Demographics of Japan before Meiji Restoration
Encyclopedia
This article is about the demographic
features of the population
of Japan
before Meiji Restoration
.
, several less reliable sources remain upon which an estimate of the population of Japan can be made. The first record of the population of Japan is the "Records of Three Kingdoms
" , where the number of houses in eight countries of Wō was described as 159,000.
The household registration system (Hukou or Huji ) was introduced from ancient China to Japan during the 7th century, which is called in Japanese. According to "", the first koseki system named or was established in 670 or 690, which was to be rechecked every 6 years. However, most of the original koseki texts were lost because they were to be preserved only 30 years. The oldest koseki fragments which were reused as reinforcement papers reserved in records names, ages and estates of 124 persons including slaves in a village named (present day Shima, Fukuoka
). A discarded paper coated by lacquer
found in , Ishioka, Ibaraki
records that the total population of families of taxpayers in was 191,660 (excluding families of officers, families of workers for Shintō
shrines and slaves) in 795, which is the only reliable remaining census recorded for a whole Province
before Edo period
. The ancient koseki system was later collapsed during early Heian period
, when noblemen got power as landowners of Shōen
.
The following estimates by different scholars are based upon the number of houses, villages, kokudaka
, areas of rice field and soldiers which were recorded in "" (10th century), "Record of Sung ", "" (14th century), "" (late 16th century), "" (earyl 17th century), or fragment papers of Shōsōin (8th century) and others, as well as remnants of specific periods.
(or Heian-kyō
) became the capital of Japan in 794, Kyōtō has been one of the most important cities in Japan. Hiraizumi
and Kamakura
flourished under Northern Fujiwara
clans (during 12th century) and Kamakura shogunate
(1192 to 1333), respectively. The urban of Kyōtō suffered from the Ōnin War
(1467 to 1477) and split into two districts, but coalesced into a great city of more than 400,000 inhabitants after the end of Sengoku period
. The Christian missionaries led by Francis Xavier
reported that the number of houses in Kyōtō
, Yamaguchi
or Hakata
was more than 90,000, more than 10,000 or 10,000, respectively, in the late 16th century according to History of Japan written by Luís Fróis
. After the unification of Japan by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
, Ōsaka
grew into the populous city with tens of thousand people. Several castle town
s also began to grow, where samurai classes were settled.
, several daimyo
adopted certification systems where all the individuals were to be registered to temples and shrines to avoid Christianity
. The Danka system
(or ) was officially set by Tokugawa shogunate in 1664, and demographic data of individuals registered to temples and shrines (Shūmon Ninbetsu Aratame Chō) were recorded. After decades, Tokugawa Yoshimune
decided to survey the total population of Japan and ordered to collect demographic data of all the domains and shogunate territories . The first census was surveyed every six years since 1721 and finished in 1852, because the confusion after the Perry Expedition
and death of Tokugawa Ieyoshi
in 1853 postponed the calculation process of the demographic data collected in 1852, according to edited by (.
Some of population censuses during Edo era remain recorded in diaries or official texts as below. The population of samurai
class and their servants as well as imperial families and noblemen was officially excluded from the census. In addition, the demographic data were summarized by individual domains according to their rules, where babies and children, Buddhist monks, nuns and Shintō priests, discriminated classes of eta and hinin
were sometimes excluded from the total population. Unregistered people were also excluded.
The estimated population of Japan in 1600 ranges from 11 to 22 million, then a rapid population growth took place during the early Edo era to bring Japan to a country of about 30 million inhabitants by 1721, though more precise total population estimates remain arguable.
or remain recorded. Similarly to the total population, recorded provincial population excludes ruling and exceptional classes, while that in 1873 (after Meiji Restoration) includes all the registered people.
After the beginning of Tokugawa census, the population growth fell almost to zero until the end of Sakoku
. On the other hand, regional demographic data suggest that the population growth differs depending on areas; the population of Tōhoku region
(Mutsu and Dewa), especially in Mutsu decreased drastically probably because of great famines. The population of Kansai region (Kinai and its surrounding areas), which was the most densely populated area of that time, also slightly decreased, while population in most of western Japan including Chūgoku region
(San'indō and San'yodō), Shikoku
(Nankaidō except for Kii) and Kyūshū
(Saikaidō) steadily increased.
and Amami
Islands were surveyed by Satsuma Domain, which formally has possession of Satsuma, Ōsumi and part of Hyūga in southern Kyūshū, and recorded in Satsuma domestic texts, though they were not reported to Tokugawa shogunate thus were excluded from the total population of Japan. Populations of Ryūkyū and Amami Islands have been included to the total populations of Japan after the Meiji Restoration.
Populations recorded in Satsuma domestic texts include all the classes from several samurai classes, to the discriminated people.
On the other hand, populations of Ainu
in eastern Ezo (including Chishima (Kuril Islands
)) and western Ezo (including Karafuto (Sakhalin
)) have been recorded since 1798 and 1810, respectively, thus they were included into the total population of Japan.
in 1871. The total population of Japan on July 28, 1870 (32,773,698) was collected by different systems of domains, but included all the registered people of all classes.
The uniformed system of was finally established in 1872, where the discriminated classes of eta and hinin were assimilated into the citizens class , though they kept unofficially called ) and discriminated. The honseki population in 1872 (33,110,825) includes 29 imperial members , 2,666 noblemen , 1,282,167 former samurai class members , 658,074 and 3,316 lower former samurai class members ( and , respectively), 211,846 and 9,621 Buddhist monks and nuns ( and , respectively), 102,477 fomer Shintō priests , 30,837,271 citizens (heimin, which includes ca. 550,000 shin-heimin and 2,358 unclassified people in Sakhalin.)
, Yamaguchi declined, while Edo (Tōkyō) and Sumpu (Shizuoka) became important under Tokugawa shougunate. According to Rodrigo de Vivero y Velasco
, populations of Kyōtō, Ōsaka, Edo, Sumpu and Sakai were 300,000–400,000 (or 800,000), 200,000, 150,000, 120,000 and 80,000, respectively, while the two towns between Sumpu and Kyōtō had 30,000 and 40,000 inhabitants (probably Hamamatsu
and Nagoya (or Kiyosu
), respectively) in 1609. After the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu
, Sumpu became less important, while Edo, Ōsaka and Kyōtō became three most important cities called with more than tens of thousand inhabitants.
Below is a list of the estimated population of major Japanese urbans during Edo period. Although Hiroshima, Wakayama
, Tokushima
, Hagi
, Takamatsu
and Sumpu (Shizuoka) were important castle towns of major domains, estimated populations are not given because of the lack of sufficient demographic records. Population of Shuri, the capital of the Kingdom of Ryūkyū, is also not estimated, while Yokohama
was only a small village of less than 100 houses until the opening of the port in 1859.
Estimated populations of castle towns contain considerable errors compare to those of the business towns (Ōsaka, Sakai, Hyōgo, Niigata, Nagasaki, Hakodate and Fushimi) with less samurai-class inhabitants, because demographics of samurai classes and their servants (or dwellers of samurai districts) were recorded separately or kept secret, which easily lead to the loss of original data after the abolishment of the Han system. On the other hand, demorgaphics of chōnin
classes (civilian), or dwellers of chōnin districts plus chōnin classes dwelled in temples-shrines districts (i.e. excluding demographics of Buddhist monks, nuns and Shintō priests which were usually summed separately), rather remain recorded for most of the cases.
Even the peak estimated population of Edo varies from 788,000 to 1,500,000. For example, Yoshida (1910) estimated the peak population of Edo (shortly before Perry's expeditions) at 1,400,000 based on the average amount of rice carried into Edo (1,400,000 koku per year). Chandler (1987) estimated the peak population of Edo at 788,000 by adding samurai population as 3/8 of the recorded chōnin population. Sekiyama (1958) estimated the peak population of Edo at 1,100,000 by adding samurai and servants population as 500,000 (215,000 Hatamoto
, Gokenin
, their servants and families, 100,000 Shogun
's Ashigaru
, other lower servants and their families, 180,000 Daimyo, their servants and their families). Diaries recorded that the population of Edo was 1,287,800 in 1837, the population of monks and priests was ca. 40,000 or the samurai population of Edo was 700,973. According to the map of Edo illustrated in 1725, area for samurai occupied 66.4% of the total area of Edo (estimated population density: 13,988 /km2 for 650,000 individuals), while areas for chōnin and temples-shrines occupied 12.5% (estimated chōnin population density: 68,807 /km2 for 600,000 individuals) and 15.4% (estimated population density: 4,655 /km2 for 50,000 individuals), respectively.
Selected recorded populations of urbans listed above are as follows. Sources for koseki censuses are given in Japanese Wikipedia page.
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
features of the population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
before Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
.
Total population
Before the establishment of system by the Tokugawa shogunateTokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the and the , was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city, Edo, which is now called Tokyo, after the name was...
, several less reliable sources remain upon which an estimate of the population of Japan can be made. The first record of the population of Japan is the "Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms
Records of Three Kingdoms , is regarded as the official and authoritative historical text on the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history covering the years 184-280 CE. Written by Chen Shou in the 3rd century, the work combines the smaller histories of the rival states of Cao Wei , Shu Han and...
" , where the number of houses in eight countries of Wō was described as 159,000.
The household registration system (Hukou or Huji ) was introduced from ancient China to Japan during the 7th century, which is called in Japanese. According to "", the first koseki system named or was established in 670 or 690, which was to be rechecked every 6 years. However, most of the original koseki texts were lost because they were to be preserved only 30 years. The oldest koseki fragments which were reused as reinforcement papers reserved in records names, ages and estates of 124 persons including slaves in a village named (present day Shima, Fukuoka
Shima, Fukuoka
was a town located in former Itoshima District, Fukuoka, Japan.As of November 2009, the town had an estimated population of 17,432 and a density of 319.56 persons per km². The total area was 54.54 km²....
). A discarded paper coated by lacquer
Lacquer
In a general sense, lacquer is a somewhat imprecise term for a clear or coloured varnish that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard, durable finish, in any sheen level from ultra matte to high gloss and that can be further polished as required...
found in , Ishioka, Ibaraki
Ishioka, Ibaraki
is a city located in Ibaraki, Japan.As of 2003, the city has an estimated population of 52,755 and the density of 885.15 persons per km². The total area is 59.60 km².The city was founded on February 11, 1954....
records that the total population of families of taxpayers in was 191,660 (excluding families of officers, families of workers for Shintō
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
shrines and slaves) in 795, which is the only reliable remaining census recorded for a whole Province
Provinces of Japan
Before the modern prefecture system was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English as provinces. Each province was divided into gun ....
before Edo period
Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
. The ancient koseki system was later collapsed during early Heian period
Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. The period is named after the capital city of Heian-kyō, or modern Kyōto. It is the period in Japanese history when Buddhism, Taoism and other Chinese influences were at their height...
, when noblemen got power as landowners of Shōen
Shoen
A was a field or manor in Japan. The Japanese term comes from the Tang dynasty Chinese term zhuangyuan.Shōen, from about the 8th to the late 15th century, describes any of the private, tax-free, often autonomous estates or manors whose rise undermined the political and economic power of the...
.
The following estimates by different scholars are based upon the number of houses, villages, kokudaka
Kokudaka
refers to a system for determining land value for tribute purposes in Edo period Japan and expressing this value in koku of rice. This tribute was no longer a percentage of the actual quantity of rice harvested, but was assessed based on the quality and size of the land...
, areas of rice field and soldiers which were recorded in "" (10th century), "Record of Sung ", "" (14th century), "" (late 16th century), "" (earyl 17th century), or fragment papers of Shōsōin (8th century) and others, as well as remnants of specific periods.
| Year | Estimated Population by McEvedy & Jones (1978) |
Estimated Population by Kitō (1996) |
Estimated Population by Biraben (2005) |
Estimated Population by Farris (2006) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6100 BC | 20,100 | |||
| 3200 BC | 105,500 | |||
| 2300 BC | 261,300 | |||
| 1300 BC | 160,300 | |||
| 900 BC | 75,800 | |||
| 400 BC | 100,000 | |||
| 200 BC | 100,000 | 200,000 | ||
| 1 AD | 300,000 | 300,000 | ||
| 200 | 700,000 | 594,900 | 500,000 | |
| 400 | 1,500,000 | 1,500,000 | ||
| 500 | 2,000,000 | |||
| 600 | 3,000,000 | 4,000,000 | ||
| 700 | 5,000,000 | |||
| 715 | 4,512,200 | |||
| 730 | 5,800,000– 6,400,000 |
|||
| 800 | 4,000,000 | 5,506,200 | 6,000,000 | |
| 900 | 6,441,400 | 7,000,000 | ||
| 950 | 4,400,000– 5,600,000 |
|||
| 1000 | 4,500,000 | 7,000,000 | ||
| 1100 | 5,750,000 | 7,000,000 | ||
| 1150 | 6,836,900 | 5,500,000– 6,300,000 |
||
| 1200 | 7,500,000 | 6,000,000 | ||
| 1250 | 6,000,000 | |||
| 1280 | 5,700,000– 6,200,000 |
|||
| 1300 | 9,750,000 | 7,000,000 | ||
| 1340 | 7,000,000 | |||
| 1400 | 12,500,000 | 8,000,000 | ||
| 1450 | 9,600,000– 10,500,000 |
|||
| 1500 | 17,000,000 | 8,000,000 | ||
| 1600 | 22,000,000 | 12,273,000 | 12,000,000 | 15,000,000– 17,000,000 |
| 1650 | 25,000,000 | 17,497,900 | ||
| 1700 | 29,000,000 | 28,287,200 | 28,000,000 | |
Urban population
Since KyōtōKyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
(or Heian-kyō
Heian-kyo
Heian-kyō , was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180....
) became the capital of Japan in 794, Kyōtō has been one of the most important cities in Japan. Hiraizumi
Hiraizumi, Iwate
is a town located in Nishiiwai District, Iwate, Japan. It was the home of the Hiraizumi Fujiwaras for about 100 years in the late Heian era and most of the following Kamakura period. At the same time it served as the de facto capital of Oshu, an area containing nearly a third of the Japanese land...
and Kamakura
Kamakura, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the...
flourished under Northern Fujiwara
Northern Fujiwara
The Northern Fujiwara were a Japanese noble family that ruled the Tōhoku region of Japan from the 12th to the 13th centuries as if it were their own realm. They succeeded the semi-independent Emishi families of the 11th century who were gradually brought down by the Minamoto clan loyal to the...
clans (during 12th century) and Kamakura shogunate
Kamakura shogunate
The Kamakura shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan headed by the shoguns from 1185 to 1333. It was based in Kamakura. The Kamakura period draws its name from the capital of the shogunate...
(1192 to 1333), respectively. The urban of Kyōtō suffered from the Ōnin War
Onin War
The ' was a civil war that lasted 10 years during the Muromachi period in Japan. A dispute between Hosokawa Katsumoto and Yamana Sōzen escalated into a nationwide war involving the Ashikaga shogunate and a number of daimyo in many regions of Japan....
(1467 to 1477) and split into two districts, but coalesced into a great city of more than 400,000 inhabitants after the end of Sengoku period
Sengoku period
The or Warring States period in Japanese history was a time of social upheaval, political intrigue, and nearly constant military conflict that lasted roughly from the middle of the 15th century to the beginning of the 17th century. The name "Sengoku" was adopted by Japanese historians in reference...
. The Christian missionaries led by Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...
reported that the number of houses in Kyōtō
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi
is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 198,971 and a population density of 194.44 persons per km²...
or Hakata
Hakata-ku, Fukuoka
is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:...
was more than 90,000, more than 10,000 or 10,000, respectively, in the late 16th century according to History of Japan written by Luís Fróis
Luís Fróis
Luís Fróis was a Portuguese missionary.He was born in Lisbon and in 1548 joined the Society of Jesus . In 1563, he came to Japan to engage in missionary work, and in the following year arrived in Kyoto, meeting Ashikaga Yoshiteru who was then Shogun...
. After the unification of Japan by Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Toyotomi Hideyoshi
was a daimyo warrior, general and politician of the Sengoku period. He unified the political factions of Japan. He succeeded his former liege lord, Oda Nobunaga, and brought an end to the Sengoku period. The period of his rule is often called the Momoyama period, named after Hideyoshi's castle...
, Ōsaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
grew into the populous city with tens of thousand people. Several castle town
Castle town
A castle town is a settlement built adjacent to or surrounding a castle. Castle towns are common in Medieval Europe. Good example include small towns like Alnwick and Arundel, which are still dominated by their castles...
s also began to grow, where samurai classes were settled.
| Year | Asuka Asuka, Yamato was one of the Imperial capitals of Japan during the Asuka period , which takes its name from this place. It is located in the present-day village of Asuka, Nara Prefecture.... |
Heijō-kyō Heijo-kyo Heijō-kyō , was the capital city of Japan during most of the Nara period, from 710–40 and again from 745–84. The Palace site is a listed UNESCO World Heritage together with other places in the city of Nara Heijō-kyō (平城京, also Heizei-kyō, sometimes Nara no miyako), was the capital city of Japan... (Nara Nara, Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. The city occupies the northern part of Nara Prefecture, directly bordering Kyoto Prefecture... ) |
Heian-kyō Heian-kyo Heian-kyō , was one of several former names for the city now known as Kyoto. It was the capital of Japan for over one thousand years, from 794 to 1868 with an interruption in 1180.... (Kyōtō Kyoto is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:... ) |
Hiraizumi Hiraizumi, Iwate is a town located in Nishiiwai District, Iwate, Japan. It was the home of the Hiraizumi Fujiwaras for about 100 years in the late Heian era and most of the following Kamakura period. At the same time it served as the de facto capital of Oshu, an area containing nearly a third of the Japanese land... |
Hakata Hakata-ku, Fukuoka is one of the seven wards of Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. It is best known as the location of Fukuoka's main train station, Hakata Station.-Geography:... |
Kamakura Kamakura, Kanagawa is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about south-south-west of Tokyo. It used to be also called .Although Kamakura proper is today rather small, it is often described in history books as a former de facto capital of Japan as the seat of the Shogunate and of the Regency during the... |
Yamaguchi Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi is the capital city of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 198,971 and a population density of 194.44 persons per km²... |
Sakai Sakai, Osaka is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara, from Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in... |
Ōsaka Osaka is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe... |
Sumpu (Shizuoka Shizuoka, Shizuoka is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in terms of both population and area. It became one of Japan's 19 "designated cities" in 2005.-Geography:... ) |
Edo Edo , also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868... (Tōkyō Tokyo , ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family... ) |
Kanazawa Kanazawa, Ishikawa is the capital city of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.-Geography, climate, and population:Kanazawa sits on the Sea of Japan, bordered by the Japan Alps, Hakusan National Park and Noto Peninsula National Park. The city sits between the Sai and Asano rivers. Its total area is 467.77 km².Kanazawa's... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 622 | 50,000– 60,000 |
|||||||||||
| 750 | 100,000 | |||||||||||
| 800 | 200,000 | |||||||||||
| 900 | 200,000 | |||||||||||
| 925 | 200,000 | |||||||||||
| 1000 | 175,000 | |||||||||||
| 1100 | 175,000 | |||||||||||
| 1150 | 150,000 | 50,000 | 9,000 | |||||||||
| 1200 | 100,000 | 175,000 | ||||||||||
| 1250 | 70,000 | 200,000 | ||||||||||
| 1300 | 40,000 | 200,000 | ||||||||||
| 1350 | 8,000 | 150,000 | ||||||||||
| 1400 | 150,000 | 40,000 | ||||||||||
| 1450 | 8,000 | 150,000 | (1471) 50,000 |
35,000 | ||||||||
| 1500 | 40,000 | 30,000 | 35,000 | 30,000 | 25,000– 26,000 |
|||||||
| 1550 | 10,000 | 100,000 | (1570) 17,000 |
60,000 | 60,000 | (1562) 10,000 |
(1530) 10,000 |
|||||
| 1575 | 300,000 | (1579) 35,000 |
90,000 | 75,000 | (1583) 100,000 |
|||||||
| 1600 | 300,000 | 50,000 | 80,000 | (1582) 82,000 |
280,000 | 100,000 | 60,000 | 50,000 | ||||
Total population
After the Shimabara RebellionShimabara Rebellion
The was an uprising largely involving Japanese peasants, most of them Catholic Christians, in 1637–1638 during the Edo period.It was one of only a handful of instances of serious unrest during the relatively peaceful period of the Tokugawa shogunate's rule...
, several daimyo
Daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in pre-modern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
adopted certification systems where all the individuals were to be registered to temples and shrines to avoid Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. The Danka system
Danka system
The , also known as is a system of voluntary and long-term affiliation between Buddhist temples and households in use in Japan since the Heian period. In it, households financially support a Buddhist temple which, in exchange, provides for their spiritual needs...
(or ) was officially set by Tokugawa shogunate in 1664, and demographic data of individuals registered to temples and shrines (Shūmon Ninbetsu Aratame Chō) were recorded. After decades, Tokugawa Yoshimune
Tokugawa Yoshimune
was the eighth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, ruling from 1716 until his abdication in 1745. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu, and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu.-Lineage:...
decided to survey the total population of Japan and ordered to collect demographic data of all the domains and shogunate territories . The first census was surveyed every six years since 1721 and finished in 1852, because the confusion after the Perry Expedition
Perry Expedition
The Perry Expedition was a U.S. naval and diplomatic expedition to Japan, involving 2 separate trips to and from Japan by ships of the United States Navy, which took place during 1853-54. The expedition was commanded by Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry...
and death of Tokugawa Ieyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyoshi
Tokugawa Ieyoshi was the 12th shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan.He was the second son of the 11th shogun, Tokugawa Ienari, and appointed Mizuno Tadakuni to conduct the Tenpo reform....
in 1853 postponed the calculation process of the demographic data collected in 1852, according to edited by (.
Some of population censuses during Edo era remain recorded in diaries or official texts as below. The population of samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
class and their servants as well as imperial families and noblemen was officially excluded from the census. In addition, the demographic data were summarized by individual domains according to their rules, where babies and children, Buddhist monks, nuns and Shintō priests, discriminated classes of eta and hinin
Burakumin
are a Japanese social minority group. The burakumin are one of the main minority groups in Japan, along with the Ainu of Hokkaidō, the Ryukyuans of Okinawa and Japanese residents of Korean and Chinese descent....
were sometimes excluded from the total population. Unregistered people were also excluded.
The estimated population of Japan in 1600 ranges from 11 to 22 million, then a rapid population growth took place during the early Edo era to bring Japan to a country of about 30 million inhabitants by 1721, though more precise total population estimates remain arguable.
| Year in Gregorian calendar Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter... |
Year in Japanese calendar Japanese calendar On January 1, 1873, Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar. Before 1873, the Chinese style lunisolar calendar had been in use since 7th century. Japanese eras are still in use.-System:... |
No. of Bakufu Census |
Total | Male | Female | Sources | Estimated Population (17% added) by Biraben (1993) |
Estimated Population (20% added) by Kito (1996) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1721 | Kyōhō 6 | 1st | 26,065,425 | , |
30,496,900 | 31,278,500 | ||
| 1726 | Kyōhō 11 | 2nd | 26,548,998 | Chikkyō Yohitsu Besshū, Suijin Roku | 31,104,400 | |||
| 1732 | Kyōhō 17 | 3rd | 26,921,816 | 14,407,107 | 12,514,709 | Chikkyō Yohitsu Besshū, Suijinroku, |
31,498,500 | |
| 1744 | Enkyō 3 | 5th | 26,153,450 | 30,599,500 | ||||
| 1750 | Kan'en 3 | 6th | 25,917,830 | 13,818,654 | 12,099,176 | Kanchū Hisaku, Suijinroku, |
30,323,900 | 31,010,800 |
| 1756 | Hōreki 6 | 7th | 26,070,712 | 13,833,311 | 12,228,919 | Kanchū Hisaku, , |
30,502,700 | 31,282,500 |
| 1762 | Hōreki 12 | 8th | 25,921,458 | 13,785,400 | 12,136,058 | Suijinroku | 30,328,100 | |
| 1768 | Meiwa 5 | 9th | 26,252,057 | Suijinroku | 30,714,900 | |||
| 1774 | An'ei 3 | 10th | 25,990,451 | Suijinroku | 30,408,800 | |||
| 1780 | An'ei 9 | 11th | 26,010,600 | Suijinroku | 30,432,400 | |||
| 1786 | Tenmei 6 | 12th | 25,086,466 | 13,230,656 | 11,855,810 | Suijinroku, |
29,351,200 | 30,103,800 |
| 1792 | Kansei 4 | 13th | 24,891,441 | 13,034,521 | 11,856,920 | , Suijingorku, |
29,123,000 | 29,869,700 |
| 1798 | Kansei 10 | 14th | 25,471,033 | 13,360,520 | 12,110,513 | Kasshi Yawa, Suijinroku, |
29,801,100 | 30,565,200 |
| 1804 | Bunka 1 | 15th | 25,621,957 | 13,427,249 | 12,194,708 | Suijinroku, |
29,977,690 | 30,746,400 |
| 1822 | Bunsei 5 | 18th | 26,602,110 | 13,894,436 | 12,707,674 | , Kansei Jū-nen Oyobi Bunsei Go-nen Kunibetsu Ninzū Chō |
31,124,500 | 31,913,500 |
| 1828 | Bunsei 11 | 19th | 27,201,400 | 14,160,736 | 13,040,664 | , Tokugawa Rizai Kaiyō, |
31,825,600 | 32,625,800 |
| 1834 | Tenpo 5 | 20th | 27,063,907 | 14,053,455 | 13,010,452 | 31,664,800 | 32,476,700 | |
| 1840 | Tenpo 11 | 21st | 25,918,412 | 13,559,384 | 12,559,028 | 31,102,100 | ||
| 1846 | Kōka 3 | 22nd | 26,907,625 | 13,854,043 | 13,053,582 | Suijinroku | 31,481,900 | 32,297,200 |
| Jul 28, 1870 | 7th month, 1st day Meiji 3 |
32,773,698 | 16,733,698 | 16,061,199 | (Total Koseki Population) |
34,620,000 | ||
| Mar 8, 1872 | 1st month, 29th day Meiji 5 |
33,110,825 | 16,796,158 | 16,314,667 | (Total Koseki Population) |
34,883,000 | 34,806,000 | |
| Jan 1, 1873 | Jan 1, Meiji 5 | 33,300,644 | 16,891,715 | 16,408,929 | Nihon Zenkoku Koseki hyō (Total Koseki Population) |
35,069,000 | 34,985,000 | |
Former Provinces
Some demographic data for former provincesProvinces of Japan
Before the modern prefecture system was established, the land of Japan was divided into tens of kuni , usually known in English as provinces. Each province was divided into gun ....
or remain recorded. Similarly to the total population, recorded provincial population excludes ruling and exceptional classes, while that in 1873 (after Meiji Restoration) includes all the registered people.
| Province | Japanese | 1721 | 1750 | 1756 | 1786 | 1792 | 1798 | 1804 | 1822 | 1828 | 1824 | 1840 | 1846 | 1873 (all classes) |
Area (hōri) |
Area (km2) |
Rice production Kokudaka refers to a system for determining land value for tribute purposes in Edo period Japan and expressing this value in koku of rice. This tribute was no longer a percentage of the actual quantity of rice harvested, but was assessed based on the quality and size of the land... (Koku Koku The is a Japanese unit of volume, equal to ten cubic shaku. In this definition, 3.5937 koku equal one cubic metre, i.e. 1 koku is approximately 278.3 litres. The koku was originally defined as a quantity of rice, historically defined as enough rice to feed one person for one year... ) in 1846 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kinai | 2,249,792 | 2,139,480 | 2,170,087 | 2,041,309 | 2,027,334 | 2,048,799 | 2,017,310 | 2,065,967 | 2,099,644 | 2,077,269 | 1,935,301 | 1,998,736 | 2,036,842 | 445.59 | 6,872.54 | 1,615,524 | |
| Yamashiro no kuni Yamashiro Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai. It overlaps the southern part of modern Kyoto Prefecture on Honshū. Aliases include , the rare , and . It is classified as an upper province in the Engishiki.... |
564,994 | 522,626 | 527,334 | 507,488 | 506,324 | 480,993 | 469,519 | 478,652 | 498,296 | 488,726 | 445,432 | 452,140 | 431,453 | 73.08 | 1,127.15 | 230,131 | |
| Yamato no kuni Yamato Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai, corresponding to present-day Nara Prefecture in Honshū. It was also called . At first, the name was written with one different character , and for about ten years after 737, this was revised to use more desirable characters . The final revision was made in... |
413,331 | 374,041 | 367,724 | 336,254 | 329,286 | 344,043 | 340,706 | 346,319 | 356,627 | 360,071 | 338,571 | 361,157 | 423,004 | 201.42 | 3,106.60 | 501,361 | |
| Kawachi no kuni Kawachi Province was a province of Japan in the eastern part of modern Osaka Prefecture. It originally held the southwestern area that was split off into Izumi Province... |
243,820 | 231,266 | 206,568 | 205,585 | 209,296 | 218,102 | 214,945 | 244,816 | 223,747 | 224,822 | 211,559 | 224,055 | 239,191 | 43.99 | 678.48 | 293,786 | |
| Izumi no kuni Izumi Province was a province of Japan. It is also referred to as . It lay in Kinai, and its area today composes the south-western part of Osaka Prefecture . The Ōshōji in Sakai was the border with Settsu Province, until the beginning of the Meiji period, when the boundary was changed to be at the Yamato River... |
218,405 | 207,952 | 226,480 | 190,762 | 190,466 | 199,083 | 202,283 | 205,545 | 208,884 | 207,211 | 189,786 | 197,656 | 212,251 | 33.47 | 516.22 | 172,847 | |
| Settsu no kuni Settsu Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises the eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province.-History:... |
809,242 | 803,595 | 841,981 | 801,220 | 791,962 | 806,578 | 789,857 | 790,635 | 812,090 | 796,439 | 749,953 | 763,728 | 730,943 | 93.63 | 1,444.10 | 417,399 | |
| Tōkaidō Tokaido (region) The was originally an old Japanese geographical region that made up the gokishichidō system and was situated along the southeastern edge of Honshū, its name literally meaning 'Eastern Sea Way'.... |
6,612,784 | 6,602,016 | 6,522,189 | 6,031,917 | 5,864,119 | 6,061,401 | 6,032,987 | 6,182,091 | 6,377,212 | 6,169,363 | 6,192,155 | 6,425,259 | 7,451,669 | 2,660.63 | 41,036.15 | 6,652,127 | |
| Iga no kuni Iga Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today western Mie Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Iga bordered on Ise, Ōmi, Yamato, and Yamashiro Provinces.-Geography:... |
95,978 | 91,392 | 88,526 | 82,352 | 79,648 | 80,647 | 80,196 | 85,636 | 87,949 | 89,243 | 88,616 | 91,774 | 97,190 | 47.34 | 730.15 | 110,096 | |
| Ise no kuni Ise Province or was a province of Japan including most of modern Mie Prefecture. Ise bordered Iga, Kii, Mino, Ōmi, Owari, Shima, and Yamato Provinces.The ancient provincial capital was at Suzuka... |
543,737 | 523,037 | 519,187 | 478,906 | 462,682 | 477,899 | 476,500 | 494,640 | 498,171 | 499,958 | 480,032 | 499,874 | 581,669 | 231.15 | 3,565.14 | 716,451 | |
| Shima no kuni Shima Province or was a province of Japan which consisted of a peninsula in the southeastern part of modern Mie Prefecture. Part of the Tōkaidō, Shima bordered Ise Province, and was the smallest of the provinces.... |
31,856 | 34,068 | 34,261 | 37,184 | 36,888 | 38,617 | 37,875 | 40,401 | 40,919 | 41,888 | 39,210 | 40,693 | 46,943 | 19.74 | 304.46 | 21,470 | |
| Owari no kuni Owari Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of present day Aichi Prefecture, including much of modern Nagoya. Its abbreviation is Bishū .-History:The province was created in 646.... |
554,561 | 553,340 | 576,363 | 595,264 | 582,183 | 605,084 | 605,686 | 631,809 | 646,555 | 643,977 | 622,539 | 653,678 | 731,974 | 104.18 | 1,606.82 | 545,875 | |
| Mikawa no kuni Mikawa Province is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari, Mino, Shinano, and Tōtōmi Provinces.... |
416,204 | 419,283 | 425,745 | 419,349 | 360,795 | 423,893 | 420,697 | 437,019 | 439,635 | 440,264 | 421,432 | 431,800 | 485,470 | 208.62 | 3,217.64 | 466,080 | |
| Tōtōmi no kuni Totomi Province was a province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today western Shizuoka Prefecture. Tōtōmi bordered on Mikawa, Suruga and Shinano Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .-History:... |
342,663 | 333,744 | 341,724 | 332,100 | 334,246 | 352,033 | 342,398 | 386,581 | 361,236 | 360,818 | 350,967 | 363,959 | 416,543 | 196.44 | 3,029.79 | 369,552 | |
| Suruga no kuni Suruga Province was an old province in the area that is today the central part of Shizuoka prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suruga bordered on Izu, Kai, Sagami, Shinano, and Tōtōmi provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Suruga Bay.-History:... |
245,834 | 313,819 | 250,582 | 242,165 | 242,457 | 248,127 | 252,072 | 288,824 | 270,763 | 253,848 | 274,705 | 286,290 | 369,731 | 219.77 | 3,389.62 | 250,538 | |
| Kai no kuni Kai Province , also known as , is an old province in Japan in the area of Yamanashi Prefecture. It lies in central Honshū, west of Tokyo, in a landlocked mountainous region that includes Mount Fuji along its border with Shizuoka Prefecture.... |
291,168 | 311,193 | 317,349 | 305,934 | 284,474 | 309,604 | 297,903 | 291,675 | 391,499 | 318,474 | 300,152 | 310,273 | 362,973 | 289.85 | 4,470.49 | 312,159 | |
| Izu no kuni Izu Province was a province of Japan in the area of Shizuoka Prefecture. Izu bordered on Sagami and Suruga Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was .The mainland portion of Izu Province, comprising the Izu Peninsula is today the eastern portion of Shizuoka Prefecture and the Izu Islands are now part of... |
96,650 | 105,120 | 105,272 | 120,629 | 98,226 | 102,551 | 125,505 | 134,722 | 136,796 | 144,595 | 110,523 | 115,197 | 150,549 | 106.11 | 1,636.58 | 84,171 | |
| Sagami no kuni Sagami Province was an old province in the area that is today the central and western Kanagawa prefecture. It was sometimes called . Sagami bordered on Izu, Musashi, Suruga provinces; and had access to the Pacific Ocean through Sagami Bay... |
312,638 | 310,796 | 305,569 | 279,427 | 277,699 | 277,211 | 278,068 | 269,839 | 289,376 | 294,009 | 285,196 | 303,271 | 359,598 | 128.87 | 1,987.62 | 286,719 | |
| Musashi no kuni Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Prefecture, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama... |
1,903,316 | 1,771,214 | 1,774,064 | 1,626,968 | 1,634,048 | 1,666,131 | 1,654,368 | 1,694,255 | 1,717,455 | 1,714,054 | 1,721,359 | 1,777,371 | 1,968,753 | 391.63 | 6,040.29 | 1,281,431 | |
| Awa no kuni Awa Province (Chiba) was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on the tip of the Boso Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or... |
115,579 | 158,440 | 137,565 | 125,052 | 130,836 | 133,513 | 132,993 | 139,662 | 140,830 | 144,581 | 139,442 | 143,500 | 155,331 | 34.86 | 537.66 | 95,736 | |
| Kazusa no kuni Kazusa Province was a province of Japan in the area of modern Chiba Prefecture. It lies on in the middle of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Kazusa is classified as one of the... |
407,552 | 453,460 | 438,788 | 388,542 | 376,441 | 368,831 | 364,560 | 372,347 | 362,411 | 364,240 | 358,714 | 360,761 | 423,596 | 140.69 | 2,169.93 | 425,080 | |
| Shimousa no kuni Shimousa Province was a province of Japan in the area modern Chiba Prefecture, and Ibaraki Prefecture. It lies to the north of the Bōsō Peninsula , whose name takes its first kanji from the name of Awa Province and its second from Kazusa and Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was or .Shimōsa is... |
542,661 | 567,603 | 565,614 | 483,526 | 468,413 | 484,641 | 478,721 | 419,106 | 497,758 | 402,093 | 499,507 | 525,041 | 648,394 | 206.50 | 3,184.95 | 681,062 | |
| Hitachi no kuni Hitachi Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Ibaraki Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Hitachi Province bordered on Iwashiro, Iwaki, Shimousa, and Shimotsuke Provinces.... |
712,387 | 655,507 | 641,580 | 514,519 | 495,083 | 492,619 | 485,445 | 495,575 | 495,859 | 457,321 | 499,761 | 521,777 | 652,955 | 334.88 | 5,165.01 | 1,005,707 | |
| Tōsandō Tosando was an old Japanese geographical region that made up the gokishichidō system and was situated along the central mountains of northern Honshū, Tōhoku region.... |
5,879,324 | 5,680,010 | 5,659,556 | 5,267,646 | 5,204,842 | 5,294,035 | 5,303,859 | 5,435,750 | 5,511,868 | 5,446,583 | 5,089,068 | 5,328,995 | 6,785,623 | 6,847.50 | 105,612.22 | 7,954,047 | |
| Ōmi no kuni Omi Province is an old province of Japan, which today comprises Shiga Prefecture. It was one of the provinces that made up the Tōsandō circuit. It is nicknamed as .Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, is located at the center of the province... |
602,367 | 575,216 | 573,797 | 583,940 | 573,617 | 538,412 | 532,968 | 557,491 | 547,724 | 511,948 | 527,412 | 541,732 | 578,099 | 257.15 | 3,966.15 | 853,095 | |
| Mino no kuni Mino Province , one of the old provinces of Japan, encompassed part of modern-day Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Mino Province bordered Echizen, Hida, Ise, Mikawa, Ōmi, Owari, and Shinano Provinces.... |
545,919 | 533,095 | 543,510 | 556,165 | 536,904 | 563,863 | 566,355 | 598,580 | 609,459 | 607,269 | 570,807 | 583,137 | 668,148 | 402.87 | 6,213.65 | 699,764 | |
| Hida no kuni Hida Province is an old province located in the area of Gifu Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province was in the Tōsandō area of central Honshu.-History:... |
67,032 | 72,323 | 74,907 | 77,939 | 76,401 | 79,393 | 81,768 | 89,818 | 91,382 | 93,765 | 82,967 | 86,338 | 98,822 | 268.58 | 4,142.44 | 56,602 | |
| Shinano no kuni Shinano Province or is an old province of Japan that is now present day Nagano Prefecture.Shinano bordered on Echigo, Etchū, Hida, Kai, Kōzuke, Mikawa, Mino, Musashi, Suruga, and Tōtōmi Provinces... |
693,947 | 686,651 | 706,974 | 723,295 | 714,199 | 742,791 | 748,142 | 778,025 | 797,099 | 808,073 | 775,313 | 794,698 | 924,867 | 853.76 | 13,167.94 | 767,788 | |
| Kōzuke no kuni Kozuke Province was an old province located in the Tōsandō of Japan, which today comprises Gunma Prefecture. It is nicknamed as or .The ancient provincial capital was near modern Maebashi. During the Sengoku period, Kōzuke was controlled variously by Takeda Shingen, Uesugi Kenshin, the late Hōjō clan, and... |
569,550 | 576,075 | 579,987 | 522,869 | 513,915 | 514,172 | 497,034 | 456,950 | 464,226 | 451,830 | 426,073 | 428,092 | 509,941 | 407.25 | 6,281.21 | 637,331 | |
| Shimotsuke no kuni Shimotsuke Province is an old province of Japan in the area of Tochigi Prefecture in the Kanto region. It was sometimes called or .The ancient capital of the province was near the city of Tochigi, but in feudal times the main center of the province was near the modern capital, Utsunomiya.-History:Different parts of... |
560,020 | 554,261 | 535,743 | 434,797 | 404,818 | 413,337 | 404,495 | 395,045 | 375,957 | 342,260 | 367,654 | 378,665 | 501,849 | 411.77 | 6,350.92 | 769,905 | |
| Mutsu no kuni Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture... |
1,962,839 | 1,836,134 | 1,806,192 | 1,563,719 | 1,568,218 | 1,589,108 | 1,602,948 | 1,650,629 | 1,680,102 | 1,690,509 | 1,506,193 | 1,603,881 | 2,305,961 | 2,956.76 | 45,603.50 | 2,874,239 | |
| Iwaki no kuni Iwaki Province (1868) thumb|Map of the former Japanese provinces with Iwaki highlighted was an old province in the area that is today Fukushima Prefecture. It was sometimes called .-History :This iteration of Iwaki Province was established in Meiji Era... |
349,594 | 429.83 | 6,629.47 | ||||||||||||||
| Iwashiro no kuni Iwashiro Province is an old province in the area of Fukushima Prefecture. It was sometimes called .The province occupies the western half of the central part of Fukushima Prefecture; the eastern half is Iwaki Province. More precisely, Date and Adachi Districts in the north belong to Iwashiro and Higashishirakawa and... |
430,163 | 497.52 | 7,673.49 | ||||||||||||||
| Rikuzen no kuni Rikuzen Province is an old province of Japan in the area of Miyagi and some parts of Iwate prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Rikuchū and Mutsu Provinces.-History:... |
539,614 | 525.92 | 8,111.51 | ||||||||||||||
| Rikuchū no kuni Rikuchu Province was an old province in the area of Iwate and Akita prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Rikuzen and Mutsu Provinces.Rikuchu covered most of modern-day Iwate Prefecture, with the exceptions of Kesen District, Rikuzentakata City, Ōfunato City, and Kamaishi City, and also including Kazuno City... |
513,273 | 830.98 | 12,816.60 | ||||||||||||||
| Mutsu no kuni Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori prefecture and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture... |
473,317 | 672.51 | 10,372.44 | ||||||||||||||
| Dewa no kuni Dewa Province is an old province of Japan, comprising modern-day Yamagata Prefecture and Akita Prefecture, except for the city of Kazuno and the town of Kosaka. It was sometimes called .-Historical record:... |
877,650 | 846,255 | 838,446 | 804,922 | 816,770 | 852,959 | 870,149 | 909,212 | 945,919 | 940,929 | 832,649 | 912,452 | 1,197,936 | 1,289.36 | 19,886.41 | 1,295,323 | |
| Uzen no kuni Uzen Province is an old province of Japan in the area of Yamagata Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Ugo Province.This province was in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island. It was the place where the Mogami clan was established.-References:... |
567,361 | 546.64 | 8,431.09 | ||||||||||||||
| Ugo no kuni Ugo Province is an old province of Japan in the area of Akita Prefecture and some parts of Yamagata Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Uzen Province.-Districts:*Akita *Akumi *Hiraka *Kawabe *Ogachi *Semboku *Yamamoto... |
630,575 | 742.72 | 11,455.32 | ||||||||||||||
| Hokurikudō Hokurikudo is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through the old Japanese geographical region. Both were situated along the northwestern edge of Honshū. The name literally means 'North Land Way'... |
2,155,663 | 2,160,541 | 2,212,937 | 2,108,387 | 2,190,010 | 2,269,448 | 2,307,745 | 2,511,390 | 2,598,219 | 2,640,844 | 2,401,206 | 2,534,477 | 3,309,335 | 1,633.01 | 25,186.68 | 3,622,484 | |
| Wakasa no kuni Wakasa Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today southern Fukui Prefecture. It is also known as or .The province's ancient capital was at Obama, which continued to be the main castle town through the Edo period.-Neighboring Provinces:... |
86,598 | 78,072 | 77,729 | 79,323 | 76,124 | 78,356 | 78,715 | 83,056 | 84,678 | 84,366 | 83,956 | 77,183 | 85,813 | 54.75 | 844.44 | 91,018 | |
| Echizen no kuni Echizen Province was an old province of Japan, which is today the northern part of Fukui Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Etchū and Echigo Provinces.Echizen is famous for washi . A text dated AD 774 mentions the washi made in this area. Echizen-produced Washi is still the most commonly sold traditional... |
367,652 | 348,052 | 344,830 | 332,019 | 335,813 | 350,833 | 354,038 | 375,572 | 386,071 | 397,823 | 328,217 | 353,674 | 454,229 | 217.67 | 3,357.23 | 689,304 | |
| Kaga no kuni Kaga Province was an old province in the area that is today the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .Ruled by the Maeda clan, the capital of Kaga was Kanazawa. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces... |
206,933 | 202,429 | 160,778 | 196,732 | 189,682 | 192,738 | 196,725 | 220,004 | 220,267 | 230,461 | 223,338 | 238,291 | 405,268 | 147.83 | 2,280.05 | 483,665 | |
| Noto no kuni Noto Province was an old province in the area that is today the northern part of Ishikawa Prefecture in Japan, including the Noto Peninsula which is surrounded by the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called . Noto bordered on Etchū and Kaga provinces.... |
152,113 | 157,765 | 212,048 | 137,427 | 159,436 | 165,188 | 167,534 | 193,569 | 198,111 | 197,704 | 179,431 | 186,970 | 264,379 | 122.72 | 1,892.77 | 275,369 | |
| Etchū no kuni Etchu Province was an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces... |
314,158 | 313,562 | 313,710 | 317,265 | 327,327 | 337,229 | 345,419 | 383,265 | 413,888 | 402,411 | 383,583 | 403,121 | 623,977 | 266.41 | 4,108.97 | 808,008 | |
| Echigo no kuni Echigo Province was an old province in north-central Japan, on the shores of the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called , with Echizen and Etchū Provinces. Today the area is part of Niigata Prefecture, which also includes the island which was the old Sado Province. This province was the northernmost part of the... |
932,461 | 970,185 | 1,013,331 | 954,524 | 1,011,067 | 1,053,674 | 1,072,904 | 1,154,052 | 1,191,935 | 1,224,947 | 1,099,980 | 1,172,973 | 1,372,116 | 767.29 | 11,834.28 | 1,142,555 | |
| Sado no kuni Sado Province was a province of Japan until 1871; since then, it has been a part of Niigata Prefecture. It was sometimes called or . It lies on the eponymous Sado Island, off the coast of Niigata Prefecture .... |
95,748 | 90,476 | 90,511 | 91,097 | 90,561 | 91,430 | 92,410 | 101,872 | 103,269 | 103,132 | 102,701 | 102,265 | 103,553 | 56.34 | 868.96 | 132,565 | |
| San'indō San'indo is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. San'in translates to "the shaded side of a mountain", while dō, depending on the context, can mean either a road, or a circuit, in the sense of delineating a region... |
1,263,340 | 1,306,568 | 1,340,877 | 1,368,649 | 1,362,540 | 1,427,610 | 1,441,698 | 1,519,467 | 1,544,033 | 1,569,651 | 1,430,878 | 1,487,122 | 1,634,188 | 1,109.83 | 17,117.43 | 1,499,292 | |
| Tamba no kuni Tamba Province was an old province of Japan. The ambit of its borders encompassed both the central part of modern Kyoto Prefecture and the east-central part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Tango Province... |
284,893 | 276,336 | 282,018 | 281,356 | 275,038 | 281,234 | 282,493 | 290,243 | 291,869 | 292,808 | 276,117 | 280,947 | 295,681 | 206.67 | 3,187.57 | 324,136 | |
| Tango no kuni Tango Province was an old province in the area that is today northern Kyoto Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan. It was sometimes called , with Tamba Province. Tango bordered on Tajima, Tamba, and Wakasa provinces.... |
125,276 | 134,476 | 135,392 | 141,191 | 141,364 | 146,762 | 147,403 | 154,763 | 157,401 | 159,211 | 149,063 | 154,308 | 162,084 | 77.10 | 1,189.15 | 147,614 | |
| Tajima no kuni Tajima Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today northern Hyōgo Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Tajima bordered on Harima, Inaba, Tamba, and Tango provinces.... |
149,732 | 156,613 | 154,980 | 158,455 | 160,030 | 164,764 | 167,549 | 179,408 | 181,052 | 184,323 | 162,243 | 173,573 | 187,980 | 165.92 | 2,559.06 | 144,313 | |
| Inaba no kuni Inaba Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Tottori Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Inaba bordered on Harima, Hōki, Mimasaka, and Tajima Provinces.-History:The ancient capital, and the castle town, were at Tottori city... |
122,030 | 125,085 | 125,091 | 123,622 | 123,532 | 126,695 | 128,643 | 132,670 | 135,969 | 136,204 | 120,879 | 127,797 | 162,920 | 98.59 | 1,520.60 | 177,844 | |
| Hōki no kuni Hoki Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the western part of Tottori Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Hōki bordered on Inaba, Mimasaka, Bitchū, Bingo, and Izumo Provinces.... |
132,981 | 140,719 | 144,552 | 155,289 | 155,532 | 166,449 | 169,570 | 180,730 | 186,813 | 191,175 | 168,310 | 177,420 | 194,525 | 125.57 | 1,936.73 | 217,990 | |
| Izumo no kuni Izumo Province was an old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku Region.- History :It was one of the regions of ancient Japan where major political powers arose... |
222,330 | 234,896 | 220,094 | 258,916 | 260,189 | 271,667 | 279,177 | 299,708 | 308,346 | 315,270 | 302,837 | 309,906 | 340,222 | 181.61 | 2,801.06 | 302,627 | |
| Iwami no kuni Iwami Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the western part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Iwami bordered Aki, Bingo, Izumo, Nagato, and Suō provinces.In the Heian era the capital was at modern-day Hamada.... |
207,965 | 219,512 | 259,202 | 229,113 | 225,783 | 248,076 | 245,203 | 257,508 | 257,349 | 264,948 | 225,657 | 236,963 | 262,035 | 232.32 | 3,583.18 | 172,209 | |
| Oki no kuni Oki Province was an old province of Japan which is now Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Oki province consisted of the Oki Islands in the Sea of Japan, located off the coast of the provinces of Izumo and Hōki.... |
18,133 | 18,931 | 19,548 | 20,707 | 21,072 | 21,963 | 21,660 | 24,437 | 25,234 | 25,712 | 25,772 | 26,208 | 28,741 | 22.05 | 340.09 | 12,559 | |
| San'yōdō San'yodo is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The San'yōdō corresponds for the most part with the modern conception of the San'yō region,San'yō translates to "the sunlight-side of a mountain", while dō, depending on the context, can mean... |
2,657,695 | 2,588,975 | 2,701,294 | 2,747,716 | 2,733,792 | 2,823,445 | 2,822,910 | 2,960,990 | 3,038,751 | 3,065,355 | 2,915,809 | 3,028,359 | 3,550,654 | 1,571.35 | 24,235.67 | 3,211,542 | |
| Harima no kuni Harima Province or Banshu was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tamba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji.... |
633,725 | 551,393 | 627,943 | 607,758 | 602,410 | 608,890 | 599,401 | 609,246 | 613,534 | 600,731 | 581,713 | 594,560 | 639,576 | 238.58 | 3,679.73 | 651,964 | |
| Mimasaka no kuni Mimasaka Province or 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.... |
194,226 | 175,168 | 172,431 | 157,747 | 132,445 | 157,066 | 153,397 | 159,007 | 159,850 | 164,018 | 156,196 | 165,468 | 215,676 | 170.56 | 2,630.63 | 262,099 | |
| Bizen no kuni Bizen Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of Honshū, in what is today the southeastern part of Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bitchu and Bingo Provinces. Bizen borders Mimasaka, Harima, and Bitchū Provinces.... |
338,523 | 322,982 | 325,550 | 321,627 | 316,881 | 321,221 | 318,273 | 318,203 | 318,771 | 318,647 | 304,229 | 310,576 | 333,714 | 94.25 | 1,453.66 | 416,581 | |
| Bitchū no kuni Bitchu Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, in what is today western Okayama Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bingo Provinces. Bitchu bordered Hōki, Mimasaka, Bizen, and Bingo Provinces.... |
333,731 | 319,410 | 325,531 | 316,904 | 316,735 | 327,100 | 328,408 | 337,155 | 343,792 | 347,415 | 335,494 | 346,927 | 399,218 | 156.50 | 2,413.77 | 363,915 | |
| Bingo no kuni Bingo Province was a province of Japan on the Inland Sea side of western Honshū, comprising what is today the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bizen and Bitchu Provinces. Bingo bordered Bitchū, Hōki, Izumo, Iwami, and Aki Provinces.... |
321,008 | 306,818 | 310,989 | 303,731 | 307,029 | 315,363 | 318,577 | 342,184 | 351,597 | 360,659 | 344,919 | 360,832 | 459,109 | 234.03 | 3,609.55 | 312,054 | |
| Aki no kuni Aki Province or Geishū was a province in the Chūgoku Region of western Honshū, comprising the western part of what is today Hiroshima Prefecture.When Emperor Shōmu ordered two official temples for each province , two temples were founded in Aki Province... |
361,431 | 396,878 | 414,209 | 454,112 | 466,261 | 491,278 | 499,081 | 547,296 | 564,271 | 578,516 | 527,849 | 553,708 | 673,301 | 286.72 | 4,422.22 | 310,648 | |
| Suō no kuni Suo Province was a province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Suō bordered on Aki, Iwami, and Nagato Provinces.... |
262,927 | 289,392 | 291,334 | 344,800 | 351,110 | 357,507 | 358,761 | 397,836 | 429,329 | 436,198 | 413,630 | 435,188 | 498,732 | 189.20 | 2,918.12 | 489,428 | |
| Nagato no kuni Nagato Province , often called , was a province of Japan. It was at the extreme western end of Honshū, in the area that is today Yamaguchi Prefecture. Nagato bordered on Iwami and Suō Provinces.... |
212,124 | 226,934 | 233,307 | 241,037 | 240,921 | 245,020 | 247,012 | 250,063 | 257,607 | 259,171 | 251,779 | 261,100 | 331,328 | 201.51 | 3,107.98 | 404,853 | |
| Nankaidō Nankaido The , literally meaning "southern sea road," is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The road connected provincial capitals in this region... |
2,156,379 | 2,177,570 | 2,227,504 | 2,268,283 | 2,240,675 | 2,280,438 | 2,350,336 | 2,490,692 | 2,537,174 | 2,577,251 | 2,491,662 | 2,565,745 | 3,244,966 | 1,599.32 | 24,667.07 | 1,889,259 | |
| Kii no kuni Kii Province , or , was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is today Wakayama Prefecture, as well as the southern part of Mie Prefecture. Kii bordered Ise, Izumi, Kawachi, Shima, and Yamato Provinces. The Kii Peninsula takes its name from this province.... |
519,022 | 508,174 | 512,898 | 500,621 | 478,499 | 473,609 | 477,361 | 508,112 | 516,478 | 520,902 | 489,036 | 499,826 | 620,241 | 381.17 | 5,878.96 | 440,858 | |
| Awaji no kuni Awaji Province was an old province of Japan covering Awaji Island, between Honshū and Shikoku. Today it is part of Hyōgo Prefecture. It is sometimes called . Awaji is divided into three municipal sections: Awaji is the northernmost section, Sumoto is the most urban and central section, and four southern towns... |
105,226 | 107,113 | 107,120 | 106,161 | 104,352 | 104,269 | 112,449 | 119,327 | 123,748 | 123,500 | 119,147 | 122,773 | 165,485 | 36.73 | 566.50 | 97,164 | |
| Awa no kuni Awa Province (Tokushima) was an old province of Japan in the area that is today a part of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku. Awa was bordered by Tosa, Sanuki, and Iyo Provinces. It was sometimes called .-References:... |
342,386 | 336,905 | 363,254 | 369,280 | 368,536 | 375,358 | 425,304 | 446,291 | 454,120 | 459,244 | 431,050 | 448,287 | 590,048 | 271.13 | 4,181.77 | 268,894 | |
| Sanuki no kuni Sanuki Province was an old province of Japan on the island of Shikoku, with the same boundaries as modern Kagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called .It faced the Inland Sea and bordered on Awa and Iyo Provinces. Across Naruto strait it bordered Awaji Province too. Administratively it was included as a part of... |
334,153 | 357,326 | 362,874 | 384,851 | 386,062 | 396,122 | 395,980 | 409,815 | 422,508 | 432,648 | 419,969 | 433,880 | 564,351 | 113.74 | 1,754.27 | 291,320 | |
| Iyo no kuni Iyo Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Ehime Prefecture on Shikoku. Iyo bordered on Awa, Sanuki, and Tosa Provinces. It was sometimes called .... |
504,045 | 499,860 | 508,592 | 514,773 | 516,186 | 531,378 | 529,829 | 563,669 | 574,847 | 585,651 | 580,589 | 599,948 | 778,556 | 341.56 | 5,268.04 | 460,997 | |
| Tosa no kuni Tosa Province is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku. Tosa was bordered by Iyo and Awa Provinces. It was sometimes called .-History:The ancient capital was near modern Nankoku... |
351,547 | 368,192 | 372,766 | 392,597 | 387,040 | 399,702 | 409,413 | 443,478 | 445,473 | 455,306 | 451,871 | 461,031 | 526,285 | 454.99 | 7,017.53 | 330,026 | |
| Saikaidō Saikaido , literally meaning "western sea circuit," is a Japanese term denoting both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. Saikaido was one of the main circuits of the Gokishichidō system, which was originally established during the Asuka Period.This name identified the... |
3,074,829 | 3,165,370 | 3,213,637 | 3,226,255 | 3,240,720 | 3,237,146 | 3,299,697 | 3,366,302 | 3,422,274 | 3,449,732 | 3,397,987 | 3,468,045 | 5,163,730 | 2,831 | 43,661 | 3,990,895 | |
| Chikuzen no kuni Chikuzen Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today part of Fukuoka Prefecture in Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Chikugo Province. Chikuzen bordered Buzen, Bungo, Chikugo, and Hizen Provinces.... |
302,160 | 307,439 | 306,173 | 307,778 | 304,199 | 307,982 | 313,420 | 321,857 | 329,886 | 335,803 | 339,434 | 346,942 | 445,278 | 158.63 | 2,446.63 | 651,782 | |
| Chikugo no kuni Chikugo Province is the name of a former province of Japan in the area that is today the southern part of Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Chikuzen Province... |
266,426 | 260,875 | 263,176 | 270,448 | 273,293 | 272,239 | 277,579 | 284,169 | 292,913 | 307,206 | 295,678 | 299,041 | 393,656 | 80.87 | 1,247.30 | 375,588 | |
| Buzen no kuni Buzen Province was an old province of Japan in northern Kyūshū in the area of Fukuoka Prefecture and Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Bungo Province. Buzen bordered on Bungo and Chikuzen Provinces.... |
248,187 | 242,653 | 254,195 | 237,537 | 236,331 | 234,342 | 235,950 | 239,269 | 243,949 | 247,176 | 240,798 | 249,274 | 307,535 | 136.63 | 2,107.31 | 368,913 | |
| Bungo no kuni Bungo Province was a province of Japan in eastern Kyūshū in the area of Ōita Prefecture. It was sometimes called , with Buzen Province. Bungo bordered Buzen, Hyūga, Higo, Chikugo, and Chikuzen Provinces.-History:... |
524,394 | 511,880 | 521,706 | 469,687 | 468,200 | 464,722 | 466,106 | 474,016 | 474,540 | 475,985 | 457,229 | 470,875 | 565,460 | 344.11 | 5,307.37 | 417,514 | |
| Hizen no kuni Hizen Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Saga and Nagasaki prefectures. It was sometimes called , with Higo Province. Hizen bordered on the provinces of Chikuzen and Chikugo. The province was included in Saikaidō... |
609,926 | 632,923 | 647,831 | 662,342 | 678,029 | 674,272 | 712,654 | 683,536 | 701,527 | 699,154 | 692,334 | 713,593 | 1,082,488 | 319.80 | 4,932.43 | 706,470 | |
| Higo no kuni Higo Province Higo Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. It was sometimes called , with Hizen Province. Higo bordered on Chikugo, Bungo, Hyūga, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Provinces.... |
614,007 | 620,244 | 621,294 | 646,892 | 656,035 | 663,414 | 671,316 | 720,216 | 738,078 | 743,544 | 741,677 | 755,781 | 950,389 | 489.29 | 7,546.55 | 611,920 | |
| Hyūga no kuni Hyuga Province was an old province of Japan on the east coast of Kyūshū, corresponding to the modern Miyazaki Prefecture. It was sometimes called or . Hyūga bordered on Bungo, Higo, Ōsumi, and Satsuma Province.The ancient capital was near Saito.-Historical record:... |
211,614 | 225,421 | 225,713 | 230,133 | 228,691 | 229,624 | 230,783 | 241,310 | 243,412 | 245,476 | 249,955 | 247,621 | 382,564 | 511.40 | 7,887.56 | 340,128 | |
| Ōsumi no kuni Osumi Province was an old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Kagoshima Prefecture. It was sometimes called . Ōsumi bordered on Hyūga and Satsuma Provinces.Osumi's ancient capital was near modern Kokubu... |
112,616 | 131,623 | 132,787 | 126,022 | 121,031 | 116,167 | 114,166 | 107,603 | 104,218 | 103,096 | 97,228 | 99,212 | 220,578 | 247.36 | 3,815.15 | 170,833 | |
| Satsuma no kuni Satsuma Province was an old province of Japan that is now the western half of Kagoshima Prefecture on the island of Kyūshū. Its abbreviation is Sasshū .During the Sengoku Period, Satsuma was a fief of the Shimazu daimyo, who ruled much of southern Kyūshū from their castle at Kagoshima city.In 1871, with the... |
149,039 | 194,312 | 205,385 | 237,889 | 236,127 | 235,630 | 238,493 | 250,831 | 251,649 | 248,364 | 239,891 | 241,797 | 586,324 | 332.68 | 5,131.08 | 315,005 | |
| Iki-shima Iki Province was a province of Japan in the area of Nagasaki Prefecture. The province which occupied the entire area of Iki Island. It is also known as .- Political History :... |
19,993 | 23,200 | 23,404 | 23,391 | 24,771 | 24,968 | 25,368 | 26,532 | 27,624 | 27,215 | 27,210 | 27,005 | 32,929 | 8.81 | 135.88 | 32,742 | |
| Tsushima-jima Tsushima Province was an old province of Japan on Tsushima Island which occupied the area corresponding to modern-day Tsushima, Nagasaki. It was sometimes called .-Political History:... |
16,467 | 14,800 | 11,973 | 14,136 | 14,013 | 13,786 | 13,862 | 16,963 | 14,478 | 16,713 | 16,553 | 16,904 | 29,740 | 44.33 | 683.72 | 0 | |
| Ryūkyū-han Ryukyu Kingdom The Ryūkyū Kingdom was an independent kingdom which ruled most of the Ryukyu Islands from the 15th century to the 19th century. The Kings of Ryūkyū unified Okinawa Island and extended the kingdom to the Amami Islands in modern-day Kagoshima Prefecture, and the Sakishima Islands near Taiwan... |
166,789 | 156.91 | 2,420.10 | ||||||||||||||
| Hokkaidō Hokkaido , formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel... |
15,615 | 21,807 | 22,631 | 26,310 | 27,409 | 28,711 | 45,417 | 61,948 | 65,023 | 67,862 | 64,346 | 70,887 | 123,668 | 6,093.93 | 93,989.55 | 0 | |
| Ezo chi Ezo is a Japanese name which historically referred to the lands to the north of Japan. It was used in various senses, sometimes meaning the northern Japanese island of Hokkaidō, and sometimes meaning lands and waters further north in the Sea of Okhotsk, like Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands... –Matsumae han Matsumae clan The was a Japanese clan which was granted the area around Matsumae, Hokkaidō as a march fief in 1590 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and charged with defending it, and by extension all of Japan, from the Ainu 'barbarians' to the north. The clan was originally known as the Kakizaki clan who settled... |
15,615 | 21,807 | 22,631 | 26,310 | 27,409 | 28,711 | 45,417 | 61,948 | 65,023 | 67,862 | 64,346 | 70,887 | 123,668 | 6,093.93 | 93,989.55 | 0 | |
| Ishikari no kuni Ishikari Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Ishikari Subprefecture minus Chitose and Eniwa, all of Sorachi Subprefecture and the southern half of Kamikawa Subprefecture excluding Shimukappu-History:... |
6,003 | ||||||||||||||||
| Shiribeshi no kuni Shiribeshi Province was a short-lived province in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to Shiribeshi Subprefecture minus Abuta District plus the northern part of Hiyama Subprefecture.-History:... |
19,098 | ||||||||||||||||
| Iburi no kuni Iburi Province , also called Ifuri, was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō. It corresponds to modern-day Iburi Subprefecture, Yamakoshi District of Oshima, Abuta District in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, the cities of Chitose and Eniwa in Ishikari Subprefecture and Shimukappu Village in Kamikawa... |
6,251 | ||||||||||||||||
| Oshima no kuni Oshima Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to the southern part of today's Oshima and Hiyama Subprefectures-History:After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Oshima Province.*August 15,... |
75,830 | ||||||||||||||||
| Hidaka no kuni Hidaka Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Hidaka Subprefecture.-History:After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Hidaka Province.... |
6,574 | ||||||||||||||||
| Tokachi no kuni Tokachi Province was a short-lived province in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Tokachi Subprefecture.-History:After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Tokachi Province.... |
1,464 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kushiro no kuni Kushiro Province was a short-lived province in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Kushiro Subprefecture and part of Abashiri Subprefecture.-History:After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Kushiro Province.*August 15,... |
1,734 | ||||||||||||||||
| Nemuro no kuni Nemuro Province was an old province in Japan in what is today Nemuro Subprefecture, Hokkaidō. It was created during the Meiji Era.-History:After 1869, the northern Japanese island was known as Hokkaido; and regional administrative subdivisions were identified, including Nemuro Province.*August 15, 1869 Nemuro... |
832 | ||||||||||||||||
| Chishima no kuni Chishima Province was a province of Japan created during the Meiji Era. It originally contained the Kurile Islands from Kunashiri northwards, and later incorporated Shikotan as well... |
437 | ||||||||||||||||
| Kitami no kuni Kitami Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō. It corresponded to modern-day Sōya Subprefecture and Abashiri Subprefecture minus part of Abashiri District-History:... |
1,511 | ||||||||||||||||
| Teshio no kuni Teshio Province was a short-lived province located in Hokkaidō, corresponding to all of modern-day Rumoi Subprefecture and the northern half of Kamikawa Subprefecture.-History:... |
1,576 | ||||||||||||||||
| Karafuto Kaitaku-shi Karafuto Prefecture , commonly called South Sakhalin, was the Japanese administrative division corresponding to Japanese territory on Sakhalin from 1905 to 1945. Through the Treaty of Portsmouth, the portion of Sakhalin south of 50°N became a colony of Japan in 1905... |
2,358 | ||||||||||||||||
| Total | 26,065,421 | 25,842,337 | 26,070,712 | 25,086,472 | 24,891,441 | 25,471,033 | 25,621,959 | 26,594,597 | 27,194,198 | 27,063,910 | 25,918,412 | 26,907,625 | 33,300,675 | 24,791.98 | 382,378.39 | 30,435,170 | |
| General total | 26,065,425 | 25,917,830 | 26,070,712 | 25,086,466 | 24,891,441 | 25,471,033 | 25,621,957 | 26,602,110 | 27,201,400 | 27,063,907 | 25,918,412 | 26,907,625 | 33,300,675 | 24,796.63 | 382,450.11 | 3,353,080 | |
After the beginning of Tokugawa census, the population growth fell almost to zero until the end of Sakoku
Sakoku
was the foreign relations policy of Japan under which no foreigner could enter nor could any Japanese leave the country on penalty of death. The policy was enacted by the Tokugawa shogunate under Tokugawa Iemitsu through a number of edicts and policies from 1633–39 and remained in effect until...
. On the other hand, regional demographic data suggest that the population growth differs depending on areas; the population of Tōhoku region
Tohoku region
The is a geographical area of Japan. The region occupies the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region consists of six prefectures : Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata....
(Mutsu and Dewa), especially in Mutsu decreased drastically probably because of great famines. The population of Kansai region (Kinai and its surrounding areas), which was the most densely populated area of that time, also slightly decreased, while population in most of western Japan including Chūgoku region
Chugoku region
The , also known as the , is the westernmost region of Honshū, the largest island of Japan. It consists of the prefectures of Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane, Tottori and Yamaguchi. It has a population of about 7.8 million.- History :...
(San'indō and San'yodō), Shikoku
Shikoku
is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan, located south of Honshū and east of the island of Kyūshū. Its ancient names include Iyo-no-futana-shima , Iyo-shima , and Futana-shima...
(Nankaidō except for Kii) and Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
(Saikaidō) steadily increased.
Ryūkyū, Amami, Ezo and Karafuto
Populations of RyūkyūRyukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
and Amami
Amami Islands
The are a group of islands that is part of the Satsunan Islands, which are then part of the Nansei Islands. The islands are part of Kagoshima Prefecture, in the Kyūshū region of Japan...
Islands were surveyed by Satsuma Domain, which formally has possession of Satsuma, Ōsumi and part of Hyūga in southern Kyūshū, and recorded in Satsuma domestic texts, though they were not reported to Tokugawa shogunate thus were excluded from the total population of Japan. Populations of Ryūkyū and Amami Islands have been included to the total populations of Japan after the Meiji Restoration.
| Year | Ryūkyū | Amami | mainland | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satsuma | Ōsumi | Morokata, Hyūga |
total | |||
| 1632 | 108,958 | |||||
| 1636 | 111,669 | 63,723 | ||||
| 1659 | 112,764 | |||||
| 1665 | 110,241 | |||||
| ca. 1670 | 110,211 | 31,377 | 178,101 | 115,459 | 60,767 | 354,327 |
| 1672 | 116,483 | |||||
| 1677 | 122,213 | 379,142 | ||||
| 1684 | 129,995 | 183,376 | 117,583 | 54,428 | 355,387 | |
| 1690 | 128,567 | |||||
| 1699 | 141,187 | |||||
| 1706 | 155,108 | 49,472 | 461,961 | |||
| 1707 | 155,261 | |||||
| 1713 | 157,760 | |||||
| 1721 | 167,672 | |||||
| 1729 | 173,969 | |||||
| 1761 | 188,530 | |||||
| 1772 | 174,211 | 74,910 | 638,101 | |||
| 1795 | 623,627 | |||||
| 1800 | 155,650 | 74,593 | 373,046 | 177,312 | 76,971 | 627,329 |
| 1826 | 140,565 | 77,667 | 404,774 | 169,830 | 76,598 | 651,202 |
| 1852 | 132,678 | 85,125 | 393,527 | 157,111 | 74,727 | 625,365 |
| 1871 | 457,213 | 191,334 | 79,087 | 727,634 | ||
Populations recorded in Satsuma domestic texts include all the classes from several samurai classes, to the discriminated people.
On the other hand, populations of Ainu
Ainu people
The , also called Aynu, Aino , and in historical texts Ezo , are indigenous people or groups in Japan and Russia. Historically they spoke the Ainu language and related varieties and lived in Hokkaidō, the Kuril Islands, and much of Sakhalin...
in eastern Ezo (including Chishima (Kuril Islands
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands , in Russia's Sakhalin Oblast region, form a volcanic archipelago that stretches approximately northeast from Hokkaidō, Japan, to Kamchatka, Russia, separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. There are 56 islands and many more minor rocks. It consists of Greater...
)) and western Ezo (including Karafuto (Sakhalin
Sakhalin
Sakhalin or Saghalien, is a large island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50' and 54°24' N.It is part of Russia, and is Russia's largest island, and is administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast...
)) have been recorded since 1798 and 1810, respectively, thus they were included into the total population of Japan.
| Year | Total | Wajin | Ainu | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matsumae-han | Eastern Ezo-chi (incl. Chishima) |
Western Ezo-chi (excl. Karfuto) |
Northern Ezo-chi (Karafuto) |
total | |||
| 1804 | 56,461 | 32,664 | 526 | 12,227 | 8,944 | 2,100 | 23,797 |
| ca. 1810 | 58,540 | 31,740 | 450 | 26,800 | |||
| 1822 | 61,948 | 37,138 | 472 | 12,119 | 9,648 | 2,571 | 24,810 |
| 1839 | 65,263 | 41,886 | 422 | 12,900 | 7,449 | 2,606 | 23,377 |
| 1848 | 395 | 10,912 | 9,320 | ||||
| 1854 | 82,639 | 63,834 | 377 | 10,506 | 5,253 | 2,669 | 18,805 |
| 1873 | 123,688 | 105,058 | 259 | 12,532 | 3,481 | 2,358 | 18,630 |
Domains (han) and estates of the realm
Meiji government tried to unify the registered system of Shūmon Ninbetsu Aratame Chō in consonant with that of each other among domains and prefectures into a single registered system of koseki. However population were still surveyed by domains until the Abolition of the han systemAbolition of the han system
The was an act, in 1871, of the new Meiji government of the Empire of Japan to replace the traditional feudal domain system and to introduce centralized government authority . This process marked the culmination of the Meiji Restoration in that all daimyo were required to return their authority...
in 1871. The total population of Japan on July 28, 1870 (32,773,698) was collected by different systems of domains, but included all the registered people of all classes.
The uniformed system of was finally established in 1872, where the discriminated classes of eta and hinin were assimilated into the citizens class , though they kept unofficially called ) and discriminated. The honseki population in 1872 (33,110,825) includes 29 imperial members , 2,666 noblemen , 1,282,167 former samurai class members , 658,074 and 3,316 lower former samurai class members ( and , respectively), 211,846 and 9,621 Buddhist monks and nuns ( and , respectively), 102,477 fomer Shintō priests , 30,837,271 citizens (heimin, which includes ca. 550,000 shin-heimin and 2,358 unclassified people in Sakhalin.)
Urban Population
After the Battle of SekigaharaBattle of Sekigahara
The , popularly known as the , was a decisive battle on October 21, 1600 which cleared the path to the Shogunate for Tokugawa Ieyasu...
, Yamaguchi declined, while Edo (Tōkyō) and Sumpu (Shizuoka) became important under Tokugawa shougunate. According to Rodrigo de Vivero y Velasco
Rodrigo de Vivero y Velasco
Rodrigo de Vivero y Velasco was a Spanish colonial officer from New Spain. In 1563 he married Melchora de Aberrucia, who was Alonso Valiente's widow, and thereby disposed the encomienda of Tecamachalco...
, populations of Kyōtō, Ōsaka, Edo, Sumpu and Sakai were 300,000–400,000 (or 800,000), 200,000, 150,000, 120,000 and 80,000, respectively, while the two towns between Sumpu and Kyōtō had 30,000 and 40,000 inhabitants (probably Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu, Shizuoka
is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. On July 1, 2005, the city merged with 11 surrounding cities and towns. It became a city designated by government ordinance on April 1, 2007.- History :...
and Nagoya (or Kiyosu
Kiyosu, Aichi
was a town located in Nishikasugai District, Aichi, Japan., the town had an estimated population of 19,409 and a density of 3,696.95 persons per km²...
), respectively) in 1609. After the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu
Tokugawa Ieyasu
was the founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan , which ruled from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as shogun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but...
, Sumpu became less important, while Edo, Ōsaka and Kyōtō became three most important cities called with more than tens of thousand inhabitants.
Below is a list of the estimated population of major Japanese urbans during Edo period. Although Hiroshima, Wakayama
Wakayama, Wakayama
is the capital city of Wakayama Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.-Background:Wakayama occupies 4% of the land area and has 40% of Wakayama prefecture's population. The city was founded on April 1, 1889....
, Tokushima
Tokushima, Tokushima
is the capital city of Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku island in Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city had an estimated population of 263,372, with 114,325 households, and a population density of 1,377.25 persons per km². Its total area is 191.23 km²....
, Hagi
Hagi, Yamaguchi
is a city located in Yamaguchi, Japan and was incorporated as a city on July 1, 1932. Formerly part of Abu District.On March 6, 2005, the former city of Hagi merged with the towns of Susa and Tamagawa, and the villages of Asahi, Fukue, Kawakami and Mutsumi to form the new city of Hagi.Iwami Airport...
, Takamatsu
Takamatsu, Kagawa
is a city located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island...
and Sumpu (Shizuoka) were important castle towns of major domains, estimated populations are not given because of the lack of sufficient demographic records. Population of Shuri, the capital of the Kingdom of Ryūkyū, is also not estimated, while Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
was only a small village of less than 100 houses until the opening of the port in 1859.
| Urban | 1650 | 1750 | 1850 | 1873 | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edo (Tōkyō) | 430,000 | 1,220,000 | 1,150,000 | 595,905 | de facto capital |
| Ōsaka | 220,000 | 410,000 | 330,000 | 271,992 | market town |
| Kyōtō | 430,000 | 370,000 | 290,000 | 238,663 | de jure capital |
| Nagoya | 87,000 | 106,000 | 116,000 | 125,193 | castle town |
| Kanazawa | 114,000 | 128,000 | 118,000 | 109,685 | castle town |
| Kagoshima Kagoshima, Kagoshima is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture at the southwestern tip of the Kyūshū island of Japan, and the largest city in the prefecture by some margin... |
50,000 | 58,000 | 42,000 | 89,374 | castle town |
| Hiroshima | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 74,305 | castle town |
| Yokohama | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 64,602 | fishery village before 1859 |
| Wakayama | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 61,124 | castle town |
| Sendai | 57,000 | 60,000 | 48,000 | 51,998 | castle town |
| Tokushima | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 48,861 | castle town |
| Hagi | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 45,318 | castle town |
| Shuri | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 44,984 | capital of Ryūkyū |
| Toyama Toyama, Toyama is the capital city of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, located on the coast of the Sea of Japan in the Chūbu region on central Honshū, about 200 km north of the city of Nagoya and 300 km northwest of Tokyo.... |
8,000 | 17,000 | 33,000 | 44,682 | castle town |
| Kumamoto Kumamoto, Kumamoto is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. Greater Kumamoto has a population of 1,460,000, as of the 2000 census... |
17,000 | 29,000 | 41,000 | 44,620 | castle town |
| Hakata and Fukuoka Fukuoka, Fukuoka is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by... |
53,000 | 43,000 | 32,000 | 41,635 | port and castle towns |
| Hyōgo Hyogo-ku, Kobe is one of 9 wards of Kobe in Japan. It has an area of 1 km², and a population of 107,553 . It was voted hypest city in history by Bigbills.com-External links:*... and Kōbe Kobe , pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka... |
20,000 | 25,000 | 22,000 | 40,900 | port town and fishery village |
| Fukui Fukui, Fukui is the capital of Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The city is located in the north-central part of the prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan.-Demographics:... |
48,000 | 43,000 | 39,000 | 39,784 | castle town |
| Kōchi Kochi, Kochi is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,515 and a density of... |
20,000 | 24,000 | 28,000 | 39,757 | castle town |
| Sakai | 69,000 | 47,000 | 41,000 | 38,838 | port town |
| Kubota (Akita Akita, Akita is the capital city of Akita Prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan.As of June 11, 2005, with the merger of the former Kawabe District , the city has an estimated population of 323,310 and density of... ) |
18,000 | 22,000 | 27,000 | 38,118 | castle town |
| Matsue Matsue, Shimane is the capital city of Shimane Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of August, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 207,000, following its most recent merging with Higashi-Izumo... |
18,000 | 28,000 | 36,000 | 37,808 | castle town |
| Niigata Niigata, Niigata is the capital and the most populous city of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It lies on the northwest coast of Honshu, the largest island of Japan, and faces the Sea of Japan and Sado Island.... |
4,000 | 14,000 | 27,000 | 33,152 | port town |
| Hirosaki Hirosaki, Aomori is a city located in southwest Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is a castle town and was the Tsugaru clan ruled the 100,000 koku tozama han Hirosaki Domain from Hirosaki Castle during the Edo period. The city is currently a regional commercial center and the largest producer of apples in Japan... |
11,000 | 31,000 | 37,000 | 32,886 | castle town |
| Takamatsu Takamatsu, Kagawa is a city located in central Kagawa Prefecture on the island of Shikoku in Japan, and is the seat of the prefectural government. It is designated a core city by the Japanese Government. It is a port city located on the Seto Inland Sea, and is the closest port to Honshu from Shikoku island... |
n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 32,736 | castle town |
| Okayama Okayama, Okayama is the capital city of Okayama Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.The city was founded on June 1, 1889. As of August 2010, the city has an estimated population of 705,224 and a population density of 893 persons per km². The total area is 789.88 km².... |
29,000 | 26,000 | 20,000 | 32,372 | castle town |
| Sumpu (Shizuoka) | n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 31,555 | castle town |
| Nagasaki | 37,000 | 45,000 | 31,000 | 29,656 | overseas port town |
| Hakodate Hakodate, Hokkaido is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan... |
0 | 3,000 | 10,000 | 28,825 | port town |
| Takada (Jōetsu Joetsu, Niigata is a city located in Niigata Prefecture, Japan.As of June 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 205,521, with 72,982 households and a population density of 211.15 persons per km². The total area is 973.32 km².... ) |
21,000 | 16,000 | 18,000 | 27,460 | castle town |
| Matsuyama Matsuyama, Ehime is the capital city of Ehime Prefecture on the Shikoku island of Japan. It is located on the northeastern portion of the Dōgo Plain. Its name means "pine mountain." The city was founded on December 15, 1889.... |
23,000 | 16,000 | 16,000 | 26,141 | castle town |
| Tsuruoka Tsuruoka, Yamagata is a city located in the Shonai region of Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.Tsuruoka is the second largest city in Yamagata Prefecture after Yamagata City... |
15,000 | 18,000 | 16,000 | 24,964 | castle town |
| Yonezawa Yonezawa, Yamagata is a city located in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 91,704 and the population density of 167 persons per square kilometer... |
35,000 | 32,000 | 29,000 | 24,945 | castle town |
| Himeji Himeji, Hyogo is a city located in Hyōgo Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan. As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 535,945, with 206,409 households. The total area is 534.43 km².- History :... |
21,000 | 22,000 | 24,000 | 24,521 | castle town |
| Hikone Hikone, Shiga is a city located in Shiga, Japan. The city was incorporated on February 11, 1937.Hikone's most famous historical site is Hikone Castle. Its construction was begun in 1603, by Ii Naokatsu, son of the former lord, Ii Naomasa, but was not completed until 1622... |
38,000 | 33,000 | 29,000 | 24,368 | castle town |
| Nagaoka Nagaoka, Niigata is a city located in the central part of Niigata Prefecture, Japan. It is the second largest city in the prefecture, behind the capital city of Niigata... |
n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 24,067 | castle town |
| Takaoka Takaoka, Toyama is a city situated in the northwest of Toyama Prefecture, Japan, and is the central city of its Western District. Takaoka covers the 8th largest surface area in Toyama prefecture and has the second largest population after Toyama City... |
12,000 | 11,000 | 14,000 | 23,724 | market town |
| Yamada (Ise Ise, Mie , formerly called Ujiyamada , is a city located in eastern Mie Prefecture, on the island of Honshū, Japan.Ise is home to Ise Grand Shrine, the most sacred Shintō Shrine in Japan, and is thus a very popular destination for tourists. The city has a long-standing nickname—Shinto —that roughly means... ) |
30,000 | 23,000 | 16,000 | 22,473 | Shintō holy town |
| Fushimi Fushimi-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven wards in the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Famous places in Fushimi include the Fushimi Inari Shrine, with thousands of torii lining the paths up and down a mountain; Fushimi Castle, originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, with its rebuilt towers and gold-lined... |
16,000 | 33,000 | 46,000 | 22,334 | riverside port town |
| Annōtsu (Tsu Tsu, Mie is the capital of Mie Prefecture, Japan. The city of Tsu is located on Ise Bay, east of the city. Tsu is bounded to the north by Suzuka and Kameyama; to the west by Iga, Nabari, and Nara Prefecture; and to the south by Matsuzaka city.-History:... ) |
12,000 | 18,000 | 16,000 | 22,080 | castle town |
| Saga Saga, Saga is the capital of Saga Prefecture, located on the island of Kyūshū, Japan.Saga was the capital of Saga Domain in the Edo period, and largest city of former Hizen Province.... |
n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 21,660 | castle town |
| Morioka Morioka, Iwate is the capital city of Iwate Prefecture, Japan.As of 2005, the city has an estimated population of 300,740 and a population density of 588.11 persons per km². The total area is 489.15 km².... |
17,000 | 27,000 | 30,000 | 21,306 | castle town |
| Nara | 35,000 | 35,000 | 27,000 | 21,158 | Buddhism holy town |
| Tottori Tottori, Tottori is the capital city of Tottori Prefecture in the Chūgoku region of Japan.As of 2006, the city has an estimated population of 200,974 and a density of 262.48 persons per km². The total area is 765.66 km².... |
32,000 | 35,000 | 35,000 | 20,782 | castle town |
| Wakamatsu (Aizu-Wakamatsu Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima is a city located in the Aizu region of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.As of May 2011, the city has an estimated population of 125,341. The total area is 383.03 km².-History:... ) |
27,000 | 26,000 | 25,000 | 20,588 | castle town |
| Kurume Kurume, Fukuoka is a city located in Fukuoka prefecture, Japan.The city has an estimated population of 303,277 and a population density of 1,319.51 persons per km²... |
n.a. | n.a. | n.a. | 20,381 | castle town |
| Kuwana Kuwana, Mie is a city located in the northern end of Mie Prefecture, Japan. It is known as a major sightseeing city in the prefecture. Located at the mouth of the three rivers dividing Mie and Aichi prefectures, the city has functioned as a regional center of fishing, industry, business, and culture.As of... |
22,000 | 19,000 | 16,000 | 18,064 | castle town |
| Ōtsu Otsu, Shiga is the capital city of Shiga, Japan. The city was founded on October 1, 1898. As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 338,629 with an average age of 40.7 years and a population density of 905.28 persons per km²... |
22,000 | 19,000 | 17,000 | 17,924 | lakefront port town |
| Yamagata Yamagata, Yamagata is the capital city of Yamagata Prefecture in Japan.As of July 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 253,951 with 97,457 households and a population density of 665.94 persons per km². The total area is 381.34 km². The city was founded on April 1, 1889.-Culture:The , one of Tōhoku's... |
25,000 | 23,000 | 21,000 | 17,631 | castle town |
| Kōfu Kofu, Yamanashi is the capital city of Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the city had a estimate population of 197,540, with 85,794 households. The total area is 212.41 km².-History:Kōfu's name means "capital of Kai Province"... |
26,000 | 24,000 | 22,000 | 15,529 | castle town |
| Tsuruga Tsuruga, Fukui is a city located in southern Fukui Prefecture, Japan.-Outline:One of city of Wakasa Area, present southern Fukui Prececture. Municipalized on April 1, 1937.... |
21,000 | 15,000 | 13,000 | 11,476 | castle town |
| Ōgaki Ogaki, Gifu is a city located in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It was incorporated as a city on April 1, 1918. As of July 2011, the city has an estimated population of 160,999 and a total area of .Ōgaki was the final destination for the haiku poet Matsuo Bashō... |
22,000 | 20,000 | 18,000 | 10,158 | castle town |
Estimated populations of castle towns contain considerable errors compare to those of the business towns (Ōsaka, Sakai, Hyōgo, Niigata, Nagasaki, Hakodate and Fushimi) with less samurai-class inhabitants, because demographics of samurai classes and their servants (or dwellers of samurai districts) were recorded separately or kept secret, which easily lead to the loss of original data after the abolishment of the Han system. On the other hand, demorgaphics of chōnin
Chonin
was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The majority of chōnin were merchants, but some were craftsmen, as well. Nōmin were not considered chōnin...
classes (civilian), or dwellers of chōnin districts plus chōnin classes dwelled in temples-shrines districts (i.e. excluding demographics of Buddhist monks, nuns and Shintō priests which were usually summed separately), rather remain recorded for most of the cases.
Even the peak estimated population of Edo varies from 788,000 to 1,500,000. For example, Yoshida (1910) estimated the peak population of Edo (shortly before Perry's expeditions) at 1,400,000 based on the average amount of rice carried into Edo (1,400,000 koku per year). Chandler (1987) estimated the peak population of Edo at 788,000 by adding samurai population as 3/8 of the recorded chōnin population. Sekiyama (1958) estimated the peak population of Edo at 1,100,000 by adding samurai and servants population as 500,000 (215,000 Hatamoto
Hatamoto
A was a samurai in the direct service of the Tokugawa shogunate of feudal Japan. While all three of the shogunates in Japanese history had official retainers, in the two preceding ones, they were referred to as gokenin. However, in the Edo period, hatamoto were the upper vassals of the Tokugawa...
, Gokenin
Gokenin
A was initially a vassal of the shogunate of the Kamakura and the Muromachi periods. In exchange for protection and the right to become shugo or jitō , in times of peace a gokenin had the duty to protect the imperial court and Kamakura, in case of war had to fight with his forces under the...
, their servants and families, 100,000 Shogun
Shogun
A was one of the hereditary military dictators of Japan from 1192 to 1867. In this period, the shoguns, or their shikken regents , were the de facto rulers of Japan though they were nominally appointed by the emperor...
's Ashigaru
Ashigaru
The Japanese ashigaru were foot-soldiers of medieval Japan. The first known reference to ashigaru was in the 1300s, but it was during the Ashikaga Shogunate-Muromachi period that the use of ashigaru became prevalent by various warring factions.-Origins:Attempts were made in Japan by the Emperor...
, other lower servants and their families, 180,000 Daimyo, their servants and their families). Diaries recorded that the population of Edo was 1,287,800 in 1837, the population of monks and priests was ca. 40,000 or the samurai population of Edo was 700,973. According to the map of Edo illustrated in 1725, area for samurai occupied 66.4% of the total area of Edo (estimated population density: 13,988 /km2 for 650,000 individuals), while areas for chōnin and temples-shrines occupied 12.5% (estimated chōnin population density: 68,807 /km2 for 600,000 individuals) and 15.4% (estimated population density: 4,655 /km2 for 50,000 individuals), respectively.
| Urban | Year | Total areas | Imperial and nobiliary districts |
Samurai districts (including castles) |
Chōnin districts | Temples and shrines districts |
Other districts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edo | ca. 1647 | 43.95 km2 | 34.06 km2(77.4%) | 4.29 km2(9.8%) | 4.50 km2(10.3%) | 1.10 km2(2.5%) | |
| 1670–1673 | 63.42 km2 | 43.66 km2(68.9%) | 6.75 km2(10.6%) | 7.90 km2(12.4%) | 5.11 km2(8.1%) | ||
| 1725 | 69.93 km2 | 46.47 km2(66.4%) | 8.72 km2(12.5%) | 10.74 km2(15.4%) | 4.00 km2(5.7%) | ||
| 1865 | 79.8 km2 | 50.7 km2(63.5%) | 14.2 km2(17.8%) | 10.1 km2(12.7%) | 4.8 km2(6.0%) | ||
| 1869 | 56.36 km2 | 38.65 km2(68.6%) | 8.92 km2(15.8%) | 8.80 km2(15.6%) | |||
| Kyōtō (Rakuchū,or within walls) | ca. 1647 | 20.87 km2 | 0.68 km2(3.3%) | 1.05 km2(5.0%) | 8.37 km2(40.1%) | 2.92 km2(14.0%) | 7.85 km2(37.6%) |
| Ōsaka | ca. 1655 | 15.05 km2 | 3.36 km2(22.3%) | 8.68 km2(57.7%) | 1.18 km2(7.8%) | 1.83 km2(12.2%) | |
| Sendai | ca. 1647 | 10.37 km2 | 7.56 km2(72.9%) | 1.15 km2(11.1%) | 1.66 km2(16.0%) | ||
| Nagoya | ca. 1660 | 9.20 km2 | 5.69 km2(61.8%) | 2.18 km2(23.7%) | 1.14 km2(12.4%) | 0.19 km2(2.1%) | |
| Kanazawa | ca. 1647 | 7.46 km2 | 4.91 km2(65.8%) | 1.58 km2(21.2%) | 0.79 km2(10.6%) | 0.18 km2(2.4%) | |
Selected recorded populations of urbans listed above are as follows. Sources for koseki censuses are given in Japanese Wikipedia page.
- Edo: 353,588 (chōnin, in 6th month of 1693); 501,394 (chōnin, in 11th month of 1721); 533,763 (chōnin, in 4th month of 1734); 509,708 (chōnin, 7,442 eta–hinin excluded, in 12th month of 1750); 457,083 (chōnin, in 1786); 492,449 (chōnin, in 5th month of 1798); 545,623 (chōnin, in 5th month of 1832); 587,458 (553,257 registered plus 34,201 temporal chōnin, in 7 month of 1843); 569,549 (559,115 registered plus 10,434 temporal chōnin, 10,008 eta–hin excluded, in 4th month of 1850); 584,166 (575,091 registered plus 9,075 temporal chōnin, in 9th month of 1853); 543,079 (538,463 registered plus 4,616 temporal chōnin, in 9th month of 1867); 674,447 (all classes, as of 1st day of 1st month in 1869). Recorded populations of YoshiwaraYoshiwaraYoshiwara was a famous Akasen district in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to...
girls (8,679), Buddhist monks in temples (36,695), Buddhist monks outside temples (4,277), Shintō priests in shrines (5,843), Buddhist nuns (6,722), Shintō priests outside shrines (5,831), the blind (1,284) in 1743. - Ōsaka: 279,610 (chōnin, in 1625); 252,446 (chōnin, in 1661); 364,154 (chōnin, in 1699); 383,480 (382,471 chōnin plus 1,009 monks in 1721); 404,146 (chōnin and monks, in 1749); 419,863 (chōnin and monks, 3,590 eta excluded, in 1765); 379,121 (chōnin and monks, 4,423 eta excluded, in 1800); 369,173 (chōnin and monks, 5,122 eta excluded, in 1832); 330,637 (chōnin and monks, 4,450 eta excluded, in 1850); 301,093 (chōnin and monks, in 1862); 281,306 (all classes, in 1868). Present town of Ōsaka began from a temple town of Ishiyama Hongan-jiIshiyama Hongan-jiFor other uses, see Ishiyama .The ' was the primary fortress of the Ikkō-ikki, mobs of warrior monks and peasants who opposed samurai rule. It was established in 1496, at the mouth of the Yodo River, on the coast of the Seto Inland Sea. At the time, this was just outside of the remains of the...
, where 2,000 houses were reported in 1562. On the other hand, number of houses for Tennnōji, a temple town of Shitennō-jiShitenno-jiis a Buddhist temple in Osaka, Japan.Prince Shōtoku is said to have constructed this temple in 593. It is the first Buddhist and oldest officially administered temple in Japan, although the temple buildings have been rebuilt over the centuries. Most of the present structures are from when the...
, was described as 7,000 in 1499. Ōsaka and Tenōji were connected by a suburb town of HiranoHirano-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards which make up the city of Osaka, and is located in the southeast of the city. It is the largest Osaka ward in population and the only ward to have over 200,000 residents.-Geography:...
: 10,851 (chōnin, in 1688); 10,991 (chōnin, in 1690); 9,272 (chōnin, in 1702); 9,439 (chōnin, 100 eta excluded, in 1756); 8,142 (chōnin, 124 eta excluded, in 1799); 7,958 (chōnin, 246 eta excluded, in 1850), 7,948 (chōnin, 253 eta excluded, in 1863). Both Tennōji and NambaNambais a district of Osaka, Japan. Namba is regarded as the center of so-called Minami area of Osaka. Its name is one of variations on the former name of Osaka, Naniwa...
were suburb towns of Ōsaka with estimated populations of ca. 10,000 during Edo era. The history of Namba or NaniwaNaniwa-ku, Osakais one of 24 wards of Osaka City, Japan. It has an area of 4.37 km², and a population of 51,567.- General information :Largely a residential area itself, Naniwa-ku is adjacent to and has in recent years blurred into the Namba district, which is south Osaka City's transport hub and centre of...
is much older; esimated population of Naniwa was 35,000 during Nara period. - Kyōtō: 410,089 (chōnin in chōnin districts, Rakuchū (inside walls), in 1634); 362,322 (chōnin in chōnin districts, Rakuchū, in 1661); 408,723 (chōnin (372,810 in chōnin districts, Rakuchū plus 35,918 in chōnin districts, Rakugai (outside walls)), in 1674); 388,142 (chōnin (321,449 in chōnin districts, Rakuchū; 32,258 in chōnin districts, Rakugai; 6,611 in temples and shrines, Rakuchū; 27,824 in temples and shrines, Rakugai), in 1683; 372,972 (chōnin (317,936 in chōnin districts, Rakuchū; 33,756 in chōnin districts, Rakugai; 2,780 in temples and shrines, Rakuchū; 18,500 in temples and shrines, Rakugai), in 1700); 374,449 (chōnin (345,882 in chōnin districts, Rakuchū plus 28,567 in chōnin districts, Rakugai), in 1729); 318,016 (chōnin (255,947 in chōnin districts, Rakuchū plus 62,069 in chōnin districts, Rakugai), in 1766); 237,674 (all classes, in 1871). The urban areas of Kyōtō and Fushimi were connected by built-up area by 19th century.
- Nagoya: 54,932 (chōnin, in 1654); 63,734 (chōnin, in 1692); 55,665 (chōnin, in 1694); 42,135 (chōnin, in 1721); 73,583 (chōnin, in 1750); 75,779 (chōnin, in 1840); 73,963 (chōnin, 757 doctors and 103 rōnin included, in 1865); 71,698 (69,618 chōnin plus 860 doctors, monks and priests, in 1871).
- Kanazawa: 55,106 (chōnin, in 1664); 68,636 (chōnin, in 1697); 64,987 (chōnin, in 1710); 56,355 (chōnin, in 1810); 58,506 (chōnin, in 1857); 60,789 (chōnin, in 1869); 123,363 (all classes including 26,038 upper samurai, 26,888 lower samurai, 68,810 commons, 139 priests, 1,032 monks and 456 convicts, in 1871).
- Kagoshima: 49,096 (all classes in gō of Kagoshima, in 1684); 59,816 (all classes in gō of Kagoshima, 15,176 upper samurai, 27,725 lower samurai, 318 monks, 5,737 chōnin in main three towns, 104 chōnin in Yokoi town, 123 fisherfolks, 10,382 farmers and 89 discriminated, in 1772); 61,507 (all classes in gō of Kagoshima, 15,728 upper samurai, 28,113 lower samurai, 289 monks, 5,185 chōnin in main three towns, 115 chōnin in Yokoi town, 98 fisherfolks, 11,954 farmers and 25 discriminated, in 1800); 76,998 (all classes in gō of Kagoshima, 18,171 upper samurai, 39,922 lower samurai, 303 monks, 4,040 chōnin in main three towns, 129 chōnin in Yokoi town, 66 fisherfolks, 14,281 farmers and 86 discriminated, in 1852); 85,435 (all classes in gō of Kagoshima, 26,992 upper samurai, 2,671 lower samurai and 55,872 commons, in 1871). Population as of Jan 1, 1873 (27,240): only those living in chōnin districts.
- Hiroshima: 37,212 (36,142 chōnin plus 1,070 monks, in 1663); 48,351 (37,155 chōnin, 10,855 in suburb and 341 discriminated, in 1715); 33,191 (chōnin, in 1746); 29,247 (chōnin, in 1800); 50,092 (24,776 chōnin, 23,884 in suburb and 1,432 discriminated, in 1822).
- Yokohama: 88 houses (ca. 450 persons) in 1840.
- Wakayama: 42,314 (chōnin over 7 years old, in 1699); 57,005 (chōnin of all ages, in 1700 or 1728).
- Sendai: 25,590 (22,706 chōnin, 631 monks and 2,253 in temples district, in 1695); 26,623 (20,374 chōnin, 863 monks and 5,386 in temples district, in 1742); 15,617 (11,610 chōnin, 594 monks and 3,413 in temples district in 1772); 17,798 (13,302 chōnin, 652 monks and 3,840 in temples district, in 1802); 18,444 (13,749 chōnin, 710 monks and 3,985 in temples district, in 1825).
- Tokushima: 18,826 (chōnin in 1670); 20,590 (chōnin in 1685).
- Hagi: 5,300 (chōnin, in 1667); 12,260 (chōnin, in 1707); 14,633 (chōnin, in 1716); 10,791 (chōnin, in 1789); 16,424 (chōnin, in 1817/1818).
- Shuri: 8,455 (2,322 samurai plus 6,133 commons, in 1654); 16,210 (4,492 samurai plus 11,718 commons, in 1691); 20,861 (9,612 samurai plus 11,249 commons, in 1729).
- Toyama: 16,000 (chōnin, in 1661); 23,903 (7,603 samurai plus 16,210 chōnin, in 1676); 17,600 (chōnin, in ca 1700); 20,000 (chōnin, in 1761); 34,228 (6,840 samurai plus 27,388 chōnin, in 1810); 26,936 (chōnin, in 1841).
- Kumamoto: 12,841 (samurai included, in 1611); 24,735 (chōnin, in ca. 1680); 19,939 (chōnin, in 1734); 20,881 (chōnin, in 1754); 18,470 (chōnin, in 1798); 21,300 (chōnin, in 1830).
- Hyōgo: 19,766 (chōnin, in ca. 1725); 21,030 (chōnin, in 1759); 22,774 (chōnin, in 1769); 20,853 (chōnin, in 1800); 20,942 (chōnin, in 1832); 21,861 (chōnin, in 1850); 27,476 (all classes, as of Jan 1, 1873). Kōbe: 1,391 (chōnin, in 1690); 1,985 (chōnin, in 1760); 2,637 (chōnin, in 1830); 2,547 (chōnin, in 1850); 8,554 (all classes, as of Jan 1, 1873). Sudden increase in poulation bagan in 1869, when the Port of Kōbe was opened to foreigners, while the port of Hyōgo was already one of the important ports of Japan for domestic transport.
- Hakata: 17,948 (chōnin, in 1669); 19,468 (chōnin, in 1690); 17,842 (chōnin, in 1718); 15,448 (chōnin, in 1750); 14,619 (chōnin, in 1812); 20,985 (all classes, as of Jan 1, 1873). Fukuoka: 15,009 (chōnin, in 1690); 13,675 (chōnin, in 1718); 7,470 (chōnin, in 1806); 20,650 (all classes, as of Jan 1, 1873). Hakata was already an important port since 12th century. On the other hand, Fukuoka area was built as a new castle town of the Fukuoka domain in 1600, named after a place in Setouchi, OkayamaSetouchi, Okayamais a city located in the southern part of Okayama Prefecture, Japan. As of 2004, the city has a population of 39,377. The total area is 125.51 km²....
where the Kuroda clanKuroda clanThe ' was a Japanese samurai clan which came to prominence during the Sengoku period.-Origins:The Kuroda clan claimed its origins in Tōtōmi Province.-Sengoku era:...
s grew. - Fukui: 25,331 (chōnin, in ca. 1610); 21,393 (chōnin, in 1712); 20,533 (chōnin, in 1750); 18,364 (chōnin, in 1792); 32,613 (12,832 samurai plus 19,781 chōnin, in 1847).
- Kōchi: 17,054 (chōnin, in 1665); 21,351 (5,693 samurai plus 14,658 chōnin, in 1762); 13,985 (chōnin, in 1819); 15,895 (chōnin, in 1852).
- Sakai: 69,368 (chōnin, in 1663); 56,997 (chōnin, in 1703); 47,928 (chōnin, in 1746); 44,496 (chōnin, in 1813); 40,977 (chōnin, in 1848); 37,153 (chōnin, in 1859). Sakai was an important port during Muromachi period. 10,000 houses in 1399.
- Kubota: 20,828 (chōnin, 15,257 in Kubora and 5,571 in Minato (present Tsuchizaki area in Akita), in 1730); 21,313 (chōnin both in Kubota and Minato, in 1747); 16,387 (chōnin, 11,450 in Kubota and 4,937 in Minato, in 1844); 16,990 (chōnin both in Kubota and Mianto, in 1850); 18,082 (chōnin both in Kubota and Mianto, in 1859); 46,677 (all classes, 38,118 in Akita and 8,559 in Tuchizaki-minato, as of Jan 1, 1873).
- Matsue: 28,564 (15,019 samurai plus 13,545 chōnin, in 1761); 29,263 (15,268 samurai plus 13,995 chōnin, in 1787); 31,161 (15,635 samurai plus 15,526 chōnin, in 1787); 36,073 (15,567 samurai plus 20,506 chōnin, in 1838).
- Niigata: 2,500 houses (chōnin, in 1697); 20,800–20,900 (chōnin, in 1818), 25,467 (chōnin, in 1850).
- Hirosaki: 17,362 (chōnin, in 1694); 31,200 (14,600 samurai plus 16,600 chōnin; in 1765); 26,730 (samurai and chōnin, in 1800); 36,036 (21,004 samurai, 14,540 chōnin, 492 monks and priests, in 1837); 14,850 (chōnin, in 1858); 38,848 (21,926 samurai plus 16,922 chōnin, in 1866).
- Takamatsu: 12,943 (chōnin, in 1642); 24,243 (chōnin, in 1667); 30,195 (5,273 samurai and 24,922 chōnin, in 1838).
- Okayama: 28,669 (chōnin, in 1667); 30,635 (chōnin, in 1707); 24,556 (chōnin, in 1753); 21,357 (chōnin, in 1798); 20,086 (chōnin, in 1854); 20,670 (chōnin, in 1869).
- Sumpu: 17,067 (chōnin, in 1692); 16,163 (chōnin, in 1762); 15,724 (chōnin, in 1850).
- Nagasaki: 24,693 (chōnin, in 1616); 40,700 (chōnin, in 1659); 53,522 (chōnin, in 1694); 50,148 (chōnin, in 1703); 41,553 (chōnin, in 1715); 29,897 (chōnin, in 1771), 31,893 (chōnin, in 1789); 29,962 (chōnin, in 1841); 27,343 (chōnin, in 1853); 27,381 (chōnin, in 1856).
- Hakodate: 2,595 (chōnin, in 1801); 9,480 (637 samurai, 8,682 chōnin, plus 161 monks and priests, in 1850); 18,609 (all classes including temporal residents, 14,660 permanent residents, in 1867).
- Takada: 21,567 (chōnin, in 1681); 17,429 (chōnin, in 1701); 15,832 (chōnin, in 1741); 18,383 (chōnin, in 1838); 17,906 (chōnin, in 1843); 19,060 (chōnin, in 1869).
- Matsuyama: 16,604 (chōnin, in 1691); 11,528 (chōnin, in 1789); 11,598 (chōnin, in 1820).
- Tsuruoka: 7,837 (chōnin, in 1667); 10,951 (chōnin, in 1700); 17,705 (9,206 samurai plus 8,499 chōnin, in 1770); 8,406 (chōnin, in 1840).
- Yonezawa: 6,207 (chōnin, in 1595); 12,129 (chōnin, in 1692); 11,481 (chōnin, in 1701); 16,099 (chōnin, in 1776); 6,667 (chōnin, in 1840); 6,920 (chōnin, in 1850); 6,943 (chōnin, in 1862).
- Himeji: 22,125 (chōnin, in 1648); 24,140 (chōnin, in 1667); 21,526 (chōnin, in ca. 1700); 18,769 (chōnin, in 1749); 14,725 (chōnin, in 1809); 13,872 (chōnin, in 1845).
- Hikone: 15,505 (chōnin, in 1695); 15,675 (chōnin, in ca. 1802); 13,162 (chōnin, in 1869).
- Nagaoka: 5,781 (chōnin, in 1694).
- Takaoka: 13,085 (chōnin, in 1699); 10,681 (chōnin, in 1761); 15,582 (chōnin, in 1771); 15,465 (chōnin, in 1785); 12,037 (chōnin, in 1816).
- Yamada: 23,622 (chōnin over 14 years old, in 1627); 30,929 (chōnin, in 1629); 39,621 (chōnin in 1717). Uji: 3,592 (chōnin, in 1629).
- Fushimi: 25,249 (chōnin, in 1690); 28,743 (chōnin, in 1700); 27,450 (chōnin, in ca. 1770); 33,385 (chōnin, in ca. 1786); 40,980 (chōnin, in ca. 1843). The urban areas of Kyōtō and Fushimi were connected by built-up area by 19th century.
- Annōtsu: 12,205 (chōnin, in 1665); 12,261 (chōnin, in 1666); 11,648 (chōnin, in 1701); 11,262 (chōnin, in 1731); 7,170 (chōnin, males over 15 years old plus females over 13 years old, in 1759).
- Saga: 31,450 (13,451 samurai plus 17,999 chōnin, in 1687); 20,084 (6,373 samurai plus 13,711 chōnin, in 1854).
- Morioka: 12,324 (chōnin, in 1683); 14,209 (chōnin, in 1700); 15,726 (chōnin, in 1750); 17,941 (chōnin, in 1798); 18,824 (chōnin, in 1803); 17,966 (chōnin, in 1840)
- Nara: 34,985 (25,054 chōnin plus 9,931 in temples and shrines districts, in 1631); 28,243 (chōnin, in 1680); 35,369 (26,420 chōnin plus 8,949 in temples and shrines districts, in 1698); 23,500 (chōnin, in 1714); 22,538 (chōnin, in 1726); 22,146 (chōnin, in 1729); 20,081 (chōnin, in 1740); 19,210 (chōnin, in 1744); 20,661 (16,004 chōnin plus 5,657 in temples and shrines districts, in 1857).
- Tottori: population of chōnin: 13,125 (chōnin, in 1749); 10,228 (chōnin, in 1810); 11,440 (chōnin, in 1846).
- Wakamatsu: population of chōnin: 18,435 (in 1666); 20,700 (in 1697);16,700 (in 1718); 11,670 (in 1788).
- Kurume: population of chōnin: 8,764 (in 1699); 8,888 (in 1706); 7,631 (in 1780); 8,632 (in 1822); 11,208 (in 1858).
- Kuwana: population of chōnin: 12,520 (in 1679); 13,160 (in ca. 1700); 11,902 (in 1710); 10,857 (in 1750); 8,527 (in 1822), 8,848 (in 1843).
- Ōtsu: population of chōnin: 18,774 (in 1691); 17,810 (in 1699); 17,568 (in 1714); 17,481 (in 1719); 16,072 (in 1766); 14,950 (in 1783); 14,892 (in 1843).
- Yamagata: population of chōnin: 13,981 (chōnin, in 1622); 13,507 (in 1697); 17,508 (in 1738); 12,586 (in 1746); 15,214 (in 1753).
- Kōfu: population of chōnin: 12,772 (in 1670); 14,334 (1689); 13,539 (in 1697); 12,699 (in 1705); 13,306 (in 1710); 9,290 (in 1724); 9,566 (in 1806); 11,071 (chōnin, in 1864).
- Tsuruga: population of chōnin: 15,101 (in 1663); 11,345 (in 1679); 13,568 (in 1681); 10,600 (in 1726); 11,506 (in 1729); 8,900 (chōnin, in 1840); 12,296 (in 1854).
- Ōgaki: population of chōnin: 5,543 (in 1721); 5,343 (in 1785); 5,522 (in 1837); 5,097 (in 1843).
See also
- Demographics of Imperial Japan
- Demographics of JapanDemographics of JapanThe demographic features of the population of Japan include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
- Japanese peopleJapanese peopleThe are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
Books
- Takahashi, Bonsen, "", Sanyūsha, Tokyo:Japan, 1941.
- Sekiyama, Naotarō, "," Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, Tokyo:Japan, 1958.
- Hayami, Akira, ed., "", Hara Shobō, Tokyo:Japan, 1992.
External links
- Kotenseki sogo database (Japanese & Chinese Classics) at Waseda University
- Wamyō Ruijushō (Print in Kanbun (Sinicized Japanese) with the year of Genna 3 (1617) published by , Osaka; original text written by Minamoto no ShitagōMinamoto no Shitagowas a mid Heian waka poet, scholar and nobleman. He was the original compiler of the Wamyō Ruijushō, the first Japanese dictionary organized into semantic headings. He was designated as one of the Thirty-six Poetry Immortals for his distinguished poetic accomplishments. In addition to the Wamyō...
does not exist; names of and or for each province summarized, which are the basis for the estimations of regional demographics during Nara and Heian periods) - Kanchū Hisaku (Codex in Japanese with the year of An'ei 4 (1776); total and provincial demographics of Japan as of 1750 (Kan'en 3) recorded)
- Wamyō Ruijushō (Print in Kanbun (Sinicized Japanese) with the year of Genna 3 (1617) published by , Osaka; original text written by Minamoto no Shitagō
- DSpace at Waseda University
- Kokudaka and population Table (Okuma Shigenobu Collection, original text in Japanese; Demographics of domains and prefectures as of February 2, 1869 (1st day of the 1st month, Meiji 2) recorded)
- Statistics Bureau of Japan
- Kindai Digital Library at the National Diet Libray of Japan (original texts in Japanese)
- Japan Registered Population Tables as of January 1, 1874 (Japanese only)