- Wakasa Province
nihongo|Wakasa|若狭国|Wakasa no kuni was an old province of Japan in the area that is today southern
Fukui prefecture . It is also known as Reinan (嶺南).The province's ancient capital was at Obama, which continued to be the main castle town through the
Edo period .Neighboring Provinces
Wakasa bordered on Echizen, Ōmi, Tamba, Tango, and Yamashiro provinces.
History
Before the "
ritsuryō " period (7th-8th centuries), Wakasa Province was a part of the Yamato state. Many shrines and temples were established during this period. Wakasa province also provided fish and other maritime products to the Yamato state, and was called "the land of foods".From the "
ritsuryō " period until theEdo period , fish from Wakasa, particularlymackerel , was transported to Nara or Kyoto. In the Edo period, the city ofTsuruga was a base of the "Kitamaebune " ships which connectedOsaka toHokuriku andEzo in the north.Power plants
Today, the Wakasa area has five
nuclear power plant s, and is called the "downtown of nuclear power plants".Temples
Many temples in the Wakasa area were important sites in the Yamato period, such as
Wakasahime Shirine (Obama) andKehi Shirine (Tsuruga). Because of the preponderance of temples, Obama is sometimes called "Nara by the sea".
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