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, and Kanagawa Prefecture. Sometimes, people called it Bushū (error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help)).
Musashi Province shared its borders with several other provinces: Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, Shimōsa, and Shimotsuke Province.
The ancient capital city of Musashi Province was near Fuchu. Later, during the Sengoku period, the most important city in the province became Edo, which is now modern-day Tokyo.
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History of Musashi Province
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Tōkaidō road was a very important route. It connected the Imperial capital in Kyoto with Edo, the main city of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This important road passed right through Musashi Province.
In the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan changed its old provinces into new areas called prefectures. The maps of Japan and Musashi Province were updated in the 1870s to reflect these changes.
A famous warship, the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship Musashi, was named after this old province.
You might know the Tokyo Sky Tree, a very tall tower. It is 634 m (2,080 ft) high. The numbers 6 (mu), 3 (sa), and 4 (shi) sound like "Musashi." This is a special way to remember the old name for the area where the Tokyo Sky Tree stands today.
Important Events in Musashi
In the year 707, copper was discovered in Musashi Province. This was a big deal because it was the first time copper was found in Japan. Before this, Japan had to get copper from other countries.
The discovery was so important that the name of the era was changed to Wadō in 708. Wa is an old Japanese word for Japan, and dō means copper. So, Wadō means "Japanese copper."
On May 5, 708, a sample of this new copper was shown to Empress Gemmei. The Wadō era is also famous for the first official Japanese coin, called wadokaiho or wadokaichin.
In 1590, during the Siege of Odawara, two important areas called Iwatsuki Domain and Oshi Domain were established in Musashi Province.
Shrines and Temples
The most important Shinto shrine in Musashi Province was Hikawa jinja. There are also many smaller shrines that are connected to it.
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: Provincia de Musashi para niños
