Inaba has been settled since the Japanese Paleolithic and the remains of Yayoi and Kofun period settlements and burial mounds have been found in several locations.
A princess from this clan (Ifukibe no Tokotari) served as maid of honor at the court of Emperor Mommu and her grave in what is now the city of Tottori is a National Historic Site.
During the Muromachi period, the Yamana clan were nominally shugo of the province; however, their control over the province was very weak, and local warlords and aggressive neighbors often usurped Yamana authority.
Following the Meiji restoration and the abolition of the han system in 1871, Inaba became part of Tottori Prefecture on August 29,1871.
Per the early Meiji period Kyudaka kyuryo Torishirabe-chō (旧高旧領取調帳), an official government assessment of the nation’s resources, the province had 565 villages with a total kokudaka of 193,336 koku.