Early history Ruins from the
Japanese Paleolithic period have been discovered in the Hyūga area, and red-colored pottery made from
cinnabar has been excavated from the Tsukahara ruins from the
Jōmon period. The Hyūga region of the
Yayoi period is characterized by the lack of bronze tools and the presence of gouged square
stone knives, while imported ironware from the central Kyushu region have been unearthed. Many stories about Hyūga during this period appear in the
Kojiki and
Nihon Shoki, particularly in the early "Age of the Gods" period in which the descendants of the
kami, including
Amaterasu,
Amenohoakari,
Hikohohodemi,
Hoderi and others, descended on the peak of
Takachiho, bringing to the primitive inhabitants the secrets of
rice cultivation, metals working and advanced fishing and agricultural technologies, which later spread from this area to the
Kinai region. It is also noteworthy that
Emperor Jimmu departed from Hyūga on his expedition to conquer what later became
Yamato although ancient texts and mythology remain vague as to whether or not he was originally the ruler of Hyūga. During the
Kofun period, influences of culture from the Asian continent became stronger and from the 4th century,
burial mounds similar to those found in the
Kinai region began to appear in the area, including the
Saitobaru Kofun Cluster. In the
Kojiki and the
Nihon Shoki, Hyūga is called the “land of the
Kumaso” (熊曽国) of
Tsukushi-no-shima (Kyushu), which is named along with the provinces of
Tsukushi,
Toyo and
Hi. The Kumaso people were subjugated either by
Yamato Takeru or his father
Emperor Keikō. Also according to the
Nihon Shoki, Emperor Keiko's son, Prince Toyokuni was appointed Hyūga
Kuni no miyatsuko in the reign of
Emperor Ojin. The existence of
kofun clusters indicates that there was a political relationship between the local rulers and the Yamato Kingdom before the
Asuka period. However, even into the
Nara period the exact status of the area vis-a-vis Yamato remains unclear. In the time of
Emperor Suiko, horses from Hyūga were famous with the court. The name “ Hyūga Province” appears in an article dated September 28, 698, in the second year of
Emperor Monmu’s reign in the
Shoku Nihongi, but it is unclear when this country was established, and with the establishment of the
Ritsuryō system from the end of the 7th century, Hyūga initially included what later became
Satsuma Province and
Ōsumi Province. In 702, Satsuma was separated from Hyūga, followed by Ōsumi in 713. However, the local
Hayato tribes of the area rebelled four times between the end of the 7th century and the early 8th century, which indicates that rule by Yamato was tenuous during this period. This cumulated in the
Hayato rebellion of 720-721. The
Hyūga-no-kuni Fudoki was compiled in the first half of the 8th century by
Fujiwara no Umakai, who may have visited the area in person. The
provincial capital during the Nara and
Heian period was located in Koyu District, but the exact location is uncertain. It is presumed to be the Terasaki ruins, in what is now the city of
Saito, but this identification is uncertain. The
kokubun-ji of the province was the
Hyūga Kokubun-ji, which was also located in Saito. The
ichinomiya of the province is the
Tsuno Shrine, located in
Tsuno, Miyazaki, and the
sōja of the province is the
Tsuma Shrine, located in Miyazaki city. Per the
Engishiki records of the mid-
Heian period, only four shrines are listed, all of which were classified as "minor". In 1185,
Tadahisa Koremune, possibly an illegitimate son of
Minamoto no Yoritomo was appointed to the position of
jitō of Shimazu-shō (a large
shōen estate located in southern Kyushu) belonging to the
Konoe family. He took the name of "Shimazu" and his clan would rule southern Kyushu for the next 800 years. In 1197, Tadahisa was appointed as the
shugo of Hyūga, along with Satsuma and Ōsumi. However, in 1203, Tadahisa was reduced to only Satsuma Province, and Hyūga was passed on to the
Hōjō clan; although
Usa Hachiman-gu controlled the entire northern area of Hyūga. In the
Nanboku-chō period, the area had devolved into numerous semi-independent feudal estates with constantly shifting loyalties between the
Northern Court and the
Southern Court, with Hyūga as a battleground between the
Ōtomo clan from
Bungo in the north, the Shimazu clan in the south, and the
Itō clan ruling from
Obi in the center. However, in 1587, following Hideyoshi's
conquest of Kyūshū, the Shimazu clan surrendered, and Hyūga Province was divided among the feudal lords who had distinguished themselves under Hideyoshi.
Edo Period and early modern period Unlike many of the provinces of Kyushu, Hyūga was not dominated by a single
daimyō; rather, it was divided into
tenryō territory directly governed by the
Tokugawa shogunate and a few small domains. In addition,
Satsuma Domain and
Hitoyoshi Domain had many scattered holdings, especially in the southern and western parts of the province. Following the
Meiji restoration, each of the feudal domains briefly became prefectures. In December 1871, the area roughly north of the
Ōyodo River became Mimisu Prefecture, and areas to the south became Miyakonojō Prefecture. On January 15, 1873, the two prefectures were merged to form Miyazaki Prefecture. However, Miyazaki Prefecture was merged with Kagoshima Prefecture on August 21, 1876, but was reconstituted as Miyazaki Prefecture again on May 9, 1883, excluding some border areas which remained with Kagoshima. Per the early
Meiji period , an official government assessment of the nation's resources, the province had 377 villages with a total
kokudaka of 417,393
koku. Hyūga Province consisted of: } || 42,290
koku || 73 villages ||
Tenryō, Hitoyoshi, Nobeoka, Takanabe || later divided into
Higashiusuki and
Nishiusuki ==Gallery==