Chūgoku region

The , also known as the ,  is one of Japan's traditional regions. The Japanese conventions of geography and history divide the nation into eight regions, including the Chūgoku region.  These have been used since 1905 as basic units for description and comparison and as cultural markers.

The regions of Japan are a fusion of historical divisions and modern administrative needs".  The significance of the region in Japan is geographical, cultural and administrative.

## History

In the late 7th century, the _San'indō_ and _San'yōdō_ were identified as two of the eight largest administrative areas of the Imperial system (_ritsuryo seido_).

_Gokishichidō_ is an ancient system of names for parts of the country, including _San'indō_ and _San'yōdō_.  Chūgoku covers a western part of the island of Honshū in roughly the same area as the traditional _San'indō_ and _San'yōdō_.

In the Meiji period, the modern regional system was made by Imperial decree.  Japan was divided into regions (_chihō _), including the Chūgoku region. A regional council  (_chihō gyōsei kyōgisai_) was headed by the governor of the most powerful prefecture in the regional grouping.  The council also included regional chiefs of central government ministries.

### Table: Chūgoku

|Province|Province capital|Pre-modern regions|Prefecture|Prefecture capital|Regions today|Notes|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Aki||bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Hiroshima|Hiroshima|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Bingo|Fuchu|bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Hiroshima|Hiroshima|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku|created from Kibi in late-7th century|
|Bitchū|Soja|bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Okayama|Okayama|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku|created from Kibi in late-7th century|
|Bizen|near Okayama|bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Okayama|Okayama|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku|created from Kibi in late-7th century|
|Harima|Himeji|bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Hyōgo|Kobe|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Hōki|near Kurayoshi|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Tottori|Tottori|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Inaba|Tottori|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Tottori|Tottori|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Iwami|Hamada|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Shimane|Shimane|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Izumo|Matsue|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Shimane|Matsue|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Mimasaka,|Tsuyama|bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Okayama|Okayama|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku|created in 713 from Bizen|
|Nagato|Shimonoseki|bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Yamaguchi|Yamaguchi|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Oki|Saigō|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Shimane|Shimane|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Suō|Hofu|bgcolor=#F5FD95|San'yōdō|Yamaguchi|Yamaguchi|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Tajima|Hidaka|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Hyōgo|Kobe|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku||
|Tamba,|Kameoka|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Hyōgo; Kyoto|Kobe|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku|created from Ni in 713|
|Tango,|Maizuru; Miyazu|bgcolor=#DFDFFF|San'indō|Kyoto|Kyoto|bgcolor=#ff9148|Chūgoku|created from Ni in 713|

Over time, Chūgoku has developed its own regional dialects, customs and unique traditional culture.

## Related pages

- Provinces of Japan
- Prefectures of Japan
- List of regions of Japan
- List of islands of Japan

## Other websites

- Murdoch's map of provinces, 1903