Mie Prefecture
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Capital | Tsu |
| Region | Kinki and Chūbu |
| Island | Honshū |
| Governor | Akihiko Noro |
| Area (rank) | 5,776.44 km² (25th) |
| - % water | 0.7% |
| Population (January 1, 2003) | |
| - Population | 1,863,815 (23rd) |
| - Density | 323 /km² |
| Districts | 7 |
| Municipalities | 29 |
| ISO 3166-2 | JP-24 |
| Website | www.pref.mie.jp/ ENGLISH/ |
| Prefectural Symbols | |
| - Flower | Iris (Iris ensata) |
| - Tree | Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) |
| - Bird | Snowy plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) |
 Symbol of Mie Prefecture |
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Mie Prefecture (三重県 Mie-ken?) is a prefecture of Japan which is part of the Kinki and Chūbu regions on Honshū island. The capital is the city of Tsu.
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[edit] History
Evidence of human habitation in Mie can be dated to more than 10,000 years ago. During the Jōmon and Yayoi periods, agricultural communities began to form along the river and coastal areas of the region. Ise Shrine is said to have been established during the Yayoi period, and in the 7th century the Saikū Imperial Residence was built in what is now Meiwa Town to serve as both a residence and administrive centre for the Saiō, an Imperial Princess who served as High Priestess of Ise Shrine.
During the Edo period, the area now known as Mie Prefecture consisted of several feudal domains, each ruled by an appointed lord. Transport networks, including the Tokaido and Ise Roads, were built. Port towns such as Ohminato, Kuwana and Anōtsu, posting stations and castle towns flourished. Pilgrimages to Ise Shrine also became very popular.
After the Meiji Restoration, the former provinces of Ise, Shima, and Iga as well as a portion of eastern Kii, were organized and reorganized repeatedly. In 1871 the area from the Kiso Three Rivers in the north to present-day Tsu became Anōtsu Prefecture, and the area south of that became Watarai Prefecture. In 1872, the Anōtsu prefectural seat moved from Tsu to Yokkaichi, and the prefecture itself was renamed Mie. For a variety of reasons, including the strong likelihood that Mie would eventually merge with Watarai, the prefectural seat returned to Tsu the following year, and Mie Prefecture took its present-day form in 1876, when it merged with its southern neighbor.
The name Mie supposedly was taken from a comment about the region made by Yamato Takeru on his way back from conquering the eastern regions.
In 1959, many lives were lost as parts of Mie were devastated by the Ise-wan Typhoon, the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in recorded history. Crops were destroyed, sea walls ruined, roads and railways damaged and a substantial number of people were injured or left homeless.
[edit] Geography
Mie Prefecture forms the eastern part of the Kii Peninsula, and is bordered by Aichi, Gifu, Shiga, Kyoto, Nara, and Wakayama. It is considered to be a part of both the Chūbu[1] and the Kinki regions due to its geographical proximity to Aichi Prefecture and its cultural influence from Kinki, such as the fact that Kansai dialect is spoken in Mie. Traditionally, though, the Iga region of Mie is considered to have always been a part of Kansai.
Mie Prefecture measures 170 km from north to south, and 80 km from east to west, and is made up of 5 distinct geographical areas. The north-west of Mie consists of the Suzuka Mountains, along the coast of Ise Bay from the Aichi border to Ise City is the Ise Plain, where most of the population of Mie live, south of the Ise Plain is the Shima Peninsula, bordering Nara in the central-west is the Iga Basin, and running from central Mie to its southern borders is the Nunobiki Mountainous Region.[2]
Mie has a coastline that stretches 1,094.9km and, as of 2000, Mie's 5,776.44 km² landmass can be divided into 64.8% forest, 11.5% agriculture, 6% residential area, 3.8% roads, and 3.6% rivers. The remaining 10.3% are not classified. The Ise Plain has a relatively moderate climate, averaging 14 to 15 degrees Celsius for the year. The Iga Basin has more daily temperature variance and averages temperatures 1 to 2 degrees cooler than the Ise Plain. Southern Mie, south of the Shima Peninsula, has a warmer Pacific marine climate, with Owase Region having one of the heaviest rainfall figures for all of Japan.[3]
[edit] Cities
Fourteen cities are located in Mie Prefecture:
[edit] Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district.
[edit] Mergers
[edit] Economy
Mie Prefecture has traditionally been a link between east and west Japan, thanks largely to the Tokaido and Ise Pilgrimage Roads. Traditional handicrafts such as Iga Braid, Yokkaichi Banko Pottery, Suzuka Ink, Iga Pottery and Ise Katagami flourished. With 65% of the prefecture consisting of forests and with over 1,000 km of coastline, Mie has a long been associated with forestry and seafood industries. As well as this, Mie produces tea, beef, cultured pearls and fruit, mainly mandarin oranges.
Northern Mie is home to a number of manufacturing industries, mainly transport machinery manufacturing (vehicles and ships) and heavy chemical industries such as oil refineries. As well as this, Mie Prefecture is expanding into more advanced industries including the manufacture of semiconductors and liquid crystal displays.
[edit] Demographics
| Mie Prefecture Demographics (as of 2006)[4] | |
|---|---|
| Total Population | 1,867,696 |
| Male Population | 908,440 |
| Female Population | 959,256 |
| Population Age Under 15 | 263,697 |
| Population Aged 15 to 64 | 1,190,615 |
| Population Aged Over 64 | 411,063 |
| Number of Households | 688,088 |
| Population Density (per sq.km) | 323.3 |
[edit] Culture
[edit] Tourism
[edit] Famous Places
- Ise Grand Shrine - Japan's holiest Shinto shrine.
- Kumano Kodō - World Heritage Site. Ancient road in southern Mie once used by pilgrims.
- Iga-Ueno - Birthplace of the ninja and home to the Iga Ninja Museum.
- Sakakibara Onsen - Famous onsen near Tsu. Rumored to be the 3rd best onsen in Japan.
- Yunoyama Onsen - Famous onsen near Yokkaichi that sits atop Mount Gozaisho.
- Nagashima Spa Land - One of the largest amusement parks in Japan, located in Kuwana.
- Mikimoto Pearl Island - Museum in Toba that is dedicated to Kōkichi Mikimoto, inventor of pearl cultivation.
- The Wedded Rocks of Okitama Shrine in Futami (now part of the city of Ise)
- Suzuka Circuit - Japan's most famous racetrack.
- Saikū - Site of Heian Imperial residence, with modern museum and reconstructed Heian building.
[edit] Famous Citizens
- Kōdayu Daikokuya, a Japanese castaway who spent eleven years in Russia.
- Hakaru Hashimoto, medical scientist.
- Kōkichi Mikimoto, founder of the cultured pearl industry.
- Matsuo Bashō, the most famous poet of the Edo period, renowned for his haiku.
- Mitsui Takatoshi, founder of the Mitsui Group.
- Norinaga Motoori, a Japanese scholar of Kokugaku during the Edo period.
- Ranpo Edogawa, famous mystery novelist.
- Takeshiro Matsuura, an explorer who gave the name "Hokkaidō" to Japan's northern island.
- Yukio Ozaki, a politician said to be the father of Japan's constitutional government.
- Zuiken Kawamura, a powerful businessman during the early Edo Period.
- Keiichi Yabu, Relief pitcher for the San Francisco Giants
- Die (musician), Guitarist for Dir en grey
[edit] Famous Products
- Akafuku, a sweet made with mochi and sweet red bean paste.
- spiny lobster, known as Ise ebi (伊勢えび), named after the old province.
- Matsusaka beef.
[edit] Sister States
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Mie Prefecture official homepage
- Kanko Mie tourist information
- Outdoor Japan - Section Mie
- Mie International Exchange Foundation
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| Cities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Iga | Inabe | Ise | Kameyama | Kumano | Kuwana | Matsusaka | Nabari | Owase | Shima | Suzuka | Toba | Tsu (capital) | Yokkaichi | |||
| Districts | |||
| Inabe | Kita-Muro | Kuwana | Mie | Minami-Muro | Taki | Watarai | |||
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