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Dewa Province — historical province of northern Honshū

Dewa Province (Dewa no kuni), also called Ushū, was a historical province of Japan located in what is now Yamagata and Akita prefectures on the island of Honshū.

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Dewa Province (出羽国, Dewa no kuni) was a historical region of Japan occupying parts of northern Honshū. Its territory corresponds broadly to today’s Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture. The province is often referred to by the alternative name Ushū and appears on many period maps of the old provincial system of Japan (see historical provinces).

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1838-Tenpō Dewa Akita Province
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Geography and notable places

Dewa encompassed a varied landscape: coastal plains facing the Sea of Japan, river valleys, and rugged mountain ranges inland. The area includes the sacred mountain group known as Dewa Sanzan — Mount Haguro, Mount Gassan and Mount Yudono — which have been important centers for mountain ascetic practice and pilgrimage.

Historical development

The province originated in antiquity as the Japanese state extended control northward. From early medieval times it was a frontier between court authority and local peoples, later incorporated into the feudal domain system. During the Edo period its lands were divided among several domains ruled by samurai clans, notably the Mogami in the south and the Satake in the north. In the Meiji era the old provinces were abolished and reorganized into prefectures; Dewa’s territory was reorganized and forms part of modern Akita and Yamagata on Honshū.

Cultural and strategic importance

Dewa played a role as both a cultural and strategic region. Its religious sites attracted pilgrims and contributed to regional traditions of Shugendō and mountain worship. Strategically, control of Dewa connected northern provinces to the political centers in central Japan and influenced movements of clans during periods of conflict.

Quick facts

  • Alternative name: Ushū.
  • Contains the Dewa Sanzan pilgrimage mountains.
  • Later divided administratively into Ugo (north) and Uzen (south) before modern prefectures were created.
  • Territory now lies within Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture.

For maps and more detailed administrative history, consult resources on Japan’s old provincial system and regional histories of Tōhoku and the northern Honshū provinces.

Province Dewa (red) with the later province Ugo in the north and the later province Uzen in the south
Province Dewa (red) with the later province Ugo in the north and the later province Uzen in the south

Shrines

The following shrines are listed for Dewa in the Jimmyōchō deity directory of the Engishiki:

  • Ōmonoimi-jinja (大物忌神社; today: Chōkaisan-Ōmonoimi-jinja (鳥海山大物忌神社)) in present-day Yuza, Akumi-gun, Yamagata: a Myōjin taisha.
  • Omonoimi-jinja (小物忌神社) in the Akumi-gun (today: Yamadate, Sakata, Yamagata).
  • Gassan-jinja (月山神社) in the Akumi-gun (today: Tachiyazawa, Shōnai, Yamagata): a Myōjin taisha.
  • Oga-jinja (遠賀神社) in Tagawa-gun (now: 3 ronsha (論社)) in the Inooka, Ogawara and Tonojima districts of Tsuruoka, Yamagata.
  • Yuzusame-jinja (由豆佐売神社) in Tagawa-gun (today: Yutagawa, Tsuruoka, Yamagata).
  • Ideha-jinja (伊弖波神社, today: 出羽神社) in Tagawa-gun (today: Tōge, Haguro-machi, Tsuruoka, Yamagata).
  • Shioyuhiko-jinja (塩湯彦神社) in Hiraka-gun (today: Omatsukawa, Sannai, Yokote, Akita).
  • Haushiwake-jinja (波宇志別神社, today: Horowasan-Haushiwake-jinja (保呂羽山波宇志別神社)) in the Hiraka-gun (today: Yasawagi, Ōmori-machi, Yokote, Akita).
  • Soegawa-jinja (副川神社) in Yamamoto-gun, with 4 ronsha (論社) of this existing today:
    • Soegawa-jinja in present-day Uraō-machi, Hachirōgata, Akita.
    • Takerokusho-jinja (嶽六所神社) in present-day Jingūji, Daisen, Akita.
    • Hachiman-jinja (八幡神社) in present-day Jingūji, Daisen, Akita.
    • Soegawa-shinmeija (添川神明社) in present-day Soegawa, Akita, Akita.

The Gassan-jinja and the Ideha-jinja are both shrines of the Three Mountains of Dewa.

The first shrine (ichi no miya) - in the sense of supreme shrine - of the province was the Ōmonoimi-jinja. The honden (main shrine) is located at the top of Chōkai-san and at its feet are the two kuchi no miya (satomiya, meaning "village shrine", in the sense of "more easily accessible from the village") Fukura (吹浦) and Warabioka (蕨岡). Both fought over being the First Shrine until the Tokugawa Shōgunate established Ōmonoimi-jinja on the mountain top as the First Shrine of the province. The Second Shrine of the province was the Kinowa-jinja (城輪神社), a sessha of the Ōmonoimi-jinja. The Third Shrine of the province was the Omonoimi-jinja.

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AlegsaOnline.com Dewa Province — historical province of northern Honshū

URL: https://en.alegsaonline.com/art/27000

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