Kokufu

Kokufu (Japanese国 府) denotes the capital of the old province of Japan.

History

The Kokufu and the offices of Kokushi which replaced the older Kuni no Miyatsuko, emerged in the 660ern after the Taika reforms in which the entire administration has been centralized on the Chinese model ( ritsuryō System).

The 935 assembled Wamyō Ruijushō contains the earliest list of the capitals of the provinces and their localization. The positions of the original capitals of the 8/9 Century are not known.

After the Shugo ( military governors ) in the Muromachi period (from the 14th century ) and more frequently the tasks of Kokushi (including the civil governor ) were transferred, lost Kokuga important.

Construction

In the center was the provincial administration (国 衙, Kokuga ) with different authorities (administrative, agricultural, financial, police and military office ) and the head office of the Kokushi that as Kokuchō (国 庁) is called. Outside the province of school ( Kokugaku ), garrison buildings and storage for the turn-on Sachs were.

When the Shugo replaced the Kokushi whose management Shugosho (守护 所) was occasionally located in the buildings or in the vicinity of the Kokuga. In these cases, the administration was also called Fuchū (府中).

In its square plan followed the Kokufu the capital of Japan, Fujiwara - kyō and only then Heijo - kyō, in turn, was created after the model of the Chinese Tang capital Chang'an. However, they were, with the exception of Dazaifu which occupied a special position, comparatively small. Thus, the capital of the province of Suo had an area of ​​1 square km, that of the province of Bizen 850 m × 850 m.

Within or near the Kokufu there were also the highest religious sites of the respective province: the Buddhist temple Province ( Kokubun -ji), one for the monks and nuns, and the Shinto shrine first ( Ichi -no- miya ).