Ōmi Province

is an old province of Japan in the area of Shiga Prefecture on the island of Honshū.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ōmi" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 750. It was also known as .

The ancient capital city of the province was near Ōtsu.Nussbaum, "Ōtsu" at p. 765.

Lake Biwa in Ōmi is Japan's largest lake.Nussbaum, "Biwa-ko" at p. 78.

History
In the Kamakura period, Hōjō Tokimasa was made daimyo of Ōmi in 1200 (Shōji 2).Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). Annales des empereurs du japon, p. 224.

In the Sengoku Period, the northern part of the province was the fief of Ishida Mitsunari. After the Battle of Sekigahara, Ōmi was controlled by the Ii clan who built the castle and town of Hikone.

In the Edo period, the Tōkaidō road was the main route between the Imperial capital at Kyoto and the main city of the Tokugawa Shogunate.  The road passed through Ōmi.Nussbaum, "Tōkaidō"  at p. 973.  

Eight of the 69 Stations of the Nakasendō were in Ōmi. 

In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures.  The maps of Japan and Ōmi Province were reformed in the 1870s.Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780.

Shrines and Temples
Takebe taisha was the chief Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of Ōmi.  
"Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 2 ; retrieved 2012-1-16.

Enryaku-ji is one of the most important Buddhist centers.  The monastery is on Mount Hiei (Hieizan).Nussbaum, "Hiei-zan" at p. 308.

Related pages
 Provinces of Japan
 Prefectures of Japan
 List of regions of Japan
 List of islands of Japan

References

Other websites 

  Murdoch's map of provinces, 1903

Category:Former provinces of Japan
Category:Shiga Prefecture