was a province of Japan in the area of southeastern Kyushu, corresponding to the eastern half of modern Kagoshima Prefecture, and including the à Âsumi Islands . à Âsumi bordered on Hyà «ga to the northeast, and Satsuma Province to the northwest. Its abbreviated form was . In terms of the Gokishichidà  system, à Âsumi was one of the provinces of the Saikaidà  circuit. Under the Engishiki classification system, à Âsumi was ranked as one of the "middle countries" (ä¸Âå½) in terms of importance, and one of the "far countries" (é å½) in terms of distance from the capital.
The à Âsumi region has developed its own distinct local dialect. Although à Âsumi is part of Kagoshima Prefecture today, this dialect is different from that spoken in the city of Kagoshima. There is a notable cultural pride in traditional poetry written in à Âsumi and Kagoshima dialects.
Japan's first satellite, Ã Âsumi, was named after the province.
Before the establishment of the Ritsuryà  system in 701, à Âsumi was a stronghold of the Kumaso people, an Austronesian tribe which was conquered (per the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki) by the legendary general Yamato Takeru during the late Kofun period. Their land was called Sokuni or Sonokuni (襲å½). However, the area was very much a frontier region and was ruled as part of Hyà «ga Province. During the Asuka and early Nara period, resistance to Yamato rule by the Hayato people (who may or may not have been the same as the Kumaso) persisted, and many Hayato were forced from their homes in Buzen and northern Hyà «ga to resettle in à Âsumi, which was separated from Hyà «ga in 713 to become a separate province. The Hayato fought back in 720 with the Hayato Rebellion, but were defeated in 721 by an army led by à Âtomo no Tabito. The Handen-Shà «ju system was implemented in their lands in 800. The population of Yamato immigrants in Kagoshima Prefecture in the early 8th century has been estimated at around 9,000 people and one-seventh of the total population. By this estimate, the Hayato population of the time can be calculated as consisting of around 54,000 people. Many were made to emigrate to the Kinai region, and were active in the protection of the court, the arts, sumo, and bamboo work. In 824, Tane Province was abolished and added to à Âsumi.
The kokufu of the province was established in what is now the Kokubu neighborhood of the city of Kirishima, although its ruins have not bee positively identified. However, the ruins of the à Âsumi Kokubun-ji, which must have been located in the vicinity, are known. The ichinomiya of the province is the Kagoshima Shrine, also known as the à Âsumi Shà Â-Hachimangà « .
In the Heian period, the province was subject to occasional raids by tribes from the south, possibly the Ryukyu Islands or Taiwan. It was also involved in conflicts with officials from the central government at Dazaifu. In 1007 the provincial governor Kanno Shigetada was killed by a Dazaifu official, and in 1029, Taira Kimoto, a Dazaifu magistrate and ruler of the Shimazu shà Âen burned down the à Âsumi kokufu. The Shimazu shà Âen used these conflicts to take control of trade with the southern islands and also to annex territory within à Âsumi. They were opposed by the Shà Â-Hachimangà «, which had become a great landowner in its own right, and was involved in constant conflicts with the Usa Hachiman-gà « over both secular and religious matters. Thus, from the late Heian through the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the province was divided between control by the Shimazu clan and minor warlords connected with the Shà Â-Hachimangà «. In the Sengoku period, the Shimazu clan gradually conquered the remainder of the province.
à Âsumi was completely under the control of the Shimazu clan of Satsuma Domain throughout the Edo period. With the abolition of the han system on August 29, 1871, à Âsumi became part of Kagoshima Prefecture. In 1879, the Amami Islands became part of à Âshima District, Kagoshima and were considered to be part of former à Âsumi Province. On April 1, 1891 Higashihitsugi District and Minamori District of former Hyuga Province were added to former à Âsumi Province, along with the Tokara Islands, which were formerly part of Satsuma Province. However, the current Mishima Village and Toshima Village areas were transferred to Kagoshima District in 1973, returning to former Satsuma Province, although the old provincial name has long since become obsolete.
Per the early Meiji period , an official government assessment of the nation's resources, Ã Âsumi Province had 248 villages with a total kokudaka of 262,168 koku. Ã Âsumi Province consisted of: