Shimane Prefecture
Shimane Prefecture
島根県 | |
---|---|
Japanese transcription(s) | |
• Japanese | 島根県 |
• Rōmaji | Shimane-ken |
Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii) |
Shimane Prefecture (島根県, Shimane-ken) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūgoku region of Honshu.[2] Shimane Prefecture is the second-least populous prefecture of Japan at 665,205 (February 1, 2021) and has a geographic area of 6,708.26 km2. Shimane Prefecture borders Yamaguchi Prefecture to the southwest, Hiroshima Prefecture to the south, and Tottori Prefecture to the east.
History
Early history
The history of Shimane starts with Japanese mythology. The Shinto god Ōkuninushi was believed to live in Izumo, an old province in Shimane. Izumo Shrine, which is in the city of Izumo, honors the god.[4] At that time, the current Shimane prefecture was divided into three parts: Iwami, Izumo, and Oki.[5] That lasted until the abolition of the han system took place in 1871. During the Nara period, Kakinomoto no Hitomaro read a poem on Shimane's nature when he was sent as the Royal governor.[6]
Later on in the
Middle Ages
During the Muromachi period (1336–1573), Izumo and Oki were controlled by the Kyōgoku clan. However, after the Ōnin War, the Amago clan expanded power based in Gassantoda Castle and the Masuda clan dominated Iwami Province. The Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine was located between Amago territory and Masuda territory, and there were many battles between the clans for the silver. In 1566 Mōri Motonari conquered Izumo, Iwami, and Oki.[7] In 1600, after over 30 years of Mori control, Horio Yoshiharu entered Izumo and Oki as the result of Battle of Sekigahara, which Mori lost. Following the change, Horio Yoshiharu decided to move to build Matsue Castle instead of Gassan-Toda, and soon after Yoshiharu's death the castle was completed. In 1638, the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu Matsudaira Naomasa became the ruler because the Horio clan had no heir, and his family ruled until the abolition of the han system.
The Iwami area was split into three regions: the mining district, under the direct control of the Shogunate, the Hamada clan region, and the Tsuwano clan region. The
Modern Age
In 1871, the abolition of the han system placed the old Shimane and Hamada Provinces in the current area of Shimane Prefecture. Later that year, Oki became part of Tottori. In 1876, Hamada Prefecture was merged into Shimane Prefecture. Also, Tottori Prefecture was added in the same year. However, five years later, in 1881, the current portion of Tottori Prefecture was separated and the current border was formed.[8]
Geography
Shimane Prefecture is situated on the
As of 1 April 2012, 6% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks, namely Daisen-Oki National Park; Hiba-Dōgo-Taishaku and Nishi-Chūgoku Sanchi Quasi-National Parks; and eleven Prefectural Natural Parks.[11]
Most major cities are located either on the seaside, or along a river.[9]
Cities
Eight cities are located in Shimane Prefecture, the largest in population being Matsue, the capital, and the smallest being Gōtsu. The cities Masuda, Unnan, Yasugi, and Gōtsu had a slight population increase due to the mergers in the early 2000s.[12]
Name | Area (km2) | Population | Map | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rōmaji | Kanji | |||
Gōtsu | 江津市 | 268.51 | 24,009 | |
Hamada | 浜田市 | 689.6 | 57,142 | |
Izumo | 出雲市 | 624.36 | 172,039 | |
Masuda | 益田市 | 733.16 | 46,892 | |
Matsue (capital) | 松江市 | 572.99 | 202,008 | |
Ōda | 大田市 | 436.11 | 34,354 | |
Unnan | 雲南市 | 553.4 | 38,281 | |
Yasugi | 安来市 | 420.97 | 38,875 |
Towns and villages
These are the towns and villages of each district. The number of towns and villages greatly decreased during the mergers. However, they hold about one-third of the prefecture's population.[12]
Name | Area (km2) | Population | District | Type | Map | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rōmaji | Kanji | |||||
Ama | 海士町 | 33.5 | 2,293 | Oki District | Town | |
Chibu | 知夫村 | 13.7 | 657 | Oki District | Village | |
Iinan | 飯南町 | 242.84 | 4,908 | Iishi District | Town | |
Kawamoto | 川本町 | 106.39 | 3,331 | Ōchi District | Town | |
Misato | 美郷町 | 282.92 | 4,712 | Ōchi District | Town | |
Nishinoshima | 西ノ島町 | 55.98 | 2,923 | Oki District | Town | |
Okinoshima | 隠岐の島町 | 242.97 | 14,422 | Oki District | Town | |
Okuizumo | 奥出雲町 | 368.06 | 12,655 | Nita District | Town | |
Ōnan | 邑南町 | 419.29 | 10,922 | Ōchi District | Town | |
Tsuwano | 津和野町 | 307.09 | 7,478 | Kanoashi District | Town | |
Yoshika | 吉賀町 | 336.29 | 6,231 | Kanoashi District | Town |
Mergers
April 1976 | January 2011 | January 2012 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Izumo Region | Matsue City (Old System) | Matsue City (New System) | Matsue City (August 1, 2011 Merger with Higashiizumo Town) | |
Yatsuka District | Kashima Town | |||
Shimane Town | ||||
Mihonoseki Town | ||||
Yakumo Village | ||||
Tamayu Town | ||||
Shinji Town | ||||
Yatsuka Town | ||||
Higashiizumo Town | ||||
Yasugi City (Old System) | Yasugi City (New System) | Yasugi City | ||
Nogi District | Hirose Town | |||
Hakuta Town | ||||
Nita District | Yokota Town | Okuizumo Town | ||
Nita Town | ||||
Izumo City (Old System) | Izumo City (New System) | Izumo City (October 1, 2011 Merger with Hikawa Town) | ||
Hirata City | ||||
Hikawa District | Taisha Town | |||
Koryo Town | ||||
Taki Town | ||||
Sada Town | ||||
Hikawa Town | ||||
Ōhara District | Daitō Town | Unnan City | ||
Kamo Town | ||||
Kisuki Town | ||||
Iishi District | Mitoya Town | |||
Kakeya Town | ||||
Yoshida Village | ||||
Tonbara Town | Iinan Town | |||
Akagi Town | ||||
Iwami Region | Ōda City (Old System) | Ōda City (New System) | Ōda City | |
Nima District | Yunotsu Town | |||
Nima Town | ||||
Gōtsu City (Old System) | Gōtsu City (New System) | Gōtsu City | ||
Ōchi District | Sakurae Town | |||
Ōchi Town | Misato Town | |||
Daiwa Village | ||||
Iwami Town | Ōnan Town | |||
Mizuho Town | ||||
Hasumi Village | ||||
Kawamoto Town | ||||
Hamada City (Old System) | Hamada City (New System) | Hamada City | ||
Naka District | Asahi Town | |||
Kanagi Town | ||||
Misumi Town | ||||
Yasaka Village | ||||
Masuda City (Old System) | Masuda City (New System) | Masuda City | ||
Mino District | Mito Town | |||
Hikimi Town | ||||
Kanoashi District | Tsuwano Town (Old System) | Tsuwano Town (New System) | Tsuwano Town | |
Nichihara Town | ||||
Muikaichi Town | Yoshika Town | |||
Kakinoki Village | ||||
Oki Region | Oki District | Saigō Town | Okinoshima Town | |
Fuse Village | ||||
Goka Village | ||||
Tsuma Village | ||||
Nishinoshima Town | ||||
Ama Town | ||||
Chibu Village |
Climate
Shimane prefecture has a sub-tropical climate. Winter is cloudy with a little snow, and summer is humid. The average annual temperature is 14.6 °C (58.3 °F). It rains almost every day in the rainy season, from June to mid-July. The highest average monthly temperature occurs in August with 26.3 °C (79.3 °F). The average annual precipitation is 1,799 millimetres (70.8 in), higher than Tokyo's 1,467 mm (57.8 in) and Obihiro with 920 mm (36.2 in).[12]
Average Year (Month) |
Oki | Izumo (Coastal) | Izumo (Inland) | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Okinoshima Saigo |
Okinoshima Saigo Cape |
Ama | Matsue Kashima |
Matsue |
Hikawa | Izumo | Okuizumo Yokota |
Unnan Kakeya |
Iinan Akana | ||
Average Temperature (°C) |
Warmest Month | 25.6 (Aug) |
25.8 (Aug) |
25.6 (Aug) |
26.3 (Aug) |
25.8 (Aug) |
24.0 (Aug) |
24.5 (Aug) |
23.4 (Aug) | ||
Coldest Month | 3.9 (Feb) |
4.5 (Feb) |
4.4 (Feb) |
4.2 (Jan) |
4.5 (Feb) |
0.7 (Feb) |
2.3 (Feb) |
0.4 (Jan, Feb) | |||
mm )
|
Heaviest Month | 211.6 (Sept) |
227.0 (July) |
218.0 (Sept) |
240.5 (July) |
236.2 (July) |
234.2 (July) |
257.1 (July) |
282.2 (July) | ||
Driest Month | 110.4 (Oct) |
96.4 (Feb) |
104.7 (April) |
114.5 (April) |
96.3 (Feb) |
103.4 (April) |
120.7 (April) |
116.5 (Oct) | |||
Average Year (Month) |
Iwami (Coastal) | Iwami (Inland) | |||||||||
Ōda | Hamada | Masuda | Masuda City Takatsu |
Kawamoto | Ōnan |
Hamada City Yasaka |
Tsuwano |
Yoshika | Yoshika Muikaichi | ||
Average Temperature (°C) |
Warmest Month | 26.5 (Aug) |
26.2 (Aug) |
26.8 (Aug) |
24.2 (Aug) |
23.9 (Aug) |
23.6 (Aug) |
25.7 (Aug) |
24.5 (Aug) | ||
Coldest Month | 4.9 (Jan, Feb) |
5.8 (Feb) |
5.4 (Jan, Feb) |
2.7 (Jan) |
0.8 (Jan) |
1.5 (Jan) |
3.0 (Jan) |
1.9 (Jan) | |||
mm )
|
Heaviest Month | 246.3 (July) |
257.7 (July) |
223.9 (June) |
260.2 (July) |
260.6 (July) |
340.0 (July) |
285.6 (July) |
337.4 (June) | ||
Driest Month | 98.3 (Feb) |
90.9 (Feb) |
87.9 (Feb) |
112.5 (Feb) |
109.2 (Nov) |
130.4 (April) |
99.7 (Dec) |
76.8 (Dec) |
Transportation
Airports
Three airports serve Shimane. The Izumo Airport located in
Rail
JR West has three Limited Express trains to Shimane, which are Super Matsukaze, Super Oki, and Yakumo.[16] Additionally, the overnight limited express Sunrise Izumo operates daily between Tokyo and Izumoshi.
- West Japan Railway Company
- Sanin Main Line
- Sankō Line
- Kisuki Line
- Yamaguchi Line
- Ichibata Electric Railway
Roads
General Roads
- Japan National Route 9
- Japan National Route 54
- Japan National Route 180
- Japan National Route 184
- Japan National Route 186
- Japan National Route 187
- Japan National Route 191
- Japan National Route 261
- Japan National Route 314
- Japan National Route 375
- Japan National Route 431
- Japan National Route 432
- Japan National Route 485
- Japan National Route 488
Highways
The four expressways in the prefecture connect major cities with other prefectures. The Matsue expressway connects Matsue with Unnan and Yonago in Tottori prefecture. Hamada Expressway forks from the Chūgoku Expressway at Kita-Hiroshima and stretches to Hamada.[9]
- Sanin Expressway
- Matsue Expressway
- Hamada Expressway
- Chūgoku Expressway
Ferry/High Speed Boats
-
Sanin Line
-
Oki Saigo Port
Economy
In Shimane, the largest employer is the retail industry, employing over 60,000 workers. The supermarket, Mishimaya, and the hardware store, Juntendo, are examples of companies based in Shimane. The manufacturing industry has the second highest number of employees with 49,000 workers.[citation needed]
Companies based in Shimane
Manufacturing
Financial
Others
Major factories
Demographics
One-third of the prefecture's population is concentrated in the
Population by age
Total Population in age groups
2007 Estimated Population
Unit: Thousands
Population in age groups by gender
2007 Estimated population
Unit: Thousands
- Source: Graph 10/Prefectures Age(In Age groups), Gender divided population-Total Population
(Ministry of Internal Affairs Statistics Bureau)
Comparison of Population Distribution between Shimane and Japanese National Average | Population Distribution by Age and Sex in Shimane | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
■Shimane
■Japan (average) |
■Male
■Female | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2015 Census, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications - Statistics Department |
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1920 | 715,000 | — |
1930 | 740,000 | +3.5% |
1940 | 741,000 | +0.1% |
1950 | 913,000 | +23.2% |
1960 | 889,000 | −2.6% |
1970 | 773,575 | −13.0% |
1980 | 784,795 | +1.5% |
1990 | 781,021 | −0.5% |
2000 | 761,503 | −2.5% |
2010 | 717,397 | −5.8% |
2020 | 679,626 | −5.3% |
[18][19] |
Culture
Cultural Assets
- World Cultural Heritage
- National Treasures
- Izumo-taisha Main Shrine (Izumo City)
- Kamosu Shrine Main Shrine (Matsue City)
- Toiletry case with autumn field and deer design (Izumo-taisha)
- Armour Laced with white thread (Hinomisaki Shrine)
- Bronze bells from the Kamo-Iwakura site Unearthed bronze bell-shaped vessel (Unnan City)
- Kojindani Ruins Unearthed ruins (Izumo City)
- Important Traditional Building Preservation Area
- Ōmori (Ōda City)
- Yunotsu (Ōda City)
Languages (Dialects)
- Unpaku dialect(Izumo dialect, Oki dialect, etc.)
- Iwami dialect
Universities in Shimane Prefecture
- Shimane University, Matsue and Izumo (National university)[20]
- The University of Shimane, Hamada (Prefectural university)[21]
Tourism
- Shimane Vogel Park
- Matsue Castle
- Adachi Museum of Art
- Aquas Aquarium
- Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine
- Izumo-taisha
- Izumo Province
- Shimane Art Museum
- Iwami Art Museum
- Shimane Winery
- Mt. Sanbe
- Tamatsukuri Onsen
Prefectural symbols
The prefectural flower is the mountain peony. On the island of Daikonjima, they have been grown from at least the 18th century.[22]
See also
Notes
- ^ "2020年度国民経済計算(2015年基準・2008SNA) : 経済社会総合研究所 - 内閣府". 内閣府ホームページ (in Japanese). Retrieved May 18, 2023.
- ^ Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Shimane Province" in Japan Encyclopedia, p. 859, p. 859, at Google Books; "Chūgoku" at p. 127, p. 127, at Google Books
- ^ Nussbaum, "Matsue" at p. 617, p. 617, at Google Books
- ^ "Izumo Shrine website". Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
- ^ Nussbaum, "Provinces and prefectures" at p. 780, p. 780, at Google Books
- ^ Shimane Prefecture introduction Archived March 3, 1997, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 4-06-204594-X.
- ^ a b History of Shimane Prefecture Archived November 18, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ISBN 978-4-8071-4091-6.
- ^ Liancourt Rocks
- ^ "General overview of area figures for Natural Parks by prefecture" (PDF). Ministry of the Environment. April 1, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
- ^ a b c d 考える社会科地図 Kangaeru Shakaika Chizu. 四谷大塚出版 Yotsuya-Ōtsuka Shuppan. 2005. p. 113.
- ^ Flight schedule of Oki Airport Archived August 30, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Route map for JR West
- ^ Route map of Ichibata Electric Railway
- ^ JR West website on limited express trains
- ^ Japan Times “Centenarians to Hit Record 44,000”. The Japan Times, Sept. 15, 2010. Okinawa Prefecture also had the largest loss of young and middle-aged population during the Pacific War.
- ^ Shimane 1995-2020 population statistics
- ^ Shimane 1920-2000 population statistics
- ^ Shimane University
- ^ University of Shimane
- ^ Symbols of Shimane Prefecture: From Shimane Prefecture website Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
References
- Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric and Käthe Roth. (2005). Japan encyclopedia. Cambridge:
External links
- Official homepage of Shimane Prefecture
- National Archives of Japan ... Shimane map (1891)[permanent dead link]
- Sightseeing In Shimane