noun
Yezo; Ezo region
Historical term for the northern frontier of Meiji-era Japan, primarily Hokkaido but also including Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. Used in historical and geographical contexts.
明治時代、蝦夷地は北海道と改称された。
In the Meiji period, Yezo was renamed Hokkaido.
noun
Ainu territory; Ezo (Edo-period Ainu lands)
Specifically refers to the Ainu-inhabited areas of Hokkaido during the Edo period, as distinct from Japanese-settled regions (和人地). Often contrasted with 和人地.
See also: 和人地
江戸時代、蝦夷地は松前藩の支配下にあった。
During the Edo period, the Ainu territory was under the control of the Matsumae domain.
The modern name for Hokkaido, which replaced 蝦夷地 in 1869. 蝦夷地 is the historical predecessor.
From 蝦夷 (えぞ, 'Ainu' or 'Ezo') + 地 (ち, 'land'). The term 蝦夷 itself is of uncertain origin, possibly derived from an Ainu word or an old Japanese exonym.