The name of Ise appears in the earliest written records of Japan, and was the site of numerous religious and folkloric events connected with the
Shinto religion and
Yamato court. Ise province was one of the original provinces of Japan established in the
Nara period under the
Taihō Code, when the former princely state of Ise was divided into Ise, Iga and Shima. The original capital of the province was located in what is now the city of
Suzuka, and was excavated by archaeologists in 1957. The site was proclaimed a national historic landmark in 1986. The remains of the Ise
kokubunji have also been found within the boundaries of modern Suzuka. Under the
Engishiki classification system, Ise was ranked as a "great country" () and a "close country" (). Two Shinto shrines in Ise Province compete for the title of
Ichinomiya:
Tsubaki Grand Shrine and the Tsubaki Jinja, both of which are located in Suzuka. The
Ise Grand Shrine, located in what is now the city of
Ise was the destination of pilgrims from the
Heian period through modern times. During the
Muromachi period, Ise was ruled nominally by the
Kitabatake clan. After the establishment of the
Tokugawa shogunate, Ise was divided into several
feudal han, the largest of which was
Tsu Domain. During the Edo period, the
Tōkaidō road from
Edo to
Kyoto passed through northern Ise, with
post stations at several locations. At the time of the
Bakumatsu period, the feudal domains within Ise Province included the following: After the start of the
Meiji period, with the
abolition of the han system in 1871, Ise was joined with former Iga and Shima provinces to form the new
Mie Prefecture formally created on April 18, 1876. The name "Ise Province" continued to exist as a geographical anachronism for certain official purposes. For example, Ise is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the
United States and (b) between Japan and the
United Kingdom. The
World War II and modern helicopter carrier
Ise are named after this province. ==Historical districts==