35
Echigo are three of the modern divisions of Koshi no Kuni, of which the present provinces of Kaga, Noto, Uzen and Ugo also formed a part. Echi being the pronunciation of the Chinese character with which Koshi is written, the division nearest to the capital was called Echizen, or ‘front of Koshi,’ the next Etchiu, or ‘middle of Koshi,’ the furthest Echigo, or ‘back of Koshi.’ Kaga and Noto originally formed part of Echizen. Déwa in like manner was part of Echigo. Chikuzen and Chikugo are the two divisions of the ancient province of Tsukushi, a name which was applied in the most remote times to the whole of Kiushiu. Buzen and Bungo also constituted one province under the name of Toyo. Tamba and Tango were formed out of one province called Taniwa, Tamba being a corruption of Taniwa and Tango simply ‘back of Taniwa.’ Kadzusa and Shimôsa are contractions of Kami-tsu-fusa and Shimo-tsu-fusa, ‘upper and lower Fusa,’ while Kôdzuké and Shimotsuké are Kami-tsu-ké and Shimo-tsu-ké, upper and lower Ké, tsu being the archaic generic particle ‘of.’ The whole subject of the derivation of the names of the provinces of Japan is well treated in the ‘Shokoku-meigi-kô’ of Saitô Hikomaro, a pupil of the elder Motoöri.
Another division of Japan was made by taking the ancient barrier of Ôsaka on the frontier of Ômi and Yamashiro as a central point, the region lying on the east, which consisted of thirty-three provinces, being called the Kantô, or East of the Barrier, and the remaining thirty-three being called Kansei, or West of the Barrier. This distinction is no longer maintained, the term Kantô (or, Kuantô) being applied at the present day to the eight provinces of Musashi, Sagami, Kôdzuké, Shimotsuké, Kadzusa, Shimôsa, Awa and Hitachi. Sometimes the four provinces of Idzu, Kai, Déwa and Mutsu are also included in the term.
Chiu-goku, or Central Provinces, is a name in common use for the Sanindô and Sanyôdô taken together. Sai-koku, or Western Provinces, is an ordinary synonym for Kiushiu, which in books is frequently called Chinsei.
