Mimasaka Province


Mimasaka Province or Sakushu was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today northeastern Okayama Prefecture. Mimasaka bordered Bitchū, Bizen, Harima, Hōki, and Inaba Provinces.
Mimasaka was landlocked, and was often ruled by the daimyō in Bizen. The ancient capital and castle town was Tsuyama. During the Edo period the province was controlled by the Tsuyama Domain.
Mimasaka is the home of the samurai Miyamoto Musashi, the author of The Book of Five Rings.

Historical record

In the 3rd month of the 6th year of the Wadō era, the land of Mimasaka no kuni was administratively separated from Bizen Province. In that same year, Empress Genmei's Daijō-kan continued to organize other cadastral changes in the provincial map of the Nara period.
In Wadō 6, Tanba Province was sundered from Tango Province; and Hyūga Province was divided from Ōsumi Province. In Wadō 5, Mutsu Province had been severed from Dewa Province.

Shrines and temples

was the chief Shinto shrine of Mimasaka.

Historical districts