Musashi Province (武蔵国, Musashi no Kuni; Japanese pronunciation: [mɯꜜ.sa.ɕi (no kɯ.ɲi)]) was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called Bushū (武州). The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, Shimōsa, and Shimotsuke Provinces.
Musashi was the largest province in the Kantō region.
Minamitama (南多摩郡, Minamitama-gun, South Tama) was a district or county (gun) of Tokyo (Metropolis/Prefecture), Japan. It was created in the early Meiji era when the old Tama District of Musashi Province was divided into four parts and split between Kanagawa and Tokyo. It lost its status as an administrative unit in the 1920s when county governments and councils were abolished across the country. As a geographical unit, it ceased to exist in 1971 when its last two remaining municipalities were promoted to independent cities.
Kitatama (北多摩郡, Kita-Tama-gun, North Tama) was a district located in the Japanese Prefecture of Kanagawa from 1878 to 1893 and then in the Prefecture of Tokyo until 1970.
In 1878, the Meiji government made the first step to introduce modern administrative divisions on the municipal level: The districts (gun) were created from the pre-modern districts (gun or kōri) with their towns and villages. The old Tama District of Musashi Province was divided into four parts: Eastern Tama (Higashitama) became part of Tokyo Prefecture and the three other districts of Northern Tama (Kitatama), Southern Tama (Minamitama) and Western Tama (Nishitama) part of Kanagawa Prefecture.
Edo Castle (江戸城, Edo-jō) is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as Chiyoda Castle (千代田城, Chiyoda-jō).Tokugawa Ieyasu established the Tokugawa shogunate there, and it was the residence of the shōgun and the headquarters of the military government during the Edo period (1603–1867) in Japanese history. After the resignation of the shōgun and the Meiji Restoration, it became the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Some moats, walls and ramparts of the castle survive to this day. However, the grounds were more extensive during the Edo period, with Tokyo Station and the Marunouchi section of the city lying within the outermost moat. It also encompassed Kitanomaru Park, the Nippon Budokan Hall and other current landmarks of the surrounding area.
Kai Province (甲斐国, Kai no Kuni; Japanese pronunciation: [kaꜜi (no kɯ.ɲi)]) was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Yamanashi Prefecture. Kai bordered on Sagami, Suruga, Shinano and Musashi Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Kōshū (甲州; [koꜜː.ɕɯː]). The origin of its name is uncertain. It lies in central Honshū, west of Tokyo, in a landlocked mountainous region that includes Mount Fuji along its border with modern Shizuoka Prefecture.
Shinano Province (信濃国, Shinano no Kuni; Japanese pronunciation: [ɕiꜜ.na.no (no kɯ.ɲi), ɕi.na.noꜜ-]) or Shinshū (信州; [ɕiꜜɰ̃.ɕɯː]) is an old province of Japan that is now Nagano Prefecture.
Shinano bordered Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces. The ancient capital was located near modern-day Matsumoto, which became an important city of the province.
The Nakasendō (中山道, Central Mountain Route), also called the Kisokaidō (木曾街道), was one of the centrally administered five routes of the Edo period, and one of the two that connected the de facto capital of Japan at Edo (modern-day Tokyo) to Kyoto. There were 69 stations (staging-posts) between Edo and Kyoto, crossing through Musashi, Kōzuke, Shinano, Mino and Ōmi provinces. In addition to Tokyo and Kyoto, the Nakasendō runs through the modern-day prefectures of Saitama, Gunma, Nagano, Gifu and Shiga, with a total distance of about 534 km (332 mi).
Unlike the coastal Tōkaidō, the Nakasendō traveled inland, hence its name, which can be translated as "中 = central; 山 = mountain; 道 = route" (as opposed to the Tōkaidō, which roughly meant "eastern sea route"). Because it was such a well-developed road, many famous persons, including the haiku master Matsuo Bashō, traveled the road. In the late 1830s Hiroshige also walked the Nakasendo, contributing 46 designs to a series of 69 views of the Nakasendo, which was later completed by Keisai Eisen.
Kōzuke Province (上野国, Kōzuke no Kuni; Japanese pronunciation: [koꜜː.(d)zɯ.ke (no kɯ.ɲi)]) was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today Gunma Prefecture. Kōzuke bordered Echigo, Shinano, Musashi and Shimotsuke Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was Jōshū (上州; [dʑoꜜː.ɕɯː]). Under the Engishiki classification system, Kōzuke was ranked as one of the 13 "great countries" (大国) in terms of importance, and one of the 30 "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the imperial capital, Kyoto. The provincial capital is located in what is now the city of Maebashi; however, its exact location remains uncertain. The ichinomiya of the province is located in what is now the city of Tomioka.
Sagami Province (相模国, Sagami no Kuni; Japanese pronunciation: [saꜜ.ɡa.mʲi (no kɯ.ɲi), -ŋa.mʲi-, sa.ɡa.mʲiꜜ-, -ŋa.mʲiꜜ-]) was a province of Japan located in what is today the central and western Kanagawa Prefecture. Sagami Province bordered the provinces of Izu, Musashi, and Suruga. It had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay. However, most of the present-day cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki, now part of Kanagawa Prefecture, were not in Sagami, but rather, in Musashi Province. Its abbreviated form name was Sōshū (相州).