Harima Province

Harima Province or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji.

Kii Province

Kii Province , or Kishū (紀州), was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. The Kii Peninsula takes its

Inaba Province

Inaba Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. It was sometimes called Inshū (因州). Inaba bordered on Harima, Hōki, Mimasaka, and Tajima Provinces

Bingo Province

Bingo Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, comprising what is today the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. It was sometimes grouped together with Bizen and Bitchu Provinces as Bishū (備州). The 備 bi in the

Iyo Province

Iyo Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku. Iyo bordered on Awa, Sanuki, and Tosa Provinces. It was sometimes called Yoshū (予州

Chikugo Province

Chikugo Province is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyūshū. It was sometimes called Chikushū (筑州) or Chikuin (筑陰), with Chikuzen Province. Chikugo was bordered by

Hōki Province

Hoki Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the western part of Tottori Prefecture. It was sometimes called Hakushū (伯州). Hōki bordered on Inaba, Mimasaka, Bitchū, Bingo, and Izumo Provinces

Buzen Province

Buzen Province was an old province of Japan in northern Kyūshū in the area of Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called Hōshū (豊州), with Bungo Province. Buzen bordered on Bungo and Chikuzen Provinces

Bitchū Province

Bitchū Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called Bishū (備州), with Bizen and Bingo Provinces; those three provinces were settled in the late 7th

Awa Province (Tokushima)

Awa Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. Awa was bordered by Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo Provinces. It was sometimes called Ashū (阿州

Carel van der Merwe

Carel van der Merwe is a South African author, historian and businessman who writes in Afrikaans and English. He has been awarded a number of literary prizes for his fiction and non-fiction books