Answer:
here
Explanation:
Prefectures (県) are a modern creation from the 1868 Meiji Restoration government, when Japan switched from rule by the Shogun to rule by the Emperor. Under the shogun the nation was divided into kuni (国, countries) which were imitations of the Tang dynasty division of China from the 8th century.
Japanese regions still retain a certain measure of the kuni, for example license plates are often referenced with the name of the kuni not the prefecture.
