provincial governorate territory
Historical term referring to lands under the direct control of a provincial governor (kokuga) from the late Heian period onward. Used in discussions of medieval Japanese landholding systems.
Kokugaryō is an important concept for understanding the land system from the late Heian period through the medieval era.
Compound of 国衙 (kokuga, 'provincial governor's office') and 領 (ryō, 'territory'). The exact historical derivation is tied to the development of the shōen and kokuga landholding systems in Heian and medieval Japan.