Shiribeshi Province
History. After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Shiribeshi Province. In 1882, the Hokkaido region was separated into three prefectures — , , and . In 1886, the three prefectures were abolished, and Hokkaido was put under the . At the same time, the Shiribeshi Province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Shiribeshi is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the United States and (b) between Japan and the United Kingdom.