Prior to the creation of the present system of prefectures (1871), Japan’s administrative sub-divisions were called provinces. The 60-odd provinces were established on the Chinese model in the 7th and 8th century, each with a governor and an administrative bureaucracy. The system slowly broke down and was replaced by feudal domains as power flowed away from the imperial court at Kyoto and into the hands of the samurai class. The names of provinces continued to be used, however and some of the positions such as governor were continued as honors with little or no reality.
