Editing Fukushima (city) (section)

===Early history===
In [[ancient Japan]], the area now known as Fukushima City was called {{Nihongo|'''Minekoshi'''|岑越}}. The mountain in the middle of the city, present-day [[Mt. Shinobu]], was also formerly called {{Nihongo|Mt. Minekoshi|岑越山}}.

During the [[Jōmon period]], for around 2,000 years there was a large settlement on the eastern bank of the [[Abukuma River]]. This area has since been excavated and named the [[Miyahata Site]].

In the 5th century AD, {{Nihongo|Kumano Atai|久麻直}} was appointed by the {{Nihongo|[[Yamato period|Yamato court]]|大和朝廷}} to be the {{Nihongo|Shinobu [[Kuni no miyatsuko]]|信夫国造}}, giving him control over the Fukushima Basin.

Under the [[Nara period]]'s [[Ritsuryō]] system, stations were established along the [[Gokishichidō#Seven Circuits|Seven Circuits]] so that officials could change horses. One of the stations, the [[Tōsandō]], passed through the area of present-day Fukushima, and Minekoshi Station was established on the route. Minekoshi Station was located south of the [[Surikami River]] and north of the [[Matsukawa River]], which at the time flowed to the south of Mt. Minekoshi. The area south of the Matsukawa River was then, as it still is now, known as {{nihongo|Suginome|杉妻}}. Thus it is believed that the station was located north of the area around the present-day prefectural office, in the {{nihongo|Kita-gorōuchi area|北五老内地域}}.

The implementation of the Ritsuryō system also resulted in administrative changes, with the area of present-day Fukushima and [[Date, Fukushima|Date]] being combined to form the district of Shinobu. This was the northernmost point of the [[Mutsu Province]] and held responsibility for preventing the southern expansion of the [[Emishi]], a people who lived in northern [[Honshū]].

After 718, and the widening influence of the Yamato Imperial Court, Mutsu Province was expanded northwards into present-day [[Miyagi Prefecture]]. Along with this redrawing of boundaries, present-day Fukushima Prefecture was separated from the new Mutsu Province (approximately present-day Miyagi) and split between the newly formed provinces of [[Iwaki Province (718)|Iwaki]] in the east and [[Iwase Province|Iwase]] in the west. However, by 724 Mutsu Province was unable to deal on its own with the economic costs of holding back the Emishi, so Iwaki and Iwase provinces were merged back into Mutsu.

In the first half of the 10th century, the Date district was separated from the Shinobu district. As a reform to the {{Nihongo|''[[sōyōchō]]''|租庸調}} tax on rice, labor, and textiles, there was a nationwide effort from the Imperial Court to split up [[Districts of Japan|districts]] so they each had approximately the same population. This was accomplished both through administrative changes and forced population relocations. With Mutsu Province viewed as reclaimed land by the Imperial Court, the area saw a significant amount of reorganization.

In the late [[Heian period]], almost the entirety of the [[Tōhoku region]] was ruled by the [[Northern Fujiwara|Northern Fujiwara clan]]. Relatives of the Northern Fujiwara clan, the {{Nihongo|Shinobu Satō clan|信夫佐藤氏}} was given domain over nearly the entirety of present-day Fukushima Prefecture's centrally-located [[Nakadōri]] area and eventually expanded their control to include [[Aizu]] to the west as well. It is said that the Shinobu Satō clan is one of the reasons for the [[Japanese surname|Satō]] surname spreading throughout and eventually becoming the most common surname in Japan.