Wikipedia
Gokishichidō
was the name for ancient administrative units organized in Japan during the Asuka Period (AD 538–710), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese. 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 Gokishichidō consisted of five provinces in the Kinai (畿内) or capital region, plus seven dō (道) or circuits, each of which contained provinces of its own.
When Hokkaido was included as a circuit after the defeat of the Republic of Ezo in 1869, the system was briefly called until the abolition of the han system in 1871.