Kamikita District, Aomori

Kamikita District (上北郡, Kamikita-gun^?) is a district located in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It occupies the east-central portion of the prefecture, south of Shimokita Peninsula.

As of 2010, the district has an estimated population of 100,526 and a density of 78.5 persons per km². The total area was 1281.05 km².

Towns and villages

The district currently consists of six towns and one village. The cities of Towada and Misawa were formerly part of the district.

• Shichinohe
• Tōhoku
• Noheji
• Yokohama
• Rokunohe
• Oirase
• Rokkasho

History

Kamikita District was part of ancient Kita County (北郡, Kita-gun^?), established by the Northern Fujiwara. During the Edo period, the area was part of the Morioka han feudal domain of the Nambu clan, with daikansho located in Noheji and Shichinohe. The Nambu clan sided with the Ōuetsu Reppan Dōmei during the Boshin War of the Meiji Restoration and were punished by the new Meiji government by loss of their northern territories. In November 1869, Kita-gun and neighboring Sannohe District became part of the newly created Tonami Domain (斗南藩, Tonami-han^?), a 30,000 koku holding created to resettle the dispossessed Matsudaira clan from Aizu-Wakamatsu. In July 1871, with the abolition of the han system, Tonami Domain became Tonami Prefecture, and was merged into the newly-created Aomori Prefecture in September 1871.

During the early Meiji period administrative reorganization of Japan on July 22, 1878, Kamikita and Shimokita were divided from former Kita County, and Kamikita was divided into 50 villages. In the cadastral reform of April 1, 1889, the number of villages was reduced through consolidations and mergers to sixteen. Noheji Village was elevated to town status on September 27, 1897 and Shichinohe on September 1, 1902. On September 1, 1910 the village of Sanbongi became a town, as did Momoishi on April 20, 1929. Several villages or portions of villages merged on February 1, 1948 to form Omisawa Town. Sanbongi was elevated to city status on February 1, 1956, and Towada Village became Towada Town April 1 of the same year. On October 1, 1957, Rokunohe was raised to town status, followed by Yokohama on April 1, 1958. Omisawa attained city status as Misawa City on September 1, 1958. The village of Uranodate became Kamikita Town on the same day. Shimoda village became a town on August 1, 1969, and Towada Town changed its name to Towadako Town on April 1, 1975, but merged into Tiowada city in 2005. Shimoda and Momishi also merged in 2005 to form Oirase Town.