View source for Kinai

{{Short description|Administrative unit of ancient Japan}}
[[File:Gokishichido.svg|thumb|Kinai is the orange area.]]
{{nihongo|'''Kinai'''|畿内|Capital Region}} is a Japanese term denoting an ancient division of the country. ''Kinai'' is a name for the [[Old provinces of Japan|ancient provinces]] around the capital [[Nara, Nara|Nara]] and [[Heian-kyō]].<ref name="kinai">[[Louis-Frédéric|Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric]]. (2005). "''Kinai''" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 521|page=521}}.</ref>  The five provinces were called ''go-kinai'' after 1760.<ref name="gokishichido">Nussbaum, "''Gokishichidō''" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|at p. 255|page=255}}.</ref>

The name is still used to describe part of the [[Kansai region]], but the area of the Kinai corresponds only generally to the land of the old provinces.<ref name="kinai"/>

The region was established as one of the ''[[Gokishichidō]]'' ("Five provinces and seven roads") during the [[Asuka period]] (538-710). It consisted of [[Yamashiro Province|Yamashiro]], [[Yamato Province|Yamato]], [[Settsu Province|Settsu]], [[Kawachi Province|Kawachi]], and [[Izumi Province|Izumi]] provinces.<ref name="gokishichido"/>

==See also==
* [[Comparison of past and present administrative divisions of Japan]]
* {{nihongo|[[Kansai region|Kinki]]|近畿}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* [[Louis-Frédéric|Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric]] and Käthe Roth. (2005). [https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC  ''Japan encyclopedia.''] Cambridge: [[Harvard University Press]]. {{ISBN|978-0-674-01753-5}}; [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/58053128?referer=di&ht=edition  OCLC 58053128]

{{Gokishichidō}}
{{Japan Old Province}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinai}}
[[Category:Regions of Japan]]


{{Japan-hist-stub}}

[[zh:五畿七道#五畿]]