Etchū Province

Etchū Province (越中国, Etchū no kuni) was an old province in central Honshū, on the Sea of Japan side. It was sometimes called Esshū (越州), with Echizen and Echigo Provinces. It bordered Echigo, Shinano, Hida, Kaga, and Noto provinces. The area is now called Toyama Prefecture.

The ancient provincial capital was Takaoka, but by the Sengoku period the area was usually held by lords from neighboring provinces like Echigo and Kaga.

Maps of Japan and Etchū Province were reformed in the 1870s when the prefecture system was introduced. At the same time, the province continued to exist for some purposes. For example, Etchū is explicitly recognized in treaties in 1894 (a) between Japan and the United States and (b) between Japan and the United Kingdom.