Iwate Prefecture

Iwate Prefecture (岩手県, Iwate-ken) is a prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan. It is on the island of Honshu.^[1] The capital city is Morioka.^[2]

Iwate Prefecture 岩手県
Prefecture
Flag Seal
Iwate Prefecture in Japan
Country	Japan
Capital	Iwate
Subdivisions	List Districts: 10 Municipalities: 33
Government
• Governor	Takuya Tasso
Area
• Total	15,275 km2 (5,898 sq mi)
Population  (October 1, 2020)
• Total	1,210,534
• Density	79.25/km2 (205.3/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00
Area code	03000-7
ISO 3166 code	JP-03
Website	Official website

History

The area of Iwate was part of Mutsu Province.^[3]

In 1869, Mutsu was split into five new provinces: Rikuōku,^[4] Rikuchū,^[4] Rikuzen,^[4] Iwashiro^[1] and Iwaki.^[5] The first three of these together known as the "Three Riku", or Sanriku.^[6]

The new provinces were abolished in July 1871.^[7]

In the Meiji period, the provinces of Japan were converted into prefectures. Maps of Japan and Mutsu Province were changed in the 1870s.^[3]

Geography

Iwate is the second largest prefecture after Hokkaido.^[1]

The prefecture is in the Tōhoku region of Honshū island. It has the island's easternmost point.^[8] The eastern coastline faces the Pacific Ocean. Iwate shares its northern border with Aomori Prefecture. The western border meets Akita Prefecture. Its southern border is shared with Miyagi Prefecture.

Cities

Hachimantai Hanamaki Ichinoseki Kamaishi Kitakami Kuji Miyako

Morioka (capital) Ninohe Ōfunato Ōshū Rikuzentakata Tōno

National Parks

National parks cover about 5% of the total land area of the prefecture.^[9] They include:

• Towada-Hachimantai National Park^[10]
• Rikuchu Kaigan National Park^[11]

Shrines and temples

Tsutsukowake jinja is the main Shinto shrine (ichinomiya) of the prefecture.^[12]

The Buddhist temples of Hiraizumi include Chūson-ji and Mōtsū-ji. Hiraizumi was added to the World Heritage List in June 2011.^[13]

Related pages

• Provinces of Japan
• Prefectures of Japan
• List of regions of Japan
• List of islands of Japan
• Iwate Museum of Art

References

1. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 410. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5.
2. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 661. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5.
3. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 780. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5.
4. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 790. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5.
5. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 408. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5.
6. Nippon-Kichi, "Saw-tooth Sanriku Coastline". Retrieved 2012-1-12.
7. Japan-i, Sanriku Coastline/Kamaishi Daikannon Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2012-1-12.
8. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric (2002). Japan Encyclopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 970. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5.
9. Japan Ministry of the Environment, "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture". Retrieved 2012-3-13.
10. Japan Ministry of the Environment, "Towada-Hachimantai National Park" Archived 2006-05-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2012-3-19.
11. Japan Ministry of the Environment, "Rikuchu Kaigan National Park" Archived 2006-05-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2012-3-19.
12. "Nationwide List of Ichinomiya," p. 2 Archived 2013-05-17 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2012-1-17.
13. "World Heritage Hiraizumi". Retrieved 2013-07-10.

Other websites

• http://www.pref.iwate.jp/info.rbz?ik=1&nd=4334 Archived 2012-01-19 at the Wayback Machine; (in Japanese)