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Hokurikudō
Administrative unit of ancient Japan / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hokurikudō (北陸道, literally, "northern land circuit" or "northern land region") is a Japanese geographical term.[1] It means both an ancient division of the country[2] and the main road running through the old Japanese geographical region.[3] Both were situated along the northwestern edge of Honshū. The name literally means 'North Land Way'. It also refers to a series of roads that connected the capitals (国府 kokufu) of each of the provinces that made up the region.
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When the Gokishichidō system was initially established after the Taika reforms, it consisted of just two provinces: Wakasa and Koshi. During the reign of Emperor Temmu, Koshi was divided into three regions: Echizen, Etchū and Echigo and Sado Island was added as a fifth province. Later, Noto and Kaga were carved out of Echizen to form seven provinces in total.
The Hokuriku subregion of Chūbu region constitutes Hokurikudō region today.