View source for Circuit (administrative division)

{{Short description|Historical political division of China and Japan}}
{{Infobox Chinese
|pic=File:China, 742.svg |picsize=300px |piccap=The inspection circuits of the Tang dynasty in 742<ref>{{citation |title=Cambridge History of China }}.</ref>
|altname=Dao (mainly [[Tang dynasty]])|c2={{linktext|道}} |p2=dào  |w2=tao|bpmf2=ㄉㄠˋ|l2=way, path, circuit
|altname3=Lu ([[Song dynasty|Song]] and [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin]] dynasties)|c3={{linktext|路}}|p3=lù
|kanji=道 |kana=どう |romaji= dō
|hangul=도 |hanja=道 |mr=to |rr=do
}}

A '''circuit''' ({{zh|c=道|p=dào}} or {{zh|c=路|p=lù}}) was a [[history of the administrative divisions of China before 1912|historical political division]] of [[China]] and is a historical and modern [[administrative divisions of Japan|administrative unit]] in [[Japan]]. The primary level of [[administrative divisions of Korea (disambiguation)|administrative division]]<!--intentional link to DAB page--> of [[Korea]] under the [[Joseon]] and in modern [[North Korea|North]] and [[South Korea]] employs the same [[Hanja|Chinese character]] as the Chinese and Japanese divisions but, because of its relatively greater importance, is usually translated as '''province''' instead.

== China ==
{{See also|Administration of territory in dynastic China|History of the administrative divisions of China (1912–49)}}
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; font-size:smaller;"
! colspan="4" |"Circuit"
|-
! Period
! Chinese
! Pinyin
! Level
|-
| [[Han dynasty|Han]] ||rowspan="2"| {{zh|c=道|labels=no}} ||rowspan="2"| dào || 3rd
|-
| [[Administrative divisions of the Tang dynasty|Tang]], [[Administrative divisions of the Liao dynasty|Liao]] ||rowspan="2"| 1st
|-
| [[Song dynasty|Song]], [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin]] || {{zh|c=路|labels=no}} || lù
|-
| [[Administrative divisions of the Yuan dynasty|Yuan]] ||rowspan="2"| {{zh|c=道|labels=no}} ||rowspan="2"| dào ||rowspan="3"| 2nd
|-
| [[Qing dynasty|Qing]], [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|ROC (12-28)]]
|-
| [[Republic of China (1912–1949)|ROC (32-49)]] || {{zh|c=行政督察區|labels=no}} || xíngzhèng dūchá qū
|}

Circuits originated in China during the [[Han dynasty]] and were used as a lower-tier administrative division, comparable to the [[Counties of the People's Republic of China#History|county]] ({{zh|s=县|t=縣|p=xiàn}}, also translated as "districts"). They were used only in the fringes of the empire, which were either inhabited primarily by non-Han Chinese peoples or too geographically isolated from the rest of the Han centers of power. The system fell into disuse after the collapse of the [[Western Jin dynasty]].

The administrative division was revived in 627 when [[Tang dynasty|Tang]] [[Emperor Taizong of Tang|Emperor Taizong]] made it the highest level administrative division and subdivided China into ten circuits. These were originally meant to be purely geographic and not administrative. [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang|Emperor Xuanzong]] added a further five, and slowly the circuits strengthened their own power until they became powerful regional forces that tore the country apart during the [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period]]. During the [[Song dynasty|Song]] and [[Jin dynasty (1115–1234)|Jin]] dynasties, circuits (“dao”) were renamed ''lu'' ({{lang|zh|路}}), both of which mean "road" or "path". 

[[Administrative divisions of the Yuan dynasty|''Dao'']] were revived during the [[Yuan dynasty]]. Circuits were demoted to the second level after the [[Yuan dynasty]] established provinces at the very top and remained there for the next several centuries. The Yuan dynasty also had ''lu'' (sometimes translated as "route"), but it was simply the Chinese word used for the Mongolian administrative unit, the ''cölge''. The Yuan ''lu'' had little to do with the circuits (''lu'') in the Song and Jin dynasties and were closer in size to prefectures.<ref>{{cite book|title=The A to Z of the Mongol World Empire|last=Buell|first=Paul D.|year=2003|publisher=[[Scarecrow Press]]|isbn=978-0-8108-7578-4|pages=141, 188}}</ref>

Under the [[Qing dynasty|Qing]], they were overseen by a {{nowrap|''circuit intendant''}} or {{nowrap|''tao-tai''}} ({{zh|c={{linktext|道臺}}|p=dàotái}}). The [[circuit intendant of Shanghai]] was particularly influential.

During the [[Beiyang Army|Republic of China]] era, circuits still existed as high-level, though not top-level, administrative divisions such as Qiongya Circuit (now [[Hainan]] province). After the Nationalists had successfully [[Northern Expedition|reunited China]] in 1928, all circuits were replaced with committees or simply abandoned. In 1932, ''administrative circuits'' ({{zh|t=行政督察區|p=xíngzhèng dūchá qū}}) were reintroduced and lasted until 1949.

In 1949, after the founding of the [[People's Republic of China]], all of the ''administrative circuits'' were converted into [[Prefectures of China|''zhuanqu'']] ({{zh|s=专区|p=zhuānqū}}) in 1949 and renamed [[Prefectures of China|''diqu'']] ({{zh|s=地区|p=dìqū|l=prefecture}}) in the 1970s.

== Japan ==
[[Image:Gokishichido.svg|thumb|180px|Gokishichidō in the context of modern prefectures.
{|style="border: 1px solid #F9F9F9; background: #F9F9F9"
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #FFC109; width: 25%;"|[[Kinai]]
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #FF9D9D; width: 25%;"|[[Tōkaidō (region)|Tōkaidō]]
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #FFDDBB; width: 25%;"|[[Tōsandō]]
|-
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #EAEAEA; width: 25%;"|[[Hokurikudō]]
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #DFDFFF; width: 25%;"|[[San'indō]]
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #F5FD95; width: 25%;"|[[San'yōdō]]
|-
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #DCE0C0; width: 25%;"|[[Nankaidō]]
|align=center style="BACKGROUND: #F0E1E1; width: 25%;"|[[Saikaidō]]
|}]]
During the [[Asuka period]] (538–710), Japan was organized into five provinces and seven circuits, known as the [[Gokishichidō]] (5 ki 7 dō), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese.<ref>Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Goki-shichidō''" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 255|page=255}}; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ''see'' [https://archive.today/20120524174828/http://dispatch.opac.ddb.de/DB=4.1/PPN?PPN=128842709 Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File].</ref> Though these units did not survive as administrative structures beyond the [[Muromachi period]] (1336–1573), they did remain important geographical entities until the 19th century. The seven circuits spread over the islands of [[Honshū]], [[Shikoku]], and [[Kyūshū]]:
* [[Tōkaidō (region)|Tōkaidō]] ({{lang|ja|東海道}}) "East Sea Circuit": 15&nbsp;[[Provinces of Japan|provinces]] (''kuni'')
* [[Nankaidō]] ({{lang|ja|南海道}}) "South Sea Circuit": 6&nbsp;provinces
* [[Saikaidō]] ({{lang|ja|西海道}}) "West Sea Circuit": 8&nbsp;provinces
* [[Hokurikudō]] ({{lang|ja|北陸道}}) "North Land Circuit": 7&nbsp;provinces
* [[San'indō]] ({{lang|ja|山陰道}}) "Shaded-side Circuit": 8&nbsp;provinces
* [[San'yōdō]] ({{lang|ja|山陽道}}) "Sunny-side Circuit": 8&nbsp;provinces
* [[Tōsandō]] ({{lang|ja|東山道}}) "East Mountain Circuit": 13&nbsp;provinces

In the mid-19th century, the northern island of [[Ezo]] was settled, and renamed {{nihongo3|"North Sea Circuit"|北海道|[[Hokkaido|Hokkaidō]]}}. It is currently the only [[prefectures of Japan|prefecture of Japan]] named with the ''dō'' (circuit) suffix.

== Korea ==
Since the late 10th century, the [[do (administrative division)|''do'']] ("province") has been the primary [[administrative division]] in [[Korea]]. See [[Eight Provinces of Korea|Eight Provinces]], [[Provinces of Korea]], [[Administrative divisions of South Korea#Do (Province)|Subdivisions of South Korea]] and [[Administrative divisions of North Korea#Provinces|Administrative divisions of North Korea]] for details.

==See also==
* [[Prefectures of Japan]]
* [[Provinces of Japan]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Terms for types of country subdivisions}}

[[Category:Types of administrative division]]
[[Category:Administrative divisions of Imperial China]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Japan]]
[[Category:Subdivisions of Korea]]
[[Category:Former circuits of China|.01]]
[[Category:Former administrative divisions of China]]