is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Frédéric, "Tōhoku" in It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the west, and Miyagi Prefecture to the south.
Morioka is the capital and largest city of Iwate Prefecture; other major cities include Ichinoseki, Ōshū, and Hanamaki.Frédéric, "Morioka" in Located on Japan's Pacific Ocean coast, Iwate Prefecture features the easternmost point of Honshu at Cape Todo, and shares the highest peaks of the Ōu Mountains—the longest mountain range in Japan—at the border with Akita Prefecture. Iwate Prefecture is home to famous attractions such as Morioka Castle, the Buddhist temples of Hiraizumi including Chūson-ji and Mōtsū-ji, the Fujiwara no Sato movie lot and theme park in Ōshū, and the Tenshochi park in Kitakami known for its huge, ancient cherry trees. Iwate has the lowest population density of any prefecture outside Hokkaido, with 5% of its total land area having been designated as national parks.
Name There are several theories about the origin of the name "Iwate", but the most well known is the tale Oni no tegata, which is associated with the Mitsuishi or "Three Rocks" Shrine in Morioka. These rocks are said to have been thrown down into Morioka by an eruption of Mt. Iwate. According to the legend, there was once a demon who often tormented and harassed the local people. When the people prayed to the spirits of Mitsuishi for protection, this demon was immediately shackled to these rocks and forced to make a promise never to trouble the people again. As a seal of his oath, the demon made a handprint on one of the rocks, giving rise to the name Iwate, its direct translation being "rock hand". Even now after rainfall, it is said that the demon's hand print can still be seen there.
Culture There are many present-day cultural foods popularly eaten in Iwate Prefecture, some of which include walnuts, wanko soba (meaning "bowl noodles") and hittsumi-jiru (meaning "pull and tear", in reference to the way the dough is pulled and torn into oval shapes before being turned into noodles). Iwate's prefectural capital Morioka is also popular for its apples, blooming in May and ready for harvest from September to November.
Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō visited Iwate and wrote about it in the journey described in his major work Oku no Hosomichi. He was especially inspired by the town of Hiraizumi.
History
While the entire island of Honshū was claimed by the Japanese, or Yamato, government from earliest times, the imperial forces were unable to occupy any part of what would become Iwate until 802 when two powerful Emishi leaders, Aterui and More, surrendered at Fort Isawa.
The area now known as Iwate Prefecture was inhabited by the Jōmon people who left their artifacts throughout the prefecture. For example, a large number of burial pits from the Middle Jōmon Period (2,800–1,900 BC) have been found in Nishida. Various sites from the Late Jōmon Period (1,900–1,300 BC) including Tateishi, Makumae and Hatten contain clay figurines, masks and ear and nose shaped clay artifacts. The Kunenbashi site in Kitakami City has yielded stone "swords", tablets and tools as well as clay figurines, earrings and potsherds from the Final Jōmon Period (1,300–300 BC).
The earliest mention of a Japanese presence dates to about 630 when the Hakusan Shrine was said to have been built on Mt. Kanzan in what is now Hiraizumi. At this time various Japanese traders, hunters, adventurers, priests and criminals made their way to Iwate. In 712 the province of Mutsu, containing all of Tōhoku, was divided into Dewa Province, the area west of the Ōu Mountains and Mutsu Province. In 729 Kokuseki-ji Temple was founded in what is now Mizusawa Ward, Oshu City by the itinerant priest Gyōki.
Little is known about relations between these Japanese frontiersmen and the native Emishi but in 776 they took a turn for the worse when large forces of the Yamato army invaded Iwate attacking the Isawa and Shiwa tribes in February and November of that year. More fighting occurred the next and following years but mostly in Dewa and the area south of present-day Iwate prefecture. This situation continued until March 787 when the Yamato army suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Sufuse Village in what is now Mizusawa Ward, Oshu City. There the Emishi leaders and Aterui leading a large cavalry force trapped the Yamato infantry and pushed them into the Kitakami River where their heavy armour proved deadly. Over 1,000 soldiers drowned that day. The Japanese general Ki no Asami Kosami was "rebuked" by the Emperor Kanmu when he returned to Kyoto.
Since the Japanese could not win on the battlefield they resorted to other means to conquer the Emishi. Trade for superior quality iron wares and sake made the Emishi dependent on the Japanese for these valuable goods. Bribes were offered to the Emishi leaders in the form of Japanese citizenship and rank if they would defect. Finally a campaign of burning crops and kidnapping the Emishi women and children and relocating them to Western Japan was adopted.
In 801, Sakanoue no Tamuramaro began a new campaign against the Isawa Emishi having moderate success. Finally on 15 April 802 the Emishi leaders More and Aterui surrendered with some 500 warriors. The captives were taken to Kyoto for an audience with the emperor and beheaded at Moriyama in Kawachi Province against the wishes of General Sakanoue. This act of cruelty enraged the Emishi leading to another twenty or more years of fighting.
After the surrender numerous forts were built on the Chinese model along the Kitakami River. In 802, Fort Isawa was built in what is now Mizusawa Ward, Oshu City, in 803, Fort Shiwa was built in what is now Morioka City, and in 812 Fort Tokutan was built also in Morioka.
In the latter part of the Heian period, the town of Hiraizumi in what is now southern Iwate became the capital of the Northern Fujiwara. The warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune fled here after the Genpei War.
Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Iwate prefecture was part of Mutsu Province.Frédéric, "Provinces and prefectures" in , p. 780.
Iwate Prefecture was created in 1876, in the aftermath of the Boshin Civil War, which heralded the beginning of the Meiji Restoration.
Geography
Iwate faces the Pacific Ocean to the east with sheer, rocky cliffs along most of the shoreline interrupted by a few sandy beaches. The border with Akita Prefecture on the west is generally formed by the highest points of the Ōu Mountains. Aomori Prefecture is to the north and Miyagi Prefecture is to the south.
The Ōu mountains on the west still contain active volcanoes such as Mt. Iwate (at the highest point in the prefecture) and Mt. Kurikoma (). But the Kitakami Mountains running through the middle of the prefecture from north to south are much older and have not been active for thousands of years. Mt. Hayachine () lies at the heart of the Kitakami range.
Besides these two mountain ranges and the rugged coastline, the prefecture is characterized by the Kitakami River which flows from north to south between the Ōu and Kitakami mountain ranges. It is the fourth longest river in Japan and the longest in Tōhoku. The basin of the Kitakami is large and fertile providing room for the prefecture's largest cities, industrial parks and farms.
In the past Iwate has been famous for its mineral wealth especially in the form of gold, iron, coal and sulfur but these are no longer produced. There is still an abundance of hot water for onsen, or hot springs, which is the basis of a thriving industry. The forests of the prefecture are another valuable resource. Before World War II the forests were mainly composed of beech but since then there has been a huge swing towards the production of faster growing Japanese cedar. Recently, though, there has been a push to restore the original beech forests in some areas.
As of 31 March 2019, 5% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Towada-Hachimantai and Sanriku Fukkō National Parks; Kurikoma and Hayachine Quasi-National Parks; and Goyōzan, Hanamaki Onsenkyō, Kuji-Hiraniwa, Murone Kōgen, Oritsume Basenkyō, Sotoyama-Hayasaka Heights, and Yuda Onsenkyō Prefectural Natural Parks.
Cities
Fourteen cities are located in Iwate Prefecture: NameArea (km2)PopulationPopulation density (per km2)MapRōmajiKanji Hachimantai八幡平市862.325,07629.08 Hanamaki花巻市908.3994,691104.24 Ichinoseki一関市1,256.42114,47691.11 Kamaishi釜石市440.3432,60974.05 Kitakami北上市437.5592,311210.97 Kuji久慈市623.534,41855.20 Miyako宮古市1,259.1551,15040.62 Morioka (capital)盛岡市886.47290,700327.93 Ninohe二戸市420.4226,34462.66 Ōfunato大船渡市322.5135,452109.93 Ōshū奥州市993.3114,620115.39 Rikuzentakata陸前高田市231.9419,06282.19 Takizawa滝沢市182.4655,325303.22 Tōno遠野市825.9726,11031.61
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages in each district: NameArea (km2)PopulationPopulation density (per km2)DistrictTypeMapRōmajiKanji Fudai普代村69.662,60737.42Shimohei DistrictVillage Hiraizumi平泉町63.397,408116.86Nishiiwai DistrictTown Hirono洋野町302.9215,39850.83Kunohe DistrictTown Ichinohe一戸町300.0312,05340.17Ninohe DistrictTown Iwaizumi岩泉町992.368,9879.06Shimohei DistrictTown Iwate岩手町360.4613,11136.37Iwate DistrictTown Kanegasaki金ケ崎町179.7615,58086.67Isawa DistrictTown Karumai軽米町245.828,89536.19Kunohe DistrictTown Kunohe九戸村134.025,65042.16Kunohe DistrictVillage Kuzumaki葛巻町434.995,63212.95Iwate DistrictTown Nishiwaga西和賀町590.745,4689.26Waga DistrictTown Noda野田村80.84,20151.99Kunohe DistrictVillage Ōtsuchi大槌町200.4211,57257.74Kamihei DistrictTown Shiwa紫波町238.9833,090138.46Shiwa DistrictTown Shizukuishi雫石町608.8216,26326.71Iwate DistrictTown Sumita住田町334.845,31515.87Kesen DistrictTown Tanohata田野畑村156.193,24420.77Shimohei DistrictVillage Yahaba矢巾町67.3227,227404.44Shiwa DistrictTown Yamada山田町262.8115,19557.82Shimohei DistrictTown
Mergers
Climate Temperature comparison
+ Monthly average highs and lows for various cities and towns in Iwate Prefecture in Fahrenheit and Celsius City May Morioka Miyako Hachimantai Ichinoseki Kitakami Kuji Ninohe Ōfunato Ichinohe Iwaizumi Kuzumaki Shizukuishi Yuda Kuzakai
Economy Iwate's industry is concentrated around Morioka and specializes in semiconductor and communications manufacturing.
As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 3.9% of Japan's beef and 14.4% of broiler chickens.Schreiber, Mark, "Japan's food crisis goes beyond recent panic buying", The Japan Times, 17 April 2011, p. 9. In 2009, 866 tons of dolphins and whales were harvested off the coast of Iwate, accounting for more than half of Japan's total catch of 1,404 tons.Kyodo News, "Sea Shepherd's return to Iwate town enrages local fishermen", The Japan Times, 26 May 2011, p. 2.
Demographics
As of October 1, 2022, Iwate Prefecture had a population of 1,180,595. Consistent with population trends across Japan, Iwate has experienced a slow, but steady decline in growth since the end of World War II with a major contributing factor being an aging population. As of October 2019, 33.1% of the population was over 65 with 15.4% aged between 65 and 74 and 17.7% over 75. Moreover, the 1950 census saw the most births in the prefecture with 45,968 reported, but since then there has been a major decline to only 7,220 births from October 2018 to September 2019. This is in contrast to the 17,681 deaths recorded during the same period. Finally, Iwate has a negative net migration rate (-2.8) with 21,265 permanently leaving the prefecture and 16,795 entering.
Notable people from Iwate
Iwate prefecture's website provides summarized biographies of 'Famous Iwate people' in both Japanese and English.
Gege Akutami (born 1992), manga artist and author of Jujutsu Kaisen The Great Sasuke (born 1969), professional wrestler and politician