was a
province of Japan in the area of Japan that is today
Tochigi Prefecture. Shimotsuke was bordered by
Kōzuke,
Hitachi,
Mutsu and
Shimōsa Provinces. Its abbreviated form name was . Under the
Engishiki classification system, Shimotsuke was ranked as one of the 13 "great countries" (大国) in terms of importance, and one of the 30 "far countries" (遠国) in terms of distance from the capital. The provincial capital is located in what is now the city of
Tochigi. The
Ichinomiya of the province is the Futarasan jinja located in what is now the city of
Utsunomiya.