GokishichidÅ
As Gokishichidō (Japanese五 畿 七 道, " 5 and 7 provinces of Kinai highways " ), also: Kinaishichidō (畿内 七 道), the administrative units in ancient Japan were called.
After ritsuryō system towards the end of the 7th century, a management system with five internal provinces and seven outer regions was created in the Asuka period. As an example, the Chinese government was at the time of the Sui Dynasty. In these regions, the 60 provinces were grouped.
Interior provinces
The five inner provinces ( Kinai ) in the Capital Region ( Kinki ) were:
- Yamato
- Yamashiro
- Kawachi
- Settsu
- Izumi
They included about the area of today's Nara prefecture and Osaka as well as the cities of Kyoto and Kobe and the area between the cities of Kyoto and Nara.
Outer regions
The seven outer regions were:
- Tōkaidō (东海 道): Pacific coast of Shima Peninsula to today's Ibaraki Prefecture
- Hokurikudō (北 陆 道): on the Japan Sea coast of Fukui prefecture about to Niigata Prefecture
- Tosando (东山 道), the inland regions between the above regions from about Shiga Prefecture to the very Tohoku
- San'indō (山 阴道): coast on the Sea of Japan from about the northern part of Kyoto prefecture to prefecture Shimane
- San'yōdō (山阳 道): whole Inland Sea coast of Honshu to entire Yamaguchi Prefecture
- Nankaido (南海 道): Shikoku, Awajishima and the southern Kii Peninsula
- Saikaidō (西海 道): Kyushu
The - dō (道) always in this context means an administrative district, although the outer regions were of course made accessible by highways ( - dō ).
Starting point of all roads was the respective Japanese capital: First Heijo - kyō ( Nara ), then Heian - kyō ( Kyoto ).
In the Edo period, the names of the counties were indeed continue to be used, but the road system was now made to the system of Gokaidō of Edo.
- Japanese province
- Former administrative unit