Tsukushi Province

Tsukushi ( Japanese 筑紫 国 , Tsukushi no kuni ) was one of the historical provinces of Japan in ancient times . It was located on the island of Kyushu , which was also called Tsukushi at the time, and extended over what is now Fukuoka Prefecture , with the exception of large parts of the east, which belonged to Toyo Province .

history

The first mention is in Kojiki from 712 in the section on the mythological birth of the Japanese islands ( 国産 み , Kuniumi ):

「次生 、 筑紫 島。 此 島 亦 、 身 一 而 、 有 面 四。 面 毎 有名。 故 、 筑紫 国 国 謂 、 白日 別。 豊 国 、 言 、 豊 日 別。 肥 国 、 言 、 豊 久 向日 向日 向日士 比 泥 別。 熊 曾 国 、 言 、 建 日 別。 」

“Next, the island of Tsukushi [= Kyushu] was born. Also [cf. Shikoku ] this island has one body and four faces, each face of which has a name. So the land of Tsukushi is called Shira-bi-wake , the land of Toyo is called Toyo-bi-wake , the land of Hi is called Take-hi-mukahi-toyo-kuji-in-wake , the land of Kumaso is called Take-bi -wake . called wake . "

527-528 the Iwai uprising took place in Tsukushi , in which the regional prince Iwai rose against the Yamato empire (Japan). As a result, the Yamato Empire was hindered from sending more troops to its Mimana colony on the Korean Peninsula and was tied to the suppression of the uprising, whereupon large parts of the colony were eventually lost.

At the end of the 7th century it was split into the provinces of Chikuzen (German "Front Tsukushi") and Chikugo (German "Rear Tsukushi"), with chiku being the on-reading of the first character of Tsukushi. Both countries together were later referred to as Chikushū ( 筑 „," Tsukushi provinces "), Nichiku ( 二 筑 , German“ the two Tsukushi ”) and Ryōchiku ( 両 筑 , German“ the two Tsukushi ”).