The 17th Division was an infantry division in the Imperial Japanese Army. Its tsūshōgō code name was the Moon Division . The 17th Division was one of two infantry divisions raised by the Imperial Japanese Army immediately after the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905). The division received its colors on 13 November 1907. Its original headquarters was in a suburb of the city of Okayama, and its troops were recruited primarily from communities in the three prefectures of Okayama, Hiroshima, and Shimane. The first commander of the division was Lieutenant General Ichinohe Hyoe.

Ichinohe Hyōe was a Japanese soldier, military strategist, Imperial Japanese Army officer, and Shintō priest.