Province Hi
Hi ( jap. 火 国 or 肥 国 , Hi no kuni ) was one of the ancient provinces of Japan . It was located on the island of Kyūshū and extended over today's prefectures of Nagasaki , Saga and Kumamoto .
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 . "
The Nihonshoki of 720 writes the following about the origin of the name Hi no kuni , here in the spelling 火 国 for "land of fire":
「五月 壬辰 朔 、 従 葦 北 発 船 到 火 国 、 於是 日 没 也 、 夜 冥 不知 著 岸 、 遙 視 火光 火光 、 天皇 従 詔 詔 狭 者曰 、 直指 火 処 、 因 指 火 往 之 、 即 得著 岸 、 天皇 問 其 火光 処 曰 、 何謂 邑 也 、 国人 対 者曰 、 是 八 代 県 豊 村 、 亦 亦 其 其 火 、 是 誰人 之 火 也 、 然 不得 主 、 茲 知 非人 火 、 故名 其 国曰 火 国 也。 」
"[18. Year of the reign of Keikō - tennō ] 5th month, 1st day: In Ashikita he [Keikō-tennō] set sail for the land of Hi. Here the sun went down and the night was dark so they did not know how to get to the coast. In the distance there was a fire and the emperor ordered the helmsman: 'Sail where the fire is.' So they sailed to the fire and reached the coast. Regarding the place with the fire, the emperor asked: 'What is the name of this village?' The people of the country replied, 'Toyomura in Yatsushiro District .' Again he asked about the fire: 'Whose fire is this?' But no owner was found, and it was determined that it was not man-made. That's why the country is called Hi no kuni . "
Towards the end of the 7th century the province Hi was divided into the two areas Hizen (Eng. "Front-Hi") and Higo (Eng. "Hinter-Hi"). These are first mentioned in the Shoku Nihongi for the year 696. Both countries together were later referred to as Hishū ( 肥 州 , dt. "Hi provinces"), Nihi ( 二 肥 , dt. "The two Hi") and Ryōhi ( 両 肥 , dt. "The two Hi").
Individual evidence
- ^ Translation from English after William George Aston : Nihongi: Chronicles of Japan from the Earliest Times to AD 697 . In: Transactions and Proceedings of The Japan Society, London . Supplement I. Volume I. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., Limited, London 1896, p. 198 ( digitized version in the Internet Archive).