- Echigo Province
nihongo|Echigo|越後国|Echigo no kuni was an old province in north-central
Japan , on theSea of Japan side, northernmost part of theHokurikudō (北陸道)circuit. It bordered on Uzen, Iwashiro, Kozuke, Shinano, andEtchu province s. Today the area is part ofNiigata prefecture , which also includes the island which was the oldSado province .Echigo was established by the division of Koshi province (越国 or 古志国) in the end of 7th century AD with Iwafune and Nutari District. It occupied the northeast part of Niigata prefecture today and was one of two border provinces with
Emishi (the other is Mutsu). Echigo was given four districts of Kubiki, Koshi, Uonuma and Kanbara in702 . When Japan extended the territory a little northward in708 , Dewa District was established under Echigo. But this district transformed toDewa Province in712 . TemporallySado Province had been merged between743 and752 . Since the division of Sado in 752, the territory of Echigo had never been changed.Echigo was ruled by
Uesugi Kenshin and his heirs during theSengoku period; later it became a fief of Ieyasu's Matsudaira relatives.Former Districts
*Dewa District (出羽郡, later broke off to become
Dewa Province )
*Iwafune District (岩船郡)
*Kanbara District (蒲原郡)
*Kariwa District (刈羽郡, once part ofEtchu Province , formerly Mishima District)
*Koshi District (古志郡, once part ofEtchu Province )
*Kubiki District (頸城郡, once part ofEtchu Province )
*Nutari District (沼垂郡, later merged intoKanbara District )
*Santo District (三島郡, broke of from Koshi District duringEdo Period )
*Uonuma District (魚沼郡, once part ofEtchu Province )
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