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but they were gradually replaced by prefectures between 1868 and 1871 (urban prefectures were called fu and rural prefectures ken). Provinces as part of the system of addresses were not abolished but, on the contrary, augmented. As of 1871, the number of prefectures was 304, while the number of provinces was 68, not including Hokkaido or the Ryukyu Islands. The boundaries between the many prefectures were not only very complicated, but also did not match those of the provinces.

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