Hyōgo Prefecture

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hyogo Prefecture (兵庫県 Hyōgo-ken)
Map of Japan with Hyogo highlighted
Capital Kobe
Region Kinki
Island Honshū
Governor Toshizo Ido
Area 8,393.34 km² (12th)
 - % water 0.6%
Population  (October 1, 2005)
 - Population 5,595,212 (8th)
 - 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
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.

Contents

[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.
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. Awaji Island 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:

Chūō-ku
Higashinada-ku
Hyogo-ku
Kita-ku
Nada-ku
Nagata-ku
Nishi-ku
Suma-ku
Tarumi-ku

[edit] Towns and villages

Towns and villages in each district:

Kamigori
Taishi
Harima
Inami
Fukusaki
Ichikawa
Kamikawa
Inagawa
Kami
Shinonsen
Sayo
Taka

[edit] Mergers

(as of March 27, 2006)

the towns of Sasayama+Nishiki+Tannan+Konda=the city of Sasayama. (Taki District was dissolved as a result of this merger.) (Merger Information Page)
the towns of Sekinomiya+Oya+Yabu+Yoka=city of Yabu.(Yabu District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)
The towns of Aogaki+Ichijima+Kaibara+Kasuga+Sannan+Hikami=the city of Tamba. (Hikami District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)
the towns of Midori+Seidan+Mihara+Nandan=the city of Minamiawaji. (Mihara District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)
the town of Yokawa from Mino District=>the city of Miki. (Mino District was dissolved as a result of this merger.)
the towns of Kami+Naka+Yachiyo (all from Taka District)=the town of Taka.
the towns of Kanzaki+Okawachi (both from Kanzaki District)=the town of Kamikawa.
the town of Goshiki from Tsuna District+the city of Sumoto=the new city of Sumoto. (Tsuna District was dissolved with this merger.)
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, metal and medical, and Kobe is one of the largest ports in Japan.

Hyogo is a part of Hanshin Industrial Region.There are two research institute of Riken,natural sciences research institute in Japan,in Kobe and Harima.It has "SPring-8",a synchrotron radiation facility in Harima.

[edit] Demographics

[edit] Culture

The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art in Nada Ward, Kobe.

[edit] Sports

The sports teams listed below are based in Hyogo.

Football (soccer)

Baseball

Volleyball

Rugby

[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.

[edit] Prefectural symbols

[edit] Miscellaneous topics

So Taguchi, outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, was born in Hyogo Prefecture.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:


Shadow picture of Hyōgo Prefecture Hyōgo Prefecture
Cities
Aioi | Akashi | Ako | Amagasaki | Asago | Ashiya | Awaji | Himeji | Itami | Kakogawa | Kasai | Kato | Kawanishi | Kobe (capital) | Miki | Minamiawaji | Nishinomiya | Nishiwaki | Ono | Sanda | Sasayama | Shiso | Sumoto | Takarazuka | Takasago | Tamba | Tatsuno | Toyooka | Yabu
Districts
Ako | Ibo | Kako | Kanzaki | Kawabe | Mikata | Sayo | Taka
  See also: Towns and villages by district edit

Coordinates: 35°00′N, 134°55′E