Yamagata Prefecture

Yamagata Prefecture 山形県
Prefecture
Japanese transcription(s)
• Japanese	山形県
• Rōmaji	Yamagata-ken
Flag Symbol
Country	Japan
Region	Tōhoku
Island	Honshu
Capital	Yamagata
Subdivisions	Districts: 8, Municipalities: 35
Government
• Governor	Mieko Yoshimura
Area
• Total	9,325.15 km2 (3,600.46 sq mi)
Area rank	9th
Population  (June 1, 2019)
• Total	1,079,950
• Rank	35th
• Density	120/km2 (300/sq mi)
ISO 3166 code	JP-06
Website	www.pref.yamagata.jp
Symbols Bird Mandarin duck (Aix galericulata) Fish Cherry salmon (Oncorhynchus masou) Flower Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) Tree Cherry

Yamagata Prefecture (山形県, Yamagata-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.^[1] Yamagata Prefecture has a population of 1,079,950 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 9,325 km² (3,600 sq mi). Yamagata Prefecture borders Akita Prefecture to the north, Miyagi Prefecture to the east, Fukushima Prefecture to the south, and Niigata Prefecture to the southwest.

Yamagata is the capital and largest city of Yamagata Prefecture, with other major cities including Tsuruoka, Sakata, and Yonezawa.^[2] Yamagata Prefecture is located on Japan's western Sea of Japan coast and its borders with neighboring prefectures are formed by various mountain ranges, with 17% of its total land area being designated as Natural Parks. Yamagata Prefecture formed the southern half of the historic Dewa Province with Akita Prefecture and is home to the Three Mountains of Dewa, which includes the Haguro Five-story Pagoda, a recognised National Treasure of Japan.

History[]

The aboriginal Ezo (蝦夷) people once inhabited the area now known as Yamagata. Yamagata and Akita Prefecture were known as Dewa Province until the Meiji Restoration.^[3]

During the Heian period (794–1185), the Fujiwara (藤原) family ruled the area. Yamagata City flourished during the Edo period (1603–1867) due to its status as a castle town and post station, famous for beni (red safflower dye used in the production of handspun silk). In 1689, the famous haiku poet, Matsuo Bashō visited Yamagata during his five-month trip to the northern regions of Japan.

In March 2011, an earthquake and tsunami hit Yamagata prefecture and the neighbouring Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures. Hundreds of people died in total.^[4]

Geography[]

Yamagata Prefecture is located in the southwest corner of Tōhoku, facing the Sea of Japan. It borders Niigata Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture on the south, Miyagi Prefecture on the east, and Akita Prefecture on the north. All of these boundaries are marked by mountains, with most of the population residing in a limited central plain.

As of 31 March 2020, 17 percent of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely the Bandai-Asahi National Park; Chōkai, Kurikoma, and Zaō Quasi-National Parks; and Goshōzan, Kabusan, Kennan, Mogamigawa, Shōnai Kaihin, and Tendō Kōgen Prefectural Natural Parks.^[5]

Cities[]

Thirteen cities are located in Yamagata Prefecture:

Name		Area (km2)	Population	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji
Higashine	東根市	207.17	47,910
Kaminoyama	上山市	240.93	29,974
Murayama	村山市	196.98	23,643
Nagai	長井市	214.67	26,466
Nan'yō	南陽市	160.52	31,112
Obanazawa	尾花沢市	373.32	15,237
Sagae	寒河江市	139.03	40,131
Sakata	酒田市	602.97	99,341
Shinjō	新庄市	223.08	34,937
Tendō	天童市	113.01	61,947
Tsuruoka	鶴岡市	1,311.53	125,389
Yamagata (capital)	山形市	381.58	248,772
Yonezawa	米沢市	548.51	81,707

Towns and villages[]

These are the towns and villages in each district:

Name		Area (km2)	Population	District	Type	Map
Rōmaji	Kanji
Asahi	朝日町	196.73	7,020	Nishimurayama District	Town
Funagata	舟形町	119.03	5,101	Mogami District	Town
Iide	飯豊町	329.6	6,970	Nishiokitama District	Town
Kahoku	河北町	52.38	18,301	Nishimurayama District	Town
Kaneyama	金山町	161.79	5,205	Mogami District	Town
Kawanishi	川西町	166.46	14,967	Higashiokitama District	Town
Mamurogawa	真室川町	374.29	7,506	Mogami District	Town
Mikawa	三川町	33.22	7,562	Higashitagawa District	Town
Mogami	最上町	330.27	8,442	Mogami District	Town
Nakayama	中山町	31.23	11,153	Higashimurayama District	Town
Nishikawa	西川町	393.19	5,225	Nishimurayama District	Town
Ōe	大江町	153.92	7,894	Nishimurayama District	Town
Oguni	小国町	737.56	7,376	Nishiokitama District	Town
Ōishida	大石田町	79.54	6,945	Kitamurayama District	Town
Ōkura	大蔵村	211.59	3,044	Mogami District	Village
Sakegawa	鮭川村	122.14	4,132	Mogami District	Village
Shirataka	白鷹町	157.74	13,482	Nishiokitama District	Town
Shōnai	庄内町	249.17	20,940	Higashitagawa District	Town
Takahata	高畠町	180.26	23,367	Higashiokitama District	Town
Tozawa	戸沢村	261.31	4,431	Mogami District	Village
Yamanobe	山辺町	61.36	14,147	Higashimurayama District	Town
Yuza	遊佐町	208.39	13,615	Akumi District	Town

Mergers[]

Climate[]

The climate of Yamagata Prefecture is characterized by long, hot, and humid summers and long, snowy winters. Both spring and autumn are short, the former often cold, the latter often warm, but both quite dry and sunny. Yamagata Prefecture, along with northern parts of Miyagi and Iwate are the transition areas from humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cfa/Cwa) to humid continental within the Japan mainland. Winter temperatures rarely fall below −10 °C (14 °F) in populated areas; they frequently rise above 30 °C (86 °F) in July and August. Precipitation falls all year round and the remnants of one or perhaps two typhoons usually pass through between August and October. The winters see heavy snowfall especially at higher elevations, though the Japan Sea coast (Sakata) is milder and has more rain. Snowfall for Shinjō is typical of populated mountainous areas, snowfall for Yamagata City typical of the valleys. The central mountains around Gassan may see as much as 3,000 centimetres (98.43 ft) of snow in a season with depths up to 8 metres (26 ft) at higher elevations.

Economy[]

Fruit[]

Yamagata Prefecture is the largest producer of cherries and pears in Japan. A large quantity of other kinds of fruits such as grapes, apples, peaches, melons, persimmons and watermelons are also produced.

Demographics[]

As of October 2014, Yamagata Prefecture had a population of 1,131,000.^[9] The prefecture also has one of the oldest populations in Japan. As of 2004, 12.8% of the population was aged between 65 and 74, and 12.1% was over 75 (the fourth and third highest in Japan, respectively).^[10] Over 40% of households in Yamagata contain one or more relatives aged 65 or over (one of the three highest in Japan).^[11]

Per Japanese census data,^[12] and,^[13] population of Yamagata has changed significantly with Yamagata 2020 having roughly same population as Yamagata 1930

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1890	742,600	—
1920	969,000	+30.5%
1930	1,080,000	+11.5%
1940	1,119,000	+3.6%
1950	1,357,347	+21.3%
1960	1,321,000	−2.7%
1970	1,226,000	−7.2%
1980	1,252,000	+2.1%
1990	1,258,000	+0.5%
2000	1,244,147	−1.1%
2010	1,168,924	−6.0%
2020	1,079,950	−7.6%

Culture[]

Festivals and events[]

Yamagata Prefecture has a number of annual festivals and events.

The largest is the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival (花笠祭り) which takes place in Yamagata City on the first weekend in August, when thousands of people perform the hanagasa dance in the city centre and attracts up to 300,000 spectators. Yamagata City is the home of the bi-annual Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival in October.

In February, a snow lantern festival is held in Yonezawa at the . Hundreds of candle-lit lanterns light pathways dug into the snow around the shrine. Yonezawa is also the site of the Uesugi Festival (上杉祭り, uesugi matsuri) in mid-spring. The festival's highlight is a re-enactment of the Battle of Kawanakajima on the banks of the Matsukawa River.

In September, Yamagata Prefecture is famous for its imoni, a taro-root stew popular in Northern Japan during the autumn. Imonikai, taro-root soup parties, are very popular during this season, and many tourists come to Yamagata Prefecture specifically for its particular style of imoni.

Art[]

Beginning in 2003, Yamagata city officials with the aid of Tōhoku University of Art and Design began a three-year project in which the Buddhist art of the city's temples would be catalogued and compared to a set of guidelines in order to identify "cultural assets".^[14] One hundred and ninety temples have had their works of art examined and several significant examples of Buddhist sculpture have been discovered. At Heisenji Temple, in the Hirashimizu district, a particularly rare statue, a seated Vairocana Buddha made from zelkova wood, was found. Other significant works include sculptures from the Heian period (794–1185) and Kamakura period (1192–1333).

The Yamagata Museum of Art, located in Yamagata City, was opened in 1964 through the efforts of a foundation led by Yoshio Hattori, the president of Yamagata Shimbun and Yamagata Broadcasting Co, Ltd. The permanent collection consists of three types of art: Japanese and Asian, regional, and French. Special exhibitions are held periodically.

Language[]

Yamagata Prefecture is known for its local dialect Yamagata-ben, sometimes thought of as backward sounding in other parts of Japan. The 2004 movie Swing Girls (スウィングガールズ), co-written and directed by Shinobu Yaguchi, is set in Yamagata and makes use of Yamagata-ben for comedic purposes.

Sports[]

The sports teams listed below are based in Yamagata.

Football

• Montedio Yamagata

Volleyball

• Pioneer Red Wings (Tendō)

Basketball

• Passlab Yamagata Wyverns

Transportation[]

Airports[]

• Yamagata Airport (Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo by Japan Airlines)
• Shonai Airport (Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo by All Nippon Airways)

Railways[]

Tourism[]

The temple of Yama-dera, carved into the mountainside near the city of Yamagata, is a major attraction.

The Dewa Sanzan are three holy mountains that form a traditional pilgrimage for followers of the Shugendō branch of Shintō. The famous Gojudo (five-story pagoda) is at the base of Mount Haguro, the lowest of the three mountains.

Mount Zaō is a famous winter ski resort, also known for its snow monsters (frozen snow-covered trees) in the winter, and the Okama crater lake, also known as the Goshiki Numa (Five Color Lake) because its colour changes according to the weather.

• 

  Yamadera niōmon

• 

  Mount Haguro, The Gojuto Pagoda

• 

  Ginzan Onsen Spa

• 

  Zaō Onsen Ski Resort

Media[]

Newspapers[]

• Yamagata Shimbun [1]
• Yonezawa Shimbun
• Shonai Nippo
• Okitama Times [2]

TV and radio[]

• YBC TV and Radio (NNN, JRN, and NRN)
• YTS TV (ANN)
• TUY TV (JNN)
• SAY TV (FNN)
• Rhythm Station (JFN)

Film[]

• Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival^[15]

Notes[]

References[]

• Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5; OCLC 58053128

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yamagata prefecture.

• Yamagata Prefecture Official Website (in Japanese)

Coordinates: 38°26′N 140°8′E / 38.433°N 140.133°E / 38.433; 140.133