Iga Province

Iga Province (伊賀国, Iga no kuni) was a province of Japan located in what is today part of western Mie Prefecture. Its abbreviated name was Ishū (伊州). Iga bordered on Ise, Ōmi, Yamato, and Yamashiro Provinces. Its roughly coincides with the modern municipalities of Iga and Nabari.

Iga is classified as one of the provinces of the Tōkaidō. Under the Engishiki classification system, Iga was ranked as a “inferior country” (下国) and a “near country” (近国). Surrounded by mountains, historically, Iga Province was rather inaccessible due to extremely poor road conditions. However, the area is now relatively easy to access from nearby Nara and Kyoto, as well as the larger cities of Osaka and Nagoya.

History

Iga was separated from Ise Province during the Asuka Period, around 680 AD. The provincial capital was located in what is now part of the city of Iga, along with the ruins of the Kokubun-ji of Iga Province. The Ichinomiya of the province is the Aekuni Jinja (敢國神社), which is also located in what is now part of the city of Iga.