Kii Province
Though people were known to have inhabited the area since the Asuka period, the earliest known documented settlements were established during the Edo period. During that time, most of the area that encompasses Wakayama Prefecture today was known as Kii-no-Kuni (Kii Province) or Kishū. The area was owned by the Kii branch of the Tokugawa clan, headquartered at Wakayama Castle.