Mutsu Province (1868)
Mutsu Province, officially called Rikuō Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Iwate and Aomori prefecture.
It was also known as Ōshū or Rikushū. In the Meiji era, the province was cut down to cover only present-day Aomori and given the new name Rikuō Province, which retained the original kanji.History
On December 7, 1868, four additional provinces were separated from Mutsu, leaving only a rump corresponding to today's Aomori Prefecture. At the same time, while the characters of the name were unchanged, the official reading was changed to the on'yomi version "Rikuō".
