FUKUSHIMA – Good Fortune Island 福島県
The “Fukushima” name came from Suginome Castle (杉妻城 or 杉目城) after it was renamed “Fukushima Castle” (福島城) by the Gamo Clan castle lord. No remaining records explain the Fukushima name nor the renaming of the castle.
・The leading theory is that the castle lord preferred an auspicious name containing “Fuku” (福) meaning “good fortune.”
・He might have been influenced by similar “good fortune” castle names like Fukuchiyama Castle (Good Fortune & Intelligent Mountain Castle 福知山城) built by Akechi Mitsuhide in Kyoto, Fukui Castle (Good Fortune Well Castle 福井城) in Fukui Prefecture, and Fukuyama Castle (Good Fortune Mountain Castle 福山城) in Hiroshima.
・Fukushima Castle was surrounded by rivers on three sides, making it look like an island (shima).
・Today, Fukushima Castle is no more. Only a stone monument marks the spot near the prefectural capital near JR Fukushima Station. There are still two rivers near the site.
Old province names: Iwashiro-no-Kuni (岩代国) and Iwaki-no-Kuni (磐城国), both separated from Mutsu-no-Kuni (陸奥国).
*The AI-generated image is for illustrative purposes only and may not accurately depict any particular place in the prefecture.
*Major reference sources: Official prefectural website, Japanese Wikipedia, other websites.
Origin of other prefectural names (etymologies)
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