Owari Province

This former administrative region on Honshu stretched from the Sakai River westward through what is now western Aichi Prefecture, reaching the borders with Mikawa to the east and Ise to the south. Within its borders lay eleven districts, among them Aichi, Chita, Haguri, and Kasugai, which later formed the basis for modern local government in the area.

The region was established in 646 as part of the Kokugun system and formed one of Japan's early administrative units. In the 16th century, Oda Nobunaga unified the area from Kiyosu Castle and launched an era that reshaped the political balance of the country.

The Atsuta Shrine within the province holds the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi sword, one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan.

The area can be traced today through modern district boundaries and historical sites within western Aichi Prefecture. Visitors find informational markers at several locations that explain the original layout and the role this region played within the Tōkaidō route.

The Owari Tokugawa branch, founded by Tokugawa Ieyasu's ninth son, was one of three families with the right to provide a shogun if the main line lacked an heir. This position gave the region political weight far beyond its borders.