is an old province in the area that today forms the eastern half of Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture

is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region. The region of Aichi is also known as the Tōkai region. The capital is Nagoya. It is the focus of the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area.- History :...

. It was sometimes called . Mikawa bordered on Owari

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....

, Mino

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....

, Shinano

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...

, and Tōtōmi

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:...

 Provinces.

Even today, Mikawa is used to refer to the eastern portion of Aichi, including such cities as Toyohashi, Okazaki

Okazaki, Aichi

is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of August 2011, the city had an estimated population of 373,339 and a population density of 964 persons per km². The total area was 387.24 km².-Geography:...

, Hekinan and Toyota

Toyota, Aichi

is a city located in the Mikawa region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, east of Nagoya.Toyota's main plant, the Tsutsumi plant, is located here. The longstanding ties between the Toyota Motor Corporation and the town of Toyota-shi, formerly known as Koromo, gave the town its current...

.

Mikawa was the original fief of the 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...

 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...

 before he gained control of Kantō

Kanto region

The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. The region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba, and Kanagawa. Within its boundaries, slightly more than 40 percent of the land area is the Kantō Plain....

. Okazaki was the principal castle town of Mikawa, although Yoshida Castle, near Toyohashi, was also a major fief at times. Mikawa is famous in Japan for its fireworks

Fireworks

Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...

, manufacturing most of Japan's fireworks. In order to maintain security, Mikawa was the only area permitted by the shogun to produce gunpowder, which led to the fireworks industry. The annual Okazaki

Okazaki, Aichi

is a city located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. As of August 2011, the city had an estimated population of 373,339 and a population density of 964 persons per km². The total area was 387.24 km².-Geography:...

 fireworks are some of the best in Japan.

During the Edo period, the following domains were located in Mikawa:

• Koromo
  Koromo Domain
  was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in was is now the modern-day city of Toyota in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was centered on Koromo Castle.-History:...
  
  , ruled by the Naitō clan
  Naito clan
  The ' was a Japanese clan which claimed its descent from Fujiwara no Hidesato. The Naitō became daimyo during the Edo period.-References:...
  
  .
• Yoshida
  Yoshida Domain
  was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in eastern Mikawa Province , Japan. It was centered on Yoshida Castle in what is now the city of Toyohashi, Aichi. It was ruled by a number of different fudai daimyō over the course of the Edo period, before finally passing into the hands of the...
  
  , ruled by the Matsudaira (Ōkōchi) clan
  Matsudaira clan
  The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...
  
  .
• Tawara, ruled by the Miyake clan
  Miyake clan
  The were a samurai kin group which rose to prominence in the Sengoku period and the Edo periods. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Miyake, as hereditary vassels of the Tokugawa clan, were classified as one of the fudai daimyō clans...
  
  .
• Hatagamura, ruled by the Toda clan.
• Nishi-Ōhira
  Nishi-Ohira Domain
  was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Nukata District Mikawa Province , Japan. It was centered on what is now part of the city of Okazaki, Aichi.-History:...
  
  , ruled by the Ōoka clan
  Ōoka clan
  The were a samurai kin group which rose to prominence in the Edo period. Under the Tokugawa shogunate, the Ōoka, as hereditary vassels of the Tokugawa clan, were classified as one of the fudai daimyō clans...
  
  .
• Okazaki
  Okazaki Domain
  was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in eastern Mikawa Province , Japan. It was centered on Okazaki Castle in what is now the city of Okazaki, Aichi...
  
  , ruled by the Honda clan
  Honda clan
  The ' is a Japanese family that claims descent from the medieval court noble Fujiwara no Kanemichi. The family settled in Mikawa and served the Matsudaira clan as retainers. Later, when the main Matsudaira family became the Tokugawa clan, the Honda rose in prestige. The clan includes thirteen...
  
  .
• Nishio
  Nishio Domain
  was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in former Mikawa Province, in what is now the modern-day city of Nishio in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was centered on Nishio Castle.-History:...
  
  , ruled by the Matsudaira (Ogyū) clan
  Matsudaira clan
  The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...
  
  .
• Kariya
  Kariya Domain
  was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in was is now part of the modern-day cities of Kariya and Anjō in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. It was centered on Kariya Castle, which was located in what is now the city of Kariya.-History:...
  
  , ruled by the Doi clan.
• Okutono
  Okutono Domain
  , was a Japanese domain of the Edo period, located in Kamo District and Nukata Districts of Mikawa Province , and in Saku District, Shinano Province, Japan. The domain was also known as and later known as and...
  
  , ruled by the Matsudaira (Ogyū) clan
  Matsudaira clan
  The was a Japanese samurai clan that claimed descent from the Minamoto clan. It first originated in and took its name from Matsudaira village, in Mikawa Province . Over the course of its history, the clan produced many branches, most of which also centered around Mikawa Province...
  
  .