Nagasaki Prefecture

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Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県; Nagasaki-ken)
Map of Japan with Nagasaki highlighted
Capital Nagasaki
Region Kyūshū
Island Kyūshū
Governor Genjiro Kaneko
Area 4,092.80 km² (37th)
 - % water 8.5%
Population  (2000)
 - Population 1,516,536 (26th)
 - Density 371 /km²
Districts 4
Municipalities 23
ISO 3166-2 JP-42
Website www.pref.nagasaki.jp/en/
Prefectural Symbols
 - Flower Unzentsutsuji (Rhododendron serpyllifolium)
 - Tree Sawara (Chamaecyparis pisifera)
 - Bird Mandarin Duck (Aix galericulata)
Symbol of Nagasaki Prefecture
Symbol of Nagasaki Prefecture

Nagasaki Prefecture (長崎県 Nagasaki-ken?) is located on Kyūshū island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nagasaki.

Contents

[edit] History

Nagasaki Prefecture, an unification of former provinces of Hizen, Tsushima, and Iki, has had close ties with foreign civilization for centuries. Facing China and Korea, the region around Hirado was a traditional center for traders and pirates.

During the 16th century, Catholic missionaries and traders from Portugal arrived and became active in Hirado and Nagasaki, which became a major center for foreign traders. The Christian belief in equality between men, however, did not comply with the political structure of Japan, and after being given free reign in Oda Nobunaga's period, the missionaries were forced out little by little, until finally, in the Tokugawa era, Christianity was banned under the Sakoku policy. After the prohibition of Christianity in the Edo period, foreign trade was restricted to Chinese and Dutch traders in Nagasaki, Dejima, but Kirishitan (Japanese Christian) worship continued underground. These Kakure Kirishitan (hidden Christians) were tried at every step, forced to step on fumi-e ("trample pictures", images of the Holy Mother Mary and saints) to prove that they were non-Christian. And with the banishment of all Catholic missionaries, traders from Catholic countries were also forced out of the country. Along with them, their children, half Japanese and half European, were also forced to leave the country. The majority was sent to Jagatara (Jakarta) and are still remembered by the locals as the people who wrote the poignant letters which were smuggled across the sea to their homeland. Today, Nagasaki has a prominent Chinatown[1] and Catholic churches[2].

During the Meiji Restoration, Nagasaki and Sasebo became major ports for foreign trade, and eventually major naval bases and shipbuilding centers up to World War II. On August 9, 1945, a United States bomber dropped an atomic bomb on Nagasaki, which was reconstructed after the war.

[edit] Geography

Map of Nagasaki Prefecture.
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Map of Nagasaki Prefecture.

Nagasaki borders Saga Prefecture on the east, and is otherwise surrounded by water, including Ariake Bay, the Tsushima Straits, and the East China Sea. It also includes a large number of islands such as Tsushima and Iki. Most of the prefecture is near the coast and there are a number of ports such as Nagasaki and the United States naval base at Sasebo.

[edit] Subprefecture

[edit] Cities

Oranda-zaka ("Dutch Slope") in Nagasaki.
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Oranda-zaka ("Dutch Slope") in Nagasaki.
Castle in Shimabara.
Enlarge
Castle in Shimabara.

Thirteen cities are located in Nagasaki Prefecture:

Nagoya (not to be confused with Nagoya, Aichi) was located in the prefecture before.

[edit] Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Hasami
Higashisonogi
Kawatana
Emukae
Odika
Saza
Shikamachi
Shinkamigoto
Nagayo
Togitsu

[edit] Mergers

(as of March 31, 2006)

Hirado Castle.
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Hirado Castle.
  • On August 1, 2004, the city of Fukue and the towns of Tomie, Tamanoura, Miiraku, Kishiku and Naru merged to form the city of Goto.
  • On August 1, 2004, the towns of Wakamatsu, Kamigoto, Shin'uonome, Arikawa and Narao merged to form the town of Shinkamigoto.

[edit] Economy

[edit] Culture

[edit] Religion

Nagasaki is the most christianized area in Japan. As of 2002, there are 68,617 Catholics in Nagasaki Prefecture, accounting for 4.52 percent of the total population of the prefecture.

[edit] Tourism

Sofukuji Obaku Zen temple in Nagasaki.
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Sofukuji Obaku Zen temple in Nagasaki.

[edit] Prefectural symbols

[edit] External links


Shadow picture of Nagasaki Prefecture Nagasaki Prefecture
Cities
Goto | Hirado | Iki | Isahaya | Matsuura | Minamishimabara | Nagasaki (capital) | Ōmura | Saikai | Sasebo | Shimabara | Tsushima | Unzen
Districts
Higashisonogi | Kitamatsuura | Minamimatsura | Nishisonogi
Subprefecture
Tsushima
  See also: Towns and villages by district edit

Coordinates: 32°58′N 129°48′E