Hyōgo Prefecture

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**Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県 *Hyōgo-ken*)**

Capital	Kobe
Region	Kinki
Island	Honshū
Governor	Toshizo Ido
Area	8,393.34 km² (12^th)
- % water	0.6%
Population (October 1, 2005)
- Population	5,595,212 (8^th)
- Density	667 /km²
Districts	8
Municipalities	41
ISO 3166-2	JP-28
Website	web.pref.hyogo.jp/FL/english/
Prefectural Symbols
- Flower	Nojigiku (Chrysanthemum japonense)
- Tree	Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora)
- Bird	Oriental White Stork (Ciconia boyciana)
Symbol of Hyogo Prefecture

Hyōgo Prefecture (兵庫県 Hyōgo-ken) is located in the Kinki region on Honshū island, Japan. The capital is Kobe.

The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Economy
4 Demographics
5 Culture
6 Tourism
7 Prefectural symbols
8 Miscellaneous topics
9 External links

[edit] History

Present-day Hyogo Prefecture includes the former provinces of Harima, Tajima, Awaji, and parts of Tamba and Settsu.

In 1180, near the end of the Heian Period, Emperor Antoku, Taira no Kiyomori, and the Imperial court moved briefly to Fukuhara, in what is now the city of Kobe. There the capital remained for five months.

Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is in the city of Himeji.

The Ako Han, home of the 47 Ronin, is in Hyogo Prefecture.

Southern Hyogo Prefecture was severely devastated by the magnitude 7.2 Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, which destroyed major parts of Kobe and Awaji, as well as Takarazuka and neighboring Osaka prefecture, killing nearly 5500 people.

[edit] Geography

Map of Hyogo Prefecture.

Hyogo has coastlines on two seas: to the north, the Sea of Japan, to the south, the Inland Sea. The northern portion is sparsely populated, except for the city of Toyooka, and the central highlands are only populated by tiny villages. Most of Hyogo's population lives on the southern coast, which is part of the Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe metropolitan area. Awajishima is an island in the Inland Sea, lying between Honshū and Shikoku.

Summertime weather throughout Hyogo is hot and humid. During the winter, the north side tends to get lots of snow, while the south side only gets occasional flurries.

Hyogo borders on Osaka Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture and Okayama Prefecture.

[edit] Cities

Twenty-nine cities are located in Hyogo Prefecture:

Kobe (capital)

[edit] Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Ako Districtǂ

Kamigoriǂ

Ibo District

Taishi

Kako District

Harima

Inami

Kanzaki District

Fukusaki

Ichikawa

Kamikawa

Kawabe District

Inagawa

Mikata District

Kami

Shinonsen

Sayo District

Sayo

Taka District

Taka

[edit] Mergers

(as of March 27, 2006)

Main article: Merger and dissolution of municipalities of Japan

April 1, 1999

the towns of Sasayama+Nishiki+Tannan+Konda=the city of Sasayama. (Taki District was dissolved as a result of this merger.) (Merger Information Page)

April 1, 2004

the towns of Sekinomiya+Oya+Yabu+Yoka=city of Yabu.(Yabu District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)

November 1, 2004

The towns of Aogaki+Ichijima+Kaibara+Kasuga+Sannan+Hikami=the city of Tamba. (Hikami District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)

January 11, 2005

the towns of Midori+Seidan+Mihara+Nandan=the city of Minamiawaji. (Mihara District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)

April 1, 2005

the towns of Awaji+Higashiura+Hokudan+Ichinomiya+Tsuna(all from Tsuna District)=the city of Awaji.

the towns of Asago+Ikuno+Santo+Wadayama=the city of Asago. (Asago District was dissolved as a result of this merger.) (Merger Information Page)

the towns of Hidaka, Kinosaki, and Takeno+the city of Toyooka=the new city of Toyooka. (Due to this merger and the merger of Kasumi into Kami, Kinosaki District was dissolved.)

the town of Kasumi from the former Kinosaki District+the towns of Mikata from Mikata District+Muraoka from Mikata District=the town of Kami in from Mikata District.

the towns of Chikusa+Haga+Ichinomiya+Yamasaki(all from Shiso District)=the city of Shiso.

October 1, 2005

the towns of Hamasaka+Onsen(both from Mikata District)=the town of Shinonsen.

the towns of Kozuki+Mikazuki+Nanko+the old town of Sayo (all from Sayo District)=the new town of Sayo.

the town of Kurodasho from Taka District+the city of Nishiwaki=the new city of Nishiwaki.

the towns of Ibogawa+Mitsu+Shingu (all three from Ibo District)+the city of Tatsuno=the new city of Tatsuno. (Tatsuno became a hiragana city after the merger.)

October 24, 2005,

the town of Yokawa from Mino District=>the city of Miki. (Mino District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)

November 1, 2005

the towns of Kami+Naka+Yachiyo (all from Taka District)=the town of Taka.

November 7, 2005

the towns of Kanzaki+Okawachi (both from Kanzaki District)=the town of Kamikawa.

February 11, 2006

the town of Goshiki from Tsuna District+the city of Sumoto=the new city of Sumoto. (Tsuna District was dissolved with this merger.)

March 20, 2006, the towns of Takino+Tojo+Yashiro(all three from Kato District)=the city of Kato. (Kato District was dissolved with this merger.)

March 27, 2006

the towns of Ieshima and Yumesaki (both from Shikama District), as well as the towns of Yasutomi from Shiso District, and the town of Kodera from Kanzaki District=>Himeji. (Shikama District and Shiso District were both dissolved as a result of this merger.)

[edit] Future mergers

The city of Ako and the only town in Ako District, is scheduled to merge together and the city will retain the name Ako. Ako District will be defunct if the merger is successful. [1]

[edit] Economy

Hyogo prefecture has many heavy industries, and Kobe is one of the largest ports in Japan.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Culture

[edit] Tourism

Kobe remains a popular tourist destination. To Japanese, it symbolizes contact with the West. Many homes of early American, English and European visitors still stand on the bluff overlooking the harbor. The vista of the Inland Sea remains a "million-dollar view."

The Takarazuka Revue plays in the city of Takarazuka. This is popular among Japanese tourists.

Himeji Castle receives this (and more) praise from UNESCO: "masterpiece of construction in wood, combining function with aesthetic appeal... ." Together with its historical significance and its easy access from Kyoto or Osaka by Shinkansen, Himeji Castle receives tremendous numbers of visitors annually.