Echigo Province

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Map of the Japanese provinces, Echigo is highlighted in red

Echigo ( Japanese 越 後 国 , Echigo no kuni ) was one of the historic provinces of Japan in north-central Japan, on the Sea of ​​Japan . It bordered the provinces of Uzen , Iwashiro , Kozuke , Shinano and Etchūs .

The province was created between 689 and 692 through the splitting of the old Koshi ( 越 国 ) province into the provinces of Echizen ("front Koshi"), Etchū ("middle Koshi") and Echigo ("rear Koshi") as described in the Taihō Codex "). These were also collectively referred to as etsushū ( 越 州 , "Koshi province (s)"). The characters of Echigo were also read as Koshi no michi no shiri in the early days .

Today the area corresponds to the prefecture of Niigata , to which the province of Sado was added.

Echigo was ruled by Uesugi Kenshin and his heirs during the Sengoku period, and later became a fiefdom of Ieyasu Tokugawa's relatives, the Matsudaira .

Coordinates: 37 ° 34 '  N , 139 ° 3'  E